VFCO / NIKOLAJ SZEPS-ZNAIDER
Program
FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102
Interval
ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97 “Rhenish”
Artist(s)
- Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
- Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider Conductor
- Clara-Jumi Kang violin
- Kian Soltani cello
Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis play Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor, Op 102 (Verbier Festival)
To think that if the Ruy Blas overture ever saw the light of day, it was solely for reasons of… pride! Mendelssohn, who had been commissioned to write this Overture, initially politely refused, as he did not care for Victor Hugo’s text. The commissioners, arguing that it was due to a lack of time, suggested that Mendelssohn postpone the commission until the following year… in no time at all, the composer, his pride stung, set to work and wrote the piece in three days! The speed of the writing process is reflected in the piece, which displays a truly Mozartian vivacity.
In contrast, Brahms’s Double Concerto takes the time to introduce each of its protagonists in cadenza-like episodes, before pitting them against each other or bringing them together with a pageantry and maestria of which only Brahms held the secret.
Unlike Ruy Blas, the gestation of the Rhenish Symphony took Schumann ten years. Featuring a rare five-movement structure, its title constitutes a tribute to German heritage: as evidenced by the slow movement built on a chorale in homage to Cologne Cathedral.
