Repertoire

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (1878) 33′
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, A 124 (1887) 60′

ARTISTS

Juanjo Mena, conductor
Marc Bouchkov, violin
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)

Programme

Considered too difficult by Leopold Auer, the soloist who was to premiere it, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, one of the best known works in the concert repertoire and a paradigm of Romantic expressiveness, offers intelligently orchestrated melodies of great beauty, some of popular origin, in each of its movements.

Whether or not it confirms belief in the ‘curse of the ninth’, Anton Bruckner’s unfinished symphony is a powerful testimony to his art. He was frequently assailed by doubt and, although his edifices in sound have metaphysical aspirations, they are fragile or, at the very least, have cracks on the surface. In its three movements, the Ninth is a captivating work, both in terms of the masses of sound that are summoned and the subtle spirituality that emanates from the adagio.