Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor holds particular significance for Lisa Batiashvili. At just sixteen, the Georgian violinist won second prize in an international competition dedicated to the Finnish composer. She now returns to the concerto at the Palau de la Música Catalana, performing with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä.
This is... good to know
Schumann was inspired by Manfred, Lord Byron’s poem about a man tormented by guilt. The overture is now performed separately from the rest of the stage music.
Sibelius broke with one of the conventions of the classical concerto by placing the main violin cadenza in the middle of the first movement. What is usually a moment for the soloist to shine becomes an integral part of the work itself.
Dvořák once said that the opening theme of his Seventh Symphony came to him as he watched a train pull into Prague. He was a keen railway enthusiast.
