Symphoniker Hamburg / Andris Poga

Moving works infused with the mood of parting! Inspired by his forbidden love for the writer Mathilde Wesendonck, Richard Wagner created an outstanding psychological drama in his opera »Tristan und Isolde«, which was premiered in 1865. One heady night leads to disaster for the two protagonists – tormented, they choose the path that takes them to their death. The music captivates with a haunted current of melodic ideas and deeply psychological relationships. Talking about the Prelude, Wagner himself spoke of the »inner movement of the soul«. Star pianist Elena Bashkirova interprets Bartók’s last piano concerto, written in exile in the US in 1945, shortly before his death. The work is full of melancholy: a Hungarian nursery song can be heard in it, as can »Music of a night filled with birds and insects«, which Bartók had notated in North Carolina.