This coming autumn, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will bring the sound of Vienna to the South Coast with a concert on Thursday 14 September at Weymouth Pavilion. Under BSO Leverhulme Young Conductor in Association Victor Aviat, the Orchestra will perform a Viennese flavoured programme including works by Mozart and Beethoven, members of the so-called First Viennese School of composers. The centrepiece of the concert will be a performance of Brahms’ Violin Concertoby virtuosic violinist Chloë Hanslip.
Although not a native of Vienna, Brahms spent much of his professional life in the city, first settling there in 1863 after accepting the position of director of the Singakademie and spent the rest of his life in Vienna. Brahms composed his only Violin Concerto in the summer of 1878 whilst on holiday in the Austrian lakeside resort of Pörtschach. He intended the piece to be a vehicle for the display of virtuoso brilliance and turned to his close friend the Hungarian virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim for guidance and inspiration whilst writing the work, particularly when devising the solo part. The Concerto is well-known for its technical difficulty and is characterised by lyrical melodies and rich orchestration. Brahms blends typical classical styles, modelled on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, with the folk-rhythms of Joachim’s native Hungary which culminates in an exciting gypsy rondo in the Finale.
Chloë Hanslip has established herself as an artist of distinction on the international stage, having performed with such distinguished orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony and Auckland Philharmonia, and worked with respected conductors including Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Andrew Davis and Paavo Järvi. Chloë has an established relationship with the BSO, having recorded Jenő Hubay’s Violin Concertos with the Orchestra in 2009 and performed as soloist on several occasions, including two programmes in the 2016-17 Concert Season where she performed violin concertos by Tchaikovsky and Mozart, as well as Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs. The Orchestra is delighted to welcome her back to perform the Brahms Concerto with them.
The concert opens with a work by a composer synonymous with the city, Mozart’s sparkling Overture from his comedic opera, The Marriage of Figaro. Despite being only four minutes in length, this perfect miniature manages to capture the sense of energy and comedy to follow in the rest of the opera following Figaro as he prepares to marry the beautiful Susanna with events taking place during the course of ‘one mad day’, Mozart’s original subtitle for the opera.
Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’ is a work that needs no introduction. Composed in 1803, this revolutionary symphony is as famous for the story surrounding its name as it is for its sheer scope and size. Beethoven had long been an admirer of Napoleon and decided to dedicate a work to him, capturing the heroic nature of his idol; however when news reached the composer that Napoleon had declared himself Emperor of France, Beethoven was so furious that he tore the title page from the manuscript and re-named it the Eroica Symphony, or the ‘Heroic Symphony.’ Beethoven’s connections with Vienna stemmed from his first visits to the city as a 17 year-old pupil of Mozart. In 1792 he moved to Vienna to study with Haydn and remained there until his death in 1827. A monument to the composer stands on the Beethovenplatz opposite the Wiener Konzerthaus and he is buried in the Central Cemetery.
There is also a chance to hear more from this greatest of composers at the BSO’s ‘Beethoven Bonanza’, taking place at Bournemouth Pavilion on Saturday 14 October, with Chief Conductor Kirill Karabits and 2017 Horowitz International Piano Competition winner Jun-Hee Kim. For more details, visit BSOlive.com.
Event: ‘Vienna Calling’ Concert with Chloë Hanslip
Venue: Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED
Date: Thursday 14 September 2017
Time: 7.30pm
Ticket Prices: £25.50 / £22.50 / £19.00 / £13.00; concessions available
To Buy Tickets: Please visit BSOlive.com or call or visit the Weymouth Pavilion Box Office on 01305 783225
