Symphoniker Hamburg / Benjamin Kruithof / Nicolas Ellis

Dmitri Shostakovich's fast-paced Scherzo in F sharp minor, Op. 1, opens the evening. The teenager's work is already full of personality and commands attention with its wit, sharpness and masterful orchestration. No less impressive is his Symphony No. 1, which he presented as his final thesis at the Leningrad Conservatory at the age of just 18 and which already contains much of what would characterise his later work: irony, drama, expressiveness and emotional depth.

Between these two milestones, Benjamin Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra is performed, a work that breaks with classical concert thinking. When Britten wrote the symphony in 1963 for the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich – to whom Shostakovich also dedicated both of his cello concertos in 1959 and 1966 – he deliberately wanted to break the boundaries of the genre. It was not intended to be a virtuoso solo showcase, nor to place the solo instrument in the foreground. Rather, it was to enter into an intense, equal dialogue with the orchestra. The result is a work of existential depth that combines virtuosity with emotional drama.

With this programme, two exceptional talents are making their debut with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra: Nicolas Ellis at the podium and cellist Benjamin Kruithof. Ellis is celebrated as a discoverer and catalyst who brings fresh perspectives and sensitive intensity to the podium – an authentic voice of the new generation. Kruithof is causing an international sensation with his blend of technical precision and tonal depth, interpreting Britten's Cello Symphony with the intelligent passion that characterises his artistic signature. A concert that aims to open eyes and ears to all that is possible in music.