Edward Elgar
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra e minor op. 85 (1919)
Franz Schubert
Symphony in C major, D 944 »Great Symphony« (1825)
- Sol Gabetta Violoncello
- Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
- François-Xavier Roth Conductor
Two great melancholics encounter each other at this concert. Franz Schubert did not hear his last symphony, the »Great« in C major, performed in his lifetime. Only in 1839, eleven years after his premature death, was it premiered within the framework of the concerts of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig – with none other than Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy conducting. Robert Schumann waxed lyrical at the time about the »symphony’s divine length«.
Where Schubert dares a visionary look into bright spheres, Edward Elgar’s musical language seems earthy and dark, infused by world-weariness and resignation. The cello concerto is Elgar’s last completed work, a mixture of swan song and personal requiem. The reviewer of the premiere recognised its »profound wisdom and beauty«. Star cellist Sol Gabetta is following in the footsteps of legendary cellist Jaqueline du Pré, whose worldwide fame was established by her interpretation of the Elgar concerto.
The originally scheduled premiere of Éric Montalbetti's "Ouverture philharmonique", a joint commission by Radio France and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, must unfortunately be postponed to a later date. Due to the currently valid spacing rules on stage, the piece cannot be realised at the moment.
