Dance the score

Not everything that is dance-like was created for the dance floor. Some composers didn’t treat rhythm as an ornament but as a starting point. They didn’t write “for dancing” – they wrote from dance. From its energy, tension, and instinct. Though from different eras and countries, all the works in this evening’s concert share a common foundation: movement as a force of musical form.

In 1905, Manuel de Falla completed La vida breve – an opera meant to launch his career in Spain. But it wasn’t staged there. Discouraged by the lack of interest, the composer moved to Paris in 1907. Only in France did the opera gain recognition – first in a concert version, and then in 1913 on stage for the first time, in Nice.

Today, the most frequently performed excerpt is the Spanish Dance, an instrumental piece from the second act. Flamenco rhythms, guitar-like string passages, dialogue between the orchestra, and folk tradition flow from one source: the natural idiom of Andalusian motion.

Édouard Lalo was French but found inspiration in Spain – or, more precisely, in a Spanish violinist. Pablo de Sarasate was 26 years old when he commissioned a concerto from Lalo. The result? The 1874 Symphonie espagnole – not quite a symphony, but definitely more than a typical violin concerto. The title may be misleading – it’s an extended concerto in five movements inspired by Spanish rhythm and color. Each movement has a distinct rhythm and character. This music doesn’t imitate dance – it functions as dance in proportion, pulse, and inner tension.

Symphonie espagnole by Lalo, performed by Augustin Hadelich (violin) and the Orchestre national de France conducted by Cristian Macelaru:

Aram Khachaturian once said that rhythm isn’t a technique; it’s the instinct of motion. That might be the best summary of his style. In the ballets Gayane (1942) and Spartacus (1954), rhythm becomes the primary dramatic tool. It’s not just about the famous Sabre Dance – though that did become a hit – but about how Khachaturian builds narrative through physicality.

Spartacus is a story of struggle and the body, of resistance and emotion, expressed not in words but in movement. Gayane – composed during wartime evacuation in Perm – pulses with the energy of the Caucasus, with syncopations, ostinatos, and the rhythms of workers’ songs.

Adagio from the ballet Spartacus by Khachaturian performed by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sergey Smbayan:

The concert will feature the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra alongside two outstanding guest artists. On the violin, Ellinor D’Melon, hailed as one of the most exceptional young talents of her generation, whose expressive artistry and technical mastery have captivated audiences around the world. At the podium will stand Ruben Gazarian, an experienced conductor with an impressive international career, renowned for his versatility and deep musical insight.

This concert isn’t about dance – it’s about motion in music. Motion as form, as instinct, as something that leads the mind faster than melody.