CANCELLED: In tempus praesens

Sofia Gubaidulina’s Second Violin Concerto is called »In tempus praesens« (In the Present Time). In the work, the composer criticises the »now-lessness« of our age, where each moment is simply perceived as a transition from the past to the future. Gubaidulina brings us back to the here and now – she urges us to listen. Originally composed for the star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, the concerto is one of the most remarkable compositions of recent years. The orchestra is made up exclusively of deep strings and heavy brass instruments, while the solo voice hovers, for the most part, at stratospheric heights. The expression is always dramatic; the sound contrasts reach extremes. The Symphony Orchestra of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater now performs this wholly exceptional work at the Hamburg International Music Festival, along with Johannes Brahms’s contemplative Second Symphony, and the Twelfth Symphony of the Danish composer Rued Langgaard.