Dvořáks Vioolconcert met Stella Chen

Dvořák's Violin Concerto with Stella Chen

American violinist Stella Chen rose to prominence after winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2019. Her spontaneous style of music-making is not infrequently striking, particularly fitting in Dvořák's Violin Concerto , with its many Czech folk influences and symphonic power reminiscent of Brahms. After all, Dvořák wrote the concerto for a friend of Brahms: the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who offered him numerous tips. For violinists, there is much to be gained from this concerto, ranging from romantic breadth to dance-like lightness and folkloric sharpness. The honor goes to Stella Chen and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marc Albrecht.

Smetana and Janáček

Like Beethoven, Smetana wrote his most famous works when he was completely deaf. But his inner hearing was so strong that, with The Moldau , he brought a perfect piece of music into the world. Perfect in orchestral sound, theme, and musical tension. If Smetana may be called the father of Czech music, Janáček is the son who led the family business into the modern era. He conceived the idea for his Sinfonietta , a late work, when he happened to hear a brass band playing during a walk. In the first and last movements of this magnificent, compact work, brass and percussion play a leading role.