Beethoven, Brahms

Artists:

• Marko Komonko, violin
• Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra 
• John Moon, conductor (USA)

Program:

• Ludwig van Beethoven. Symphony No. 5
• Johannes Brahms. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major
• Riggio. Nocturnalia

The workshop will be supervised by the orchestra’s chief conductor Theodor Kuchar. Throughout the rehearsal period, listeners will have the opportunity to visit them: from June 16 to 19.

This evening will feature Brahms in Beethoven’s garb, Beethoven himself with a symphony that everyone knows, as well as night music — Nocturnalia — by composer Riggio.

When Brahms wrote the violin concerto, his model was undoubtedly Beethoven, not Paganini. This is clearly heard in the long lyrical first movement in full classical sonata form. The virtuoso of the time, Joseph Joachim, for whom the concerto was written, was the first important musician Brahms met when he left Hamburg at the age of 20. Almost his age, Joachim was already an international star, and the two formed a strong friendship that lasted for over 40 years.

Writing the concerto for Joachim 25 years after their first meeting, Brahms worked closely with him on the solo part. Another great musician, the Spanish virtuoso Sarasate, believed that the concerto had no melodies, and said: “Am I going to stand there with my violin in my hands while the oboe plays the only melody in the whole work?”

The concerto was first performed in Leipzig on New Year’s Day 1879 by Joachim himself, who also wrote the cadenza, which is still played by many violinists. The finale is a tribute to Joachim’s Hungarian origins, although Joachim never returned to Hungary.

The highlight of the evening will be “Nocturnalia” by the contemporary American composer Riggio. At the heart of his work lies a deep commitment to human dignity, cultural understanding, and the conviction that art in its highest manifestation is an act of love. “Nocturnalia”, dedicated to the people of Ukraine, receives its orchestral premiere performed by the Lviv National Philharmonic, a sincere personal gift from the composer, for whom music has always been, above all, a bridge between souls.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is a work that everyone knows, and that is why it is so easy not to hear it. The four notes at the beginning are not a greeting, but a challenge. This motif was a real obsession of Beethoven: it permeates the entire symphony, sometimes openly on the surface, sometimes hidden deep in the fabric, where it is almost inaudible, but you feel that it is there. The tension builds slowly and inexorably until the transition between the third and fourth movements, where the insistent beating of the timpani in the darkness creates immense anticipation, and then the finale explodes with blinding light. It is one of those moments in a concert hall that is impossible to forget.