The first part of this concert takes us to Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. The works to be played and their creators are linked not only by a common city, but also by a woman. As one of the leading figures in music of the age, Alexander von Zemlinsky set Psalm 83 to music at the age of 29 in 1900, at a time when he was mourning the death of his father and was in the midst of a love affair with one of his pupils, Alma Schindler. After breaking up with Zemlinsky, Alma married Gustav Mahler in 1902 – the year the latter composed his Symphony No. 5. This masterpiece contains the Adagietto, one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the repertoire. Following Mahler’s death, his widow would go on to marry the architect Walter Gropius, bearing him a daughter named Manon who died at the age of 18. It was in memory of Manon that Alban Berg composed his lyrical Violin Concerto, which recalls a tragic Bach chorale but is guided by the strict rules of the twelve-tone technique. The work will be performed by Isabelle Faust, the versatile German artist who has released a series of increasingly excellent recordings in recent years. The conductor for the evening, Zsolt Hamar, has led numerous productions at the Zurich Opera House, one of the most prestigious venues in musical theatre. Among these is Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which the National Philharmonic Orchestra – on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the composer’s birth – will perform twice in the 2012/13 season.

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