Canadian guest performance

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto is among classical music’s priceless masterpieces. When Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was appointed conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in the mid-1830s, he called upon his childhood friend and violin virtuoso Ferdinand David to serve as concertmaster in the orchestra. It was only a matter of time before their close friendship would result in a violin concerto. The result was extremely successful, for with its light-hearted airiness and singularly melodic beauty, this concerto is one of music history’s most popular pieces.

At this guest performance with British chief conductor Alexander Shelley and the Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra, we will also hear top Canadian soloists. James Ehnes is among the top tier of violinists internationally; his numerous recordings have received multiple prestigious awards and he has also guest-performed with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra once before, in 2011. We will also hear soprano Erin Wall in Canadian composer Claude Vivier’s intriguing Lonely Child, “a song about loneliness,” as the enigmatic Vivier put it. He was stabbed to death at just 34 years old in an apartment in Paris.

To conclude, we will hear Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, music with a bright atmosphere that reflects Brahms’ happy time in the picturesque village of Pörtschach am Wörthersee in southern Austria. As a friend wrote to Brahms after listening to portions of the symphony: “The rippling streams, blue sky, sunshine and cool green shade can all be heard here. It must be beautiful in Pörtschach.”