Jean Sibelius struggled with none of his symphonies as much as with his Fifth. The original version of 1914/15 did not satisfy him. Only a fundamental revision in 1918 satisfied the composer. Since then it has been regarded as definitive and ensures the work's international success. »The whole thing is, if I may say so, a vital increase towards the end. Triumphant«, the composer characterized his creation. With the 5th symphony, a work had been created with »powerful, painfully fought-for optimism in difficult times, an uplifting testimony to an insurmountable belief in the ever-renewing power of life« (Karl Ekman). In addition to the symphony by the great Finn, the two works in the first part of the program prove to be lighter. The overture Elverhøj at the beginning is well known to fans of the Danish Olsen Gang as »music accompaniment« to the three crooks breaking into the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. Their composer Friedrich Kuhlau is a native German whose sonatinas will be remembered by many a piano student. However, a good quarter of his entire compositional work consists of pieces for one or more flutes; they contributed significantly to Kuhlau's fame. In his home town of Uelzen there has been an international flute competition named after him since 1970. In 1992, Lowell Liebermann (born 1961) wrote a three-movement flute concerto for James Galway, one of the most important flutists of the 20th century. The concerto speaks directly to the listener, it catches the ear, gives the solo flute plenty of opportunity to make virtuosic music and invites you to dream in the slow movement...
