Performers
Programme
Accompanying programme
Concert introduction
Would you have thought it? Rachmaninov's ‘Symphonic Dances’ topped the list of the most frequently performed orchestral works in 2023. And deservedly so - because these dances are of outstanding impact, they can be considered the best that Rachmaninov ever wrote for orchestra. With this major work about the dark side of dance, Petr Popelka, the charismatic Czech and new chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, returns to the podium of the hr-Sinfonieorchester - not only, but also among the orchestra members, he left the most lasting impression as a conducting magnet for attention. The playing of Kian Soltani, the Austrian cellist with Persian roots, also has an almost magnetic attraction. After winning the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki a good ten years ago, his name is on everyone's lips when it comes to cello playing that is sensitive to sound but also highly virtuosic. With Prokofiev's ‘Sinfonia concertante’, this unconventional orchestral concerto with solo cello bursting with energy, Soltani has chosen a work that is perfect for cellists looking for the ultimate challenge. This music demands everything a cello can do. And where the listener doesn't believe it can be done.
(hr-Sinfonieorchester - Frankfurt Radio Symphony)