Homage to Gideon Klein

In 2019, the world of music celebrates the centenary of one of the most gifted composers to emerge from Czechoslovakia, Gideon Klein, whose career was tragically cut short by the Nazis. The music he produced in Theresienstadt concentration camp—under unimaginable circumstances—is powerful, original and captivating, and shows how greatly he was influenced by Czech master Janáček, whose suite Mládí is a gem of the wind ensemble repertoire. Dvořák’s influence on Janáček’s music was profound: how fitting then to end this concert with a work of sublime lyricism which breathes the air of the Czech countryside, Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds.