For his debut with the Symphoniker Hamburg the young Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti has selected Zemlinsky’s »Lyric Symphony« of 1923, which is based on poems by the Bengali Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It is an exotic and highly passionate work that deals with the conflict between dream and reality – symbolised in a girl’s love for a prince. Also on the programme is Szymanowski’s enigmatic Violin Concerto from 1916. Inspired by the pantheistic poem »May Night« by a fellow Pole, the work’s impact comes from its suggestive tonal effects – an innovative style that was once described as »violin impressionism«.
Please note: Ludovic Tézier has regrettably been forced to cancel his appearance in this concert due to illness. Baritone Bo Skovhus has kindly agreed to step in at short notice. read less