At the start of the 1880s, Brahms wrote two contrasting works that recall the theatrical masks of comedy and tragedy: “One laughs while the other cries” – the composer himself said in characterising the two works.

The melancholic companion piece of the Academic Festival Overture is the Tragic Overture which, despite its title, is a free-standing single movement without sequel that conveys no specific experience beyond the music itself. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor was dedicated to David Oistrakh.

The nocturne that opens the concerto is followed by a demonic scherzo. The slow third movement is a passacaglia in homage to the baroque period, which flows into one of the longest cadenzas in the repertoire before leading into the fourth movement’s whirlwind Burlesque. The work challenges the soloist’s technical abilities and stamina to the utmost, and Oistrakh himself likened the violin part to a Shakespearean role.

Date: 21 April 2012
Time: 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm
Bartók Béla National Concert Hall

Brahms: Tragic Overture, op. 81
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, op. 77
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op. 68

Featuring: Kristóf Baráti – violin
Conductor: Olari Elts

Prices: 3000, 4000, 5000 Ft

Source: Palace of Arts
Address: 1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell u. 1.