Performers
- Jonas Vitaud piano
- Sinfonia Varsovia
- Dirk Vermeulen conductor
Programme
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 8 (7) in B minor Unfinished, D.759 [25’]
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto
Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 [44’]
I. Maestoso
II. Adagio
III. Rondo. Allegro non troppo
Concert description
Like every era, the 19th century had its favorite genres, especially those that were completely new, such as ballads, symphonic poems, and musical drama. Yet inherited genres also continued to be practiced. The pinnacle of musical achievement was still the symphony, while the string quartet is considered a true test of compositional craftsmanship to this day.
Franz Schubert, in addition to making a name for himself with fundamentally Romantic songs, also practiced classical genres, especially quartets and symphonies. Of his most famous Symphony in B minor D. 759, he completed only two movements. Only sketches for the scherzo, without the final movement, have survived. The work came to be known as the Unfinished, and we will probably never know why the composer did not write the third and fourth movements and whether he was satisfied with the work in this form.
Johannes Brahms preferred to expand rather than shorten. However, before completing his “symphonic” four-movement Piano Concerto No. 2, he composed the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor for himself as a soloist in his youth – initially underrated, but today one of the ironclads of the Romantic repertoire.
– Dominika Micał, “Ruch Muzyczny”