The world-famous Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is frequently described as one of Europe’s most artistically striking, technically impressive, emotionally captivating and intellectually engaging ensembles. Founded in 1980 by an enthusiastic group of students inspired by democratic values and the joy of making music together, the orchestra has now enjoyed a creative symbiosis with the outstanding Estonian Maestro Paavo Järvi for more than two decades. For several seasons now, it has also taken pride in its principal guest conductor – the young Finnish talent Tarmo Peltokoski, whom we know very well. The orchestra’s former long-term concertmaster, Florian Donderer, has also always been warmly welcomed by Latvian audiences.
At the concert Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto will be performed – a masterpiece and cornerstone of the genre’s golden repertoire – at the Riga Congress Hall. With simple expressive techniques, frequently referencing the treasures of Norwegian folk music, in his work Grieg succeeded in capturing both the breathtaking Nordic sceneries and the winding contours of the fjords, as well as evoking the thrilling joy which overtakes one when standing atop rocky cliffs and the melancholy that lingers in the bottomless depths of crystal-clear waters.
Meanwhile, Johannes Brahms, the great German master who was a decade older than the Norwegian, can be described as a proponent of absolute music, in whose compositions cinematic narratives shouldn’t be sought. It is sometimes said that this romantic, with the demeanour of a classicist, felt with his head and thought with his heart. This is evident in his Second Symphony, composed one and a half centuries ago by the picturesque Lake Wörthersee.
Programme
Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Participants
Fabian Müller, piano
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Conductor Jérémie Rhorer