30 years after Midori's legendary concert debut with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, Midori and Mehta have come together again for a special concert with the Münchner Philharmoniker.
The concert opens with Brahms' Tragic Overture, which is followed by Hindemith's “Mathis der Maler” symphony. The work – which uses melodies from Hindemith's opera of the same name – was commissioned by Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1934. The composer wanted to create a modern work of art that could be understood by the public, and Furtwängler himself vehemently championed the composer, who had become hard-pressed. The first performance was a huge success, much to the surprise and dismay of the powers in Berlin, who proclaimed a general prohibition of performances of Hindemith's works two years later.
Johannes Brahms' (1833-1897) Violin Concerto is without a doubt one of the greatest violin concertos ever written, and – in spite of the enormous demands made upon the soloist – a symphonically designed work in which the orchestra and soloist both share in presenting and elaborating the musical substance to an equal extent.
