Repertoire

Alban Berg: Violin Concerto “To the Memory of an Angel” (1935) 22′
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 “The Great” (1825) 48′

ARTISTS

Salvador Mas, conductor
Daniel Hope, violin
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)

Programme

Dedicated “To the memory of an angel”, the Concerto for Violin that Alban Berg subtitled so beautifully in honour of Manon, the daughter of Alma Schindler and Walter Gropius, not only follows the revolutionary approaches championed by Schönberg and Webern, but exemplifies how this new grammar can still awaken emotions in the listener. The use of a recurring motif, with a tonal series taken from the chorale Es ist Genug by Johann Sebastian Bach, makes for a truly memorable listening experience. The work was performed for the first time at the Palau de la Música Catalana on 19 April 1936.

110 years earlier, Franz Schubert created one of the most imposing symphonies in the history of music, which, unfortunately, he was unable to premiere officially. A monumental work in four movements that mobilises energy in contrasting registers, with a deployment of orchestral resources reflecting a level of creativity that is rarely achieved.