7th symphony concert

Max Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Geirr Tveitt Concerto No. 2 for Hardanger Fiddle and Orchestra, Op. 252, Three Fjords
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 (The Great C major)

Featuring the Hardanger fiddle, the 7th symphony concert has a real discovery in store. Nowadays mainly present in the folk music of its country of origin Norway, its idiosyncratically charming sound has recently also gained popularity in the film music for Lord of the Rings. Geirr Tveitt has written two magnificent solo concertos for the Hardanger fiddle, the second of which features the instrument tonally tracing the glittering play of lights on the fjords. Violinist Ragnhild Hemsing juxtaposes the work from her Norwegian homeland with an absolute classic on the ‘normal’ violin: Max Bruch's G minor concerto, which was already so popular during the composer's lifetime that Bruch even threatened to ‘ban’ it so that his other works would finally receive more attention.

Robert Schumann, a self-confessed fan of his Viennese composer colleague Franz Schubert, called the latter's Great C major symphony a "thick novel in four volumes". Just like the big picture, however, the abundance of musical details is fascinating here: every single bar seems polished, the music is effective without ever lapsing into showmanship, and the lyrical song composer Schubert is just as present as the stage person who enjoys staging tonal contrasts.