1. Classical Music on Sunday

One opera, but four overtures – that is Beethoven’s track record in the field of opera composition. Ludwig van Beethoven struggled with his only opera, Fidelio, repeatedly altering, correcting and discarding entire ideas. Only his fourth attempt at composing a suitable overture met his standards as an opening to the opera. Nevertheless, the three preceding versions are by no means unknown in the concert hall. The third, the Leonore Overture in particular, has conquered the stage with its musical drama.

Drama also arises when Joseph Haydn, in the second and fourth movements of his Military Symphony, evokes a military band with a large percussion section. Amidst the musical idyll, in which the lightness so characteristic of Haydn’s music is ever-present, a violent terror suddenly descends. Viewed in the context of its time, Haydn’s symphony thus responds to the political upheavals of the late 18th century, and its musical expression remains relevant to this day. With these works, the BSOF explores the musical and human desire for freedom at the start of the season.

Fiercely championing freedom, the works by Beethoven and Haydn provide a framework for Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s Viola Concerto. Alongside Carl Stamitz’s Solo Concerto, it is regarded as one of the most difficult viola concertos of the Viennese Classical period and is a demanding piece for auditions. Yet, alongside its technical challenges, it is also a work of lyricism and melancholy, allowing the viola to ‘sing’ in sweeping phrases.

The task of interpreting the contrasting movements in all their facets falls to »Artist in Residence« Amihai Grosz, principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic. He is joined by British conductor Nicholas McGegan. As a conductor and harpsichordist, he tours worldwide and is an expert in historical performance practice.