In the second of their three residency concerts, the Bamberger Symphoniker paid special tribute to two Romantic geniuses and their swan songs. Conductor Jakub Hruša came on stage with two particularly eminent soloists for a not-so-often heard Brahms Double Concerto. Written towards the end of Brahms life and after his four symphonies, it was quickly admired if not loved. But we loved the violin of Isabelle Faust take turns for our attention with the cello of Sol Gabetta. Initially I found the cello easier to absorb but after a while both were enticingly brilliant in their musical conversation.
Five years after Brahms had composed his Double Concerto, in 1892 Antonin Dvorák left Prague to take up a position in New York. He was quickly to discover indigenous American melodies to add to his repertoire of his native Bohemia. And then he discovered African American spirituals. With all this new music in his mind he composed his Ninth Symphony with its premiere at Carnegie Hall in December 1893. For us in the Usher Hall the Bamberger Symphonika knew they were on to a winner. The audience was thrilled with the performance and the players were ready with their encores.
Event: Wednesday 7th August 2024 at 7.30pm