2. Sinfoniekonzert | Bußtagskonzert by Wagner, Richard, Stephan, R., Sibelius, ke 22 marras 2023, Alkaen (2023/2023), Musiikinjohto Mario Hartmuth, Martinskirche, Kassel, Germany

In his stage festival play Parsifal, Richard Wagner dealt impressively with the Christian folk mythology of the Grail. "He thus bowed before the cross," as Friedrich Nietzsche remarked disparagingly. However, in his last work - as in many of his music dramas before - the composer mixed several symbols and rites from the most diverse religions. Wagner, the magician of sound, created with his prelude to the first act, in keeping with the saying of Parsifal's father, Gurnemanz, ethereal music, "where space and time become one". Rudi Stephan, who is largely unknown today, was considered one of the outstanding musical talents of his time. Born in Worms in 1887, he was regarded as the greatest hope of young German composers at least since his highly acclaimed debut in Munich in 1911. Unfortunately, he died in World War I at the age of just 28, leaving us very few works. The Fourth Symphony by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is a very remarkable piece in several respects. In the work, which premiered in 1911, the composer takes us into completely new musical worlds in every respect. Sibelius also wanted his symphony to be understood as a "protest against the current compositions" of the contemporary music of the time.