Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Giedrė Šlekyte

For her cello concert, our composer in residence Unsuk Chin inspired in her words the “unique artistry of Alban Gerhardt.” The dedicatee from Berlin premiered it at the London Proms in 2009 and now also plays Chin's transparent work with us, which, according to one critic, “never covers up the soloist despite the large orchestral line-up and thoroughly explores the specific lyrical qualities of the instrument in the face of all technical difficulties. ”

Under the direction of Lithuanian conductor Giedrė Šlekytė, this is followed by two tone poems by Richard Strauss: With his depiction of the restless, pleasure-driven, internally empty “Don Juan”, the 24-year-old composer celebrated a great success in 1889 that was groundbreaking for his career. In “Death and Transfiguration,” in 1890, he transported the audience to the deathbed of a fictional artist, through whose feverish head once again his life and work.

Program: Unsuk Chin: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; Richard Strauss: “Don Juan” — Symphonic Poem based on Nikolaus Lenau op. 20; Richard Strauss: “Death and Transfiguration” — Symphonic Poem op. 24