While virtuoso violinist, Augustin Hadelich, will not name his favorite composer, he will speak about the specific piece he plays in his debut performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra this Saturday at Strathmore. “The Brahms [Violin Concerto] is one of the great pieces for violin and I think one of the best parts is that it is a very complex piece.” he said. “There has to be a lot of communication between soloist and orchestra.”
| IF YOU GO |
| WHAT: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra |
| Agustin Hadelich, violin |
| Venue: The Music Center at Strathmore |
| 5301 Tuckerman Lane |
| North Bethesda |
| Time: Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 8 p.m. |
| Tickets: $28 to $88 |
| 301-581-5100; strathmore.org |
Even as his debut with the BSO also marks his first performance under the baton of Maestro Juanjo Mena, Hadelich, who has played the Brahms piece many times, looks forward to working with his esteemed colleagues.
“There are some particularly hard places [in the violin concerto] but to the audience, it must not look difficult,” continued this award-winning violinist who was born in Italy to German parents. “I’m really excited because the [BSO] has such a sense of cooperation.”
Composer Johannes Brahms wrote his violin concerto at the peak of his career for his good friend, Joseph Joachim, who premiered the work in 1897. Having closely collaborated on orchestral balance to complement the violin, it highlights the impressive technique of the soloist.
“The Brahms Violin Concerto requires a maturity and depth of musicality that is rare in younger artists. And yet, Augustin at age 26 has demonstrated a stunning ability to make it sing, said Matt Spivey, the symphony’s vice president of artistic programming. “Augustin Hadelich is the real thing.”
As chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, Mena is one of the most renowned conductors of his generation. Following his debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2004, he has been invited back every year since then. He has conducted (or is soon to conduct) orchestras such as the Atlanta Symphony, Colorado Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Worldwide, he has appeared with orchestras that include the Bucharest Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France and Orchestra de la Suisse.
Additionally featured in the program is Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 85, “La Reine,” a piece believed to be the favorite of Marie Antoinette, and noted for its craftsmanship and charm. The second movement features variations of the traditional French song “La gentile et jeune Lisette.”
Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra’s Sinfonia No. 4 rounds out the evening’s entertainment. Sierra refers to his music as the “tropicalization” of the classical European tradition that he learned in England, the Netherlands and Germany.
