October 4th
Utopia is Going on the European Tour with Brahms and Tchaikovsky’s Music
In November, the Utopia orchestra conducted by Teodor Currentzis is going to give a series of concerts in Berlin, Antwerpen, Brescia and Rome. The new programme merges two milestone scores of late Romantic symphonism, which are Brahms’ virtuosic Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony approaching issues of fate and humanity.
The complexity of the solo part in Brahms’ Concerto became proverbial. Some declared it unfeasible, others made witty remarks that the concerto was written not “for”, but “against” the violin, or — alternatively — “against the orchestra”. The challenging part is to be presented by the Gramophone Classical Music Awards-winning Barnabás Kelemen.
In his Fifth, Tchaikovsky addresses his recurring theme of fate, but this time solves it more psychologically in depth. From the standard symphony orchestra composition, he extracts unusually sharp and vivid colours, and emotional swings reach impressive strength here. The symphony develops from the dark and mournful tones of the introduction to the dazzling brightness of the climaxes.
Schedule and tickets:
Nov. 14 | Philharmonie Berlin, Germany
Nov. 18 | De Singel Antwerpen, Belgium — sold out
Nov. 20 | Teatro Grande Brescia, Italy — sold out
Nov. 22 | Santa Cecilia Hall Rome, Italy