Brahms 1

It took Johannes Brahms more than twenty years to complete his Symphony No. 1. Again and again, he held the music up to the light and forged it, kneaded it, polished it until he could say with certainty that he had reached the place where he needed to be: out from under his predecessor Beethoven’s shadow, yet without turning his back on the master.  

Symphony No. 1 is one of the favourite pieces of principal guest conductor (and future chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest) Jun Märkl. Brahms used a variety of chords, modulations and counterpoints to imbue the symphony with a rich and subtle sound that holds the occasional unexpected surprise. Equally fascinating is the deep and mysterious Egyptian Piano Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns, in which one can hear the rushing waters of the river Nile, the croaking frogs and the singing boatmen. Performing this piece is piano soloist Dejan Lazić, a popular guest with the Residentie Orkest. The evening opens with the fascinating airs of Debussy, courtesy of Mathilde Wauters, the orchestra’s harp soloist.