Concert Programme
É. Lalo. La Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21
J. Brahms. Symphony No. 3, F-dur, Op. 90
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra offers a unique opportunity to hear Christian Tetzlaff, one of the most spectacular violin stars on the classical music scene. The violinist is highly acclaimed worldwide for his expressive, insightful, and deeply personal interpretations. His distinctive approach to the score and his constant search for emotional and compositional depth have, over time, garnered a loyal following of listeners who often describe his performances as an existential experience.
Tetzlaff has performed with all the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin, Vienna, and New York Philharmonics, the Boston and Chicago Symphonies, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and many others. His repertoire is extensive, ranging from J. S. Bach's solo sonatas and partitas to less frequently performed concertos by G. B. Viotti and J. Joachim, as well as contemporary works by G. Ligeti, J. Widmann, and Th. Adès. In 2015, the British daily The Guardian described Tetzlaff's interpretation of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Harding, as "the finest performance of the work this reviewer has ever heard." Since 2012, Tetzlaff has been a professor at the Kronberg Academy, and in 2023, he became the artistic director of the "Spannungen" music festival in Heimbach, Germany.
For his concert in Vilnius, Tetzlaff has chosen the "Symphonie espagnole" by French composer Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), which contemporary music critics regard as essentially a violin concerto. Written in 1847, the piece premiered on the Paris stage at a time when Spanish motifs in music had become highly fashionable.
In the second half of the concert, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra will perform Johannes Brahms' (1833–1897) Third Symphony, which stands out for its vibrant orchestration, inventive rhythmic and metric flexibility, and superb, organic development. After hearing the symphony, Antonín Dvořák wrote in a letter to publisher Fritz Simrock: "I say without exaggeration that this work surpasses Brahms' first two symphonies; if not in grandeur and power, then certainly in beauty. What wonderful melodies are to be found here!" Dvořák's enthusiasm was well-founded: the symphony's premiere in 1883 with the Vienna Philharmonic was met with immense acclaim.