WIR 2

Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931) wrote her 2nd Violin Concerto "for the present time" in 2007. It is an appeal to stop and experience every moment with a keen mind and all the senses. The solo violin soars up into the air, hovering over the deep strings and winds; its melodic singing is like a solitary voice against the forward-looking sounds of the orchestra.

If it is true that music can express both human pain and comport at the very moment the sound is produced, then Peter Tchaikovsky's final symphony of 1893 is the perfect example. Known as the "Pathétique", the symphony rouses an immense mixture of emotions, and was premiered only ten days before the composer's death.

With this concert, Patrick Lange makes his symphony concert debut as new General Music Director of the Wiesbaden State Theatre. Young violinist Tobias Feldmann is the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Born in Hesse, he also won the 2012 German Music Prize and is supported by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. He has performed with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the NDR Radio Philharmonic in Hannover and the Utah Symphony, amongst others.