De­li­ver­an­ce

The programme of the 8th Philharmonic Concert is defined by melancholy in its most beautiful, romantic musical form. The premonition of the imminent death of son-in-law Richard Wagner and the funeral gondolas of Venice inspired Franz Liszt’s piano piece, the wavelike 6/8 rhythm in turn served as the basis for minimalist Adams’ own arrangement. Wagner’s five songs were written about his hopeless love for Mathilde Wesendonck. They also augur the role of “Tristan” in the version by Hans Werner Henze. Sergei Rachmaninov, who interlinks profound emotion with bewitching depth of sound in his 2nd Symphony, was a master of connecting beauty with melancholy.

PROGRAMME:
Franz Liszt: La lugubre gondola, arranged for orchestra by John Adams
Richard Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder, arranged for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze
Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27