Julia Hagen Performs Britten

“The best thing ever composed for the cello,” wrote cellist Mstislav Rostropovich enthusiastically when Benjamin Britten sent him the first excerpts from his latest work in 1963—a composition for cello and orchestra that Rostropovich had previously commissioned from the composer. This dramatic, four-movement composition is so large-scale and intricately interwoven that Britten promptly decided to call it a “symphony” rather than a concerto.

Johannes Brahms, in turn, racked his brain for years over this very form—the symphony. It was not until his Symphony No. 2 in D major that the creative block was broken: while on vacation at the idyllic Wörthersee in 1877, ideas for it literally came flooding to him. Deep abysses, such as those that yawn in Britten’s work, can indeed be found in Brahms as well—but perhaps more as an expression of that “lovely monster” about which the composer warned his publisher with a wink when referring to the symphony.

Ultimately, a twisted sense of cheerfulness can also be found in Franz Schreker’s “Intermezzo”: Here, the strings hover between a rich, full sound and a fragile sense of loneliness. With this piece, Schreker—a recent graduate of the conservatory—won a composition competition in 1901, along with a substantial prize and a contract with the Viennese publisher Bosworth & Co.

Program:
Franz Schreker - Intermezzo for String Orchestra, Op. 8
Benjamin Britten - Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68
- Intermission -
Johannes Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

Performers:
Musikkollegium
Andreas Ottensamer - Conductor
Julia Hagen - Cello