Klaus Mäkelä & Sol Gabetta
Future chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä leads a program full of musical tributes. 'It is thanks to Mozart that I have dedicated my life to music,' Tchaikovsky confessed in a letter. His veneration for the 'radiant genius' resonates clearly in his Rococo Variations for cello and orchestra. Sol Gabetta shines tonight in this heavenly work. Tchaikovsky, in turn, was the great role model for Anton Arensky, as can be heard in the Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky by this composer who died far too young.
Mozart Symphony No. 39
Mozart's last three symphonies, with their emotional range unprecedented at the time, form a fascinating crowning achievement of his symphonic oeuvre. Symphony No. 39 was unusual for many reasons. For instance, no oboes can be heard in it – Mozart's love for the clarinet is given full scope. In the ingenious final movement, the composer takes off his hat to 'Papa' Haydn – while at the same time already foreshadowing Romanticism.