Johannes Brahms’s (1833–1897) Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873) takes as its basis the main theme from the so-called St Anthony Chorale, which research has since shown is not a work by Haydn, but was perhaps written by Ignaz Pleyel. Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s (1897–1957) Violin Concerto in D major (1945) is an exceptionally beautiful post-romantic gem in the violin literature, written by the Austrian composer as an American citizen (and an extraordinarily successful film composer) eleven years after his emigration. Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G minor (1856–1861), which he wrote at a young age, has had a remarkable afterlife: at the request of Otto Klemperer, Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) transcribed it for symphony orchestra in 1937. The Kyrgyz-born and Luxembourg-based violinist Alina Baeva (b. 1985) won first prize at the International Wieniawski Competition in 2001. The Romanian Gabriel Bebeșelea completed his studies in Bucharest and Vienna and was the winner of the 2015 Lovro von Matačić International Conducting Competition. He now serves as principal conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic