Papandopulo: Piano Concerto No. 3 & Violin Concerto

Featuring

Ville Matvejeff
Oliver Triendl
Dan Zhu
Rijeka Opera Symphony Orchestra
Boris Papandopoulo

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Composer Biography

Boris Papandopulo, one of the most significant Croatian composers of the 20th century, was the son of a Russian aristocrat and the famous Croatian opera singer Maja Strozzi.

Composer Biography

Igor Stravinsky, a renowned composer, was friends with Papandopulo's mother, Maja Strozzi, and helped the young Papandopulo with a letter of recommendation for his studies in Vienna.

Composition History

The Third Piano Concerto was reconstructed about ten years ago by pianist Dalibor Cikojević, as the autograph score had been lost, and only the piano part and orchestral material remained.

Compositional Technique

Papandopulo's music evolved to incorporate twelve-tone technique, jazz, and even pop music, sometimes with an ironic or parodic approach.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Papandopulo found inspiration for his works in diverse extra-musical subjects, ranging from ancient folklore and Croatian Catholic liturgy to socialist realism and contemporary Croatian history.

Composition History

The score for Papandopulo's Violin Concerto, Op. 125, was completed during World War II and had to be stored in an air-raid shelter in Berlin to protect it from bombings.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Papandopulo's early works combined elements of Croatian 'national style' folk music with 'cosmopolitan' influences from Russian and French composers, as well as Neoclassicism and Neo-Baroque techniques.