2nd Philharmonic Concert

It was no other than Dmitri Shostakovich who gave then-student Sofia Gubaidulina, born in Chistopol in 1931, the advice to be herself. Feeling boosted in her confidence, she left the postulates of Social Realism and the Union of Soviet Composers behind. Today, she is one of the most important composers of her time. Gubaidulina’s »Fairytale Poem« was created in 1971 and is based on the Czech fairytale »Chalk«. »Peter and the Wolf«, »Cinderella«, »The Love for Three Oranges«: Sergei Prokofiev, too, relies on fairytales as basis for his music. Consequently, his Violin Concerto No. 2 has many cantabile, narrative and lyrical moments. Created in France and Russia, it premiered in Madrid in 1935. Carolin Widmann performs the enchanting concerto.

»The fourth symphony is a product of my personality and was written with real inspiration (...)« Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky tells his patron Nadeshda von Meck. To her he dedicated this fateful symphony created in 1877.