NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Weilerstein / Gilbert
Tschaikowsky / Beethoven
More than Elevated Entertainment
Two crisp orchestral beats in E flat – and the music takes off! In his »Eroica«, Beethoven demands absolute concentration from his audience from the word go. This was the first symphony in music history that aimed to be more than just sophisticated entertainment: with his Third Symphony, Beethoven wanted to convey political and moral ideas as well. The perfect work, in other words, to celebrate the reunion between the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under chief conductor Alan Gilbert and their audience after the compulsory break due to Corona. And convincing proof, moreover, that we don’t really need a Beethoven Year to explore the oeuvure of this »Titan« among composers!
The concert opens, by way of contrast, with a work that is lightweight and sunny rather than pathos- and conflict-laden: for Tchaikovsky, »Rococo« stood not only for a pure, elegant and witty musical style, but also for a carefree era as such – very much in contrast to the depressions that plagued the composer in the winter of 1876.
This affliction prompted Tchaikovsky to write a simple theme for cello and orchestra by way of »cleansing his soul«, adding several highly virtuoso variations on the theme. At the time, only an expert soloist like Wilhelm Fitzenhagen was able to cope with the music; Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to him, and Fitzenhagen even added a couple of extra tricky passages to his own copy of the score… Tonight the challenge is taken up by Alisa Weilerstein, who made her debut with the Cleveland Orchestra aged 13, and has since been one of the most sought-after cellists of her generation worldwide.
Performers
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester
Alisa Weilerstein violoncello
conductor Alan Gilbert
Programme
Piotr I. Tschaikowsky
Variations on a Rococo Theme for Violoncello and Orchestra in A major, Op. 33
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sinfonie Nr. 3 Es-Dur op. 55 »Eroica«
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