7. Sinfoniekonzert - seejungfrau by Beethoven, Von Zemlinsky, lun 04 mar 2024, Da (2024/2024), Direttore d'orchestra Patrick Hahn, Historische Stadthalle, Wuppertal, Germania

A classic meets an underrated masterpiece. Ludwig van Beethoven only left posterity a single violin concerto but in doing so, he produced one of the most popular but also idiosyncratic contributions to the genre. Even the beginning with its four beats by the timpani is unusual. Beethoven then foregoes the expected virtuoso effect and instead relies on lyrical phrasing and a relationship of symphonic dialogue between the solo instrument and the orchestra. This did nothing to diminish the work’s enduring popularity . Alexander Zemlinsky’s “The Mermaid”, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale, is much less well-known. Presumably, the composer saw parallels to his own life in the tragic tale of unrequited love as he was turned down by his adored Alma who ended up marrying his colleague Gustav Mahler. Patrick Hahn described this extensive tone poem by the Austrian composer as “a far too rarely performed masterpiece”.