ConcertPulse
Guest in Erlangen with Thomas Dausgaard
»Music with soul« – this is how the Estonian Arvo Pärt describes the time of Gregorian chants, which he often reflects in his contemplative »Tintinnabuli style«. His »Silouan‘s Song« from 1991 transposes this monk‘s prayer into the fluency of a string-only ensemble – the meditative music speaks from the poetically powerful words it carries: »My soul longs for the Lord, and in tears I seek him.« Then a new work by Erkki-Sven Tüür, who was born in 1959 on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa, will be heard – a fascinating artist who likes to tackle current social issues in his gripping pieces. So we can look forward with anticipation to the world premiere of his cello concerto, which we will perform together with Nicolas Altstaedt. On 10 March, our First Concertmaster Ilian Garnetz will perform the passionate violin concerto by Alexander Glazunov. Born in 1865, the composer was a wunderkind and was later titled the »Russian Brahms«: His indulgent works are characterised by an impeccable awareness of form, a sense of enchanting melody and a perfect art of richly coloured instrumentation. Although Tchaikovsky certainly saw a rival in Glazunov at the time, he admired his incredible talent – and wrote warmly to him: »Don't be angry with me, but I love you so much.« Both concert evenings conclude with Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony from 1888, which is permeated with a great sense of inner conflict – after all, he said that there was »not a single bar« that would not be »the reverberation of my innermost soul life«. And so the restless symphony is characterised by a fate motif: according to a diary entry, it represents »doubts, complaints, reproaches« – but at the end, the melancholic tone is transformed into optimistic confidence.