Musicians do not usually introduce their instruments, unless, of course, the instrument happens to be a Booth Stradivari, circa 1716.
“This is the old lady. She’s almost 300 years old,” said Arabella Steinbacher of her beautifully crafted violin. “We’ve been through a lot, my Stradivarius …”
Together this Thursday evening, she and the “old lady” (generously provided by the Nippon Music Foundation) will make their debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore. In a program showcasing the works of early-Romantic German composers, the German-born Steinbacher will perform Beethoven’s resplendent “Violin Concerto.” Jun Markl, a fellow Munich native, will conduct the evening’s repertoire, which also includes Carl Maria von Weber’s “Overture to Euryanthe” and Schumann’s “Symphony No. 3 Rhenish.”
| Onstage |
| Beethoven’s ‘Violin Concerto’ |
| » Where: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| » When: 8 p.m. Thursday |
| » Info: $38 to $98; 410-783-8000; bsomusic.org |
Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto” is, interestingly enough, the only composition he wrote showcasing the instrument. One of the most virtuosic pieces for a violinist, it was considered “unplayable” by the music aficionados of the time. It was not until 1844, when the great violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim rediscovered the piece, that it came back into favor as the challenging and remarkable concerto it is.
Furthermore, this concerto is no stranger to the 30-year-old Arabella Steinbacher, who picked up the violin at the age of three, learning the Suzuki Method at what she calls, “… the idea of my mother,” a native of Japan. Coincidently, it was with Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto” that she made her public debut in 2004, when she substituted on short notice for an ailing colleague in a performance with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Since that auspicious opportunity, she has established herself as an internationally recognized violinist, having performed with such powerhouse organizations as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, to name a few.
“Arabella is an exceptional talent, and we are thrilled she is making her BSO debut with this concert,” said Matthew Spivey, vice president of Artistic Operations at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. “I have been captivated with her playing since I first heard her recording of the Beethoven ‘Violin Concerto.’ It is one of the most challenging works in the repertoire, and yet she performs it with a rare grace and refinement. This [evening’s] performance [is] sure to be unforgettable.”
