Jakub Hrůša conducts Brahms, Ligeti und Dvořák

Jakub Hrůša conducts Brahms, Ligeti and Dvořák

"I spent such happy hours in your wonderful creation. One is enveloped by its mysterious spell from beginning to end!" Clara Schumann wrote these enthusiastic words about Brahms' Third Symphony, which he completed during his 1883 summer vacation in the area around Wiesbaden. His holiday routine was to go for an early morning walk or swim and then sit down at his desk or the piano. This creative process left its mark on the charming symphony, whose emotional beauty was praised by Dvořák, too: “It is pure love and makes your heart soar." Brahms in turn commented enviously on his colleague and close friend's inventiveness: “That fellow has more ideas than any of us. Everyone else could assemble their main themes from the scraps he has rejected." Dvořák's magnificent Eighth Symphony thus also features on our programme. In this work, composed in 1889 at his Czech country estate, he gave his creative imagination free rein – the outcome is a fascinating and multifaceted score that one biographer described as “brimming with vivid colour”. These two symphonies frame an ethereal piece by this year's jubilarian György Ligeti, who once said: "I have a vision, not a dogma, not a finished system. I don't want to achieve a result and then stop. I keep myself open to influences." His febrile 1967 composition "Lontano" is a journey into a utopian metaphysical realm of gradually evolving soundscapes. Ligeti suggested that listeners should imagine walking out of the bright sunlight into a dark room, where they would only gradually become able to perceive colours and contours.

Jakub Hrůša conducts Beethoven

Under the baton of our Chief Conductor, we take our listeners on musical soul-searchings through emotional highs and lows: We combine two sonic legacies revolving around heroes – and there is a connection between them. As Romain Rolland said admiringly of Beethoven: »You are the embodiment of heroism in all of modern art. You give us your bravery, your faith that struggle is bliss.« Due to the political events around Napoleon, numerous myths surround Beethoven’s »Eroica«. The symphony was initially dedicated to the Frenchman – but even Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind in ancient times, is a possible candidate as the hero. And it is also possible that this instrumental journey may even retrace Beethoven's own fate. For the generations that followed, the famous Helden-Symphonie has remained a powerful memory – including for Richard Strauss, who almost a century later referred to the model in a way that was both playful and serious: »Ein Heldenleben« is set in E-flat major, like the »Eroica«, and displays autobiographical characteristics. In the meantime, Strauss even referred to it as a »heroic symphony«. The result is a very haunting work: at the beginning, the protagonist confronts his adversaries – the malicious envious and presumptuous know-it-alls and supposedly the nagging music critics of that time. For peace of mind, the hero then ultimately flees the world with his beloved mate. Strauss gave numerous hints about the detailed content of the symphonic poem – but what was important to him was its central message: »It is enough to know that it portrays a hero in combat with his enemies.«

Jakub Hrůša conducts Beethoven

Under the baton of our Chief Conductor, we take our listeners on musical soul-searchings through emotional highs and lows: We combine two sonic legacies revolving around heroes – and there is a connection between them. As Romain Rolland said admiringly of Beethoven: »You are the embodiment of heroism in all of modern art. You give us your bravery, your faith that struggle is bliss.« Due to the political events around Napoleon, numerous myths surround Beethoven’s »Eroica«. The symphony was initially dedicated to the Frenchman – but even Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind in ancient times, is a possible candidate as the hero. And it is also possible that this instrumental journey may even retrace Beethoven's own fate. For the generations that followed, the famous Helden-Symphonie has remained a powerful memory – including for Richard Strauss, who almost a century later referred to the model in a way that was both playful and serious: »Ein Heldenleben« is set in E-flat major, like the »Eroica«, and displays autobiographical characteristics. In the meantime, Strauss even referred to it as a »heroic symphony«. The result is a very haunting work: at the beginning, the protagonist confronts his adversaries – the malicious envious and presumptuous know-it-alls and supposedly the nagging music critics of that time. For peace of mind, the hero then ultimately flees the world with his beloved mate. Strauss gave numerous hints about the detailed content of the symphonic poem – but what was important to him was its central message: »It is enough to know that it portrays a hero in combat with his enemies.«

Jakub Hrůša conducts Wagner, Brahms and Schumann

»Two souls dwell, alas! in my heart« – Schumann knew only too well this dilemma described by Goethe in »Faust«: in his life, highs and lows, creative rushes and crises continually alternated. When he composed his piano concerto in 1845, he was living with his family in Dresden – where, however, he hardly played a role next to Wagner. And so the sounds of this touching work tell of his suffering and longings. Immortalised in the notes is his beloved wife Clara, who thought of it: »How rich in invention, how intriguing from the beginning to the end.« We look forward to the interpretations of Lukáš Vondráček and Hélène Grimaud – who is often described as a musical philosopher. The fact that Clara and Brahms were one heart and soul must have been a thorn in Schumann‘s side. Even after his tragic demise, the two of them remained close and consulted each other on artistic matters. After Brahms completed his elaborate third symphony in the summer of 1883 in the Wiesbaden region, Clara raved about its »mysterious spell«: »What poetry, the most harmonious mood throughout it all, the movements all as if from one mould, a heartbeat, each movement a gem!« Two Wagner pieces full of deep psychological tensions will serve as a frame of reference for us: The stage-saga about the swan knight Lohengrin, first performed in 1850, takes us into an environment detached from the hustle and bustle of the world – but into which reality crashes bitterly. The Tannhäuser opera of 1845 revolves around an outsider: he is torn between sinful passion and the desire for godly love – and only finds redemption in death, according to Wagner with the reconciliation of the elements: »Spirit and senses, God and nature embrace in the holy and uniting kiss of love.«Recording & broadcast BR-KLASSIK

Jakub Hrůša conducts Wagner, Brahms and Schumann

»Two souls dwell, alas! in my heart« – Schumann knew only too well this dilemma described by Goethe in »Faust«: in his life, highs and lows, creative rushes and crises continually alternated. When he composed his piano concerto in 1845, he was living with his family in Dresden – where, however, he hardly played a role next to Wagner. And so the sounds of this touching work tell of his suffering and longings. Immortalised in the notes is his beloved wife Clara, who thought of it: »How rich in invention, how intriguing from the beginning to the end.« We look forward to the interpretations of Lukáš Vondráček and Hélène Grimaud – who is often described as a musical philosopher. The fact that Clara and Brahms were one heart and soul must have been a thorn in Schumann‘s side. Even after his tragic demise, the two of them remained close and consulted each other on artistic matters. After Brahms completed his elaborate third symphony in the summer of 1883 in the Wiesbaden region, Clara raved about its »mysterious spell«: »What poetry, the most harmonious mood throughout it all, the movements all as if from one mould, a heartbeat, each movement a gem!« Two Wagner pieces full of deep psychological tensions will serve as a frame of reference for us: The stage-saga about the swan knight Lohengrin, first performed in 1850, takes us into an environment detached from the hustle and bustle of the world – but into which reality crashes bitterly. The Tannhäuser opera of 1845 revolves around an outsider: he is torn between sinful passion and the desire for godly love – and only finds redemption in death, according to Wagner with the reconciliation of the elements: »Spirit and senses, God and nature embrace in the holy and uniting kiss of love.«This concert will be broadcast on medici.tv.Recording & broadcast: BR-KLASSIK

Jakub Hrůša conducts Bruckner, Mahler and Rott

The concert introduction takes place at 7 pm in the Joseph-Keilberth-Saal.

Our Chief Conductor conducts Brahms & Dvořák

"I spent such happy hours in your wonderful creation. One is enveloped by its mysterious spell from beginning to end!" Clara Schumann wrote these enthusiastic words about Brahms' Third Symphony, which he completed during his 1883 summer vacation in the area around Wiesbaden. His holiday routine was to go for an early morning walk or swim and then sit down at his desk or the piano. This creative process left its mark on the charming symphony, whose emotional beauty was praised by Dvořák, too: “It is pure love and makes your heart soar." Brahms in turn commented enviously on his colleague and close friend's inventiveness: “That fellow has more ideas than any of us. Everyone else could assemble their main themes from the scraps he has rejected." Dvořák's magnificent Eighth Symphony thus also features on our programme. In this work, composed in 1889 at his Czech country estate, he gave his creative imagination free rein – the outcome is a fascinating and multifaceted score that one biographer described as “brimming with vivid colour”. These two symphonies frame an ethereal piece by this year's jubilarian György Ligeti, who once said: "I have a vision, not a dogma, not a finished system. I don't want to achieve a result and then stop. I keep myself open to influences." His febrile 1967 composition "Lontano" is a journey into a utopian metaphysical realm of gradually evolving soundscapes. Ligeti suggested that listeners should imagine walking out of the bright sunlight into a dark room, where they would only gradually become able to perceive colours and contours.

Petr Popelka dirigiert Werke von Suk, Dvořák und Brahms

Petr Popelka dirigiert Werke von Suk, Dvořák und Brahms