Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the Beethoven 9 200 years after its UK premiere in March 1825. The symphony’s journey is hesitant, stormy and soulful until the final movement welcomes in the human voice – and a hope for the future. Watch the full performance which included Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time on Marquee TV from the 1 May: https://marquee.tv/
803,126 views Mar 12, 2025 #violinconcerto #romanticmusic #janinejansen
A virtuoso piece for the violin that almost takes your breath away with its suspense and beauty: Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, played by Janine Jansen (violin) and the Verbier Festival Orchestra under the musical direction of Mikhail Pletnev. The concert took place on August 6, 2017 at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
(00:00) Taking the stage
(00:35) I. Allegro moderato – Moderato assai
(19:47) II. Canzonetta. Andante
(26:07) III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo
Dutch violinist Janine Jansen was met with rapturous applause as soon as she took to the stage and before playing a single note. The program includes the Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), probably one of the best-known and most popular violin concertos of all.
The genesis of Tchaikovsky's only concerto for violin and orchestra was not unproblematic. In 1877, the Russian composer was experiencing a grave crisis: his marriage had broken down before it had even begun, and his romantic love for his former pupil Iosif Kotek (1855 - 1885) had to be kept secret as it was considered taboo. The result was severe depression. In the spring of 1878, Tchaikovsky traveled to Clarens in Switzerland to recuperate. In the idyllic landscape on Lake Geneva, he composed his violin concerto within a few weeks – in the presence of Kotek, who as a violinist became an advisor on playing technique. The dedication and premiere of the solo concerto was also problematic. Dedicating it to Kotek was out of the question, and he also declined to play at the premiere. Hungarian violin virtuoso Leopold Auer also turned it down, considering the violin part unplayable. In the end, Tchaikovsky dedicated his concerto to Russian violinist Adolph Brodsky, who performed at the premiere in Vienna in 1881. The concert attracted attention: while Brodsky was celebrated for his virtuosity, the audience had nothing but disdain for Tchaikovsky's composition, which received disparaging reviews. But after Brodsky's premiere, Auer revised his original negative opinion and subsequently became a passionate champion of the work which achieved worldwide fame as early as 1882.
Nowadays, it is difficult to understand what could have caused the negative reaction of the premiere audience. Tchaikovsky's violin concerto is a thoroughly romantic solo concerto. It is incredibly suspenseful and in places reminiscent of the great works of film scoring. The highlight is undoubtedly the cadenza, which, unusually, is in the middle of the first movement (10:42). The conductor and the orchestra hold their breath, as it were, affected by the spirited playing of violinist Janine Jansen. The most beautiful moment is perhaps when the orchestra comes back in again after this virtuoso solo performance and the flute intones the theme of the movement (13:18). More emotion, beauty and romantic expression is hard to imagine.
28:50 III. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo in E-flat major
The PKF orchestra board kindly approved a request of Johanna Hanikova to use the recording of this concert "Beethoven #5" recorded on 15.3.2019 for promotional purposes, such as publication on Youtube.
You can learn more about Johanna Hanikova by visiting her web:
Unfinished and yet the most famous: Symphony in B minor “Unfinished” by Franz Schubert performed by the Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) conducted by Iván Fischer. The concert took place on February 28, 2014 at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest.
(00:00) I. Allegro moderato
(15:00) II. Andante con moto
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) had already composed six complete symphonies by 1820, all of which were successors to the works of the great classical symphonists Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. It was followed by symphony drafts which Schubert then abandoned. Only from the third draft did he complete two movements in 1822, including orchestration. Of a third movement – the Scherzo – only a few bars exist. Although the two completed movements of this B minor symphony have gone down in history as “Unfinished,” they appear to be self-contained. No wonder, therefore, did Schubert send it as a symphony to the Steiermärkischer Musikverein in Graz in 1823, which had appointed him an honorary member. It is possible that Schubert himself was convinced of the completed character of the two symphonic movements. Beginning in 1825, he again worked on a four-movement symphony, later known as the “Great Symphony in C Major”. Judging by the order in which they were written, the “Unfinished” symphony would have to be considered Schubert’s 7th symphony, and the “Great” his 8th. However, in his complete published works, Schubert’s symphonies were numbered according to the order in which they were found and first performed, so that it has become customary to refer to the “Great Symphony in C major” (D 944) as the seventh and the “Unfinished” (D 759) as Symphony No. 8 in B minor. In more recent sources, the reverse numbering is occasionally found.
The Symphony in B minor was not premiered until 1865, after Schubert had already been dead for 37 years. Even the premiere was a sensational success, and to this day the “Unfinished” is an absolute favorite with audiences. It is considered the first “Romantic” symphony ever because it contains much that is musically new. Its opening alone, with the mysterious and almost threatening ascending and descending melody in the low strings, builds up a tension that is maintained until the end of the two movements. Both movements are similar not only in tempo but also in structure. Somber, ominous passages are followed by sultry, homely ländler, which in turn break off abruptly, so that positive melodic lines always prove deceptive. Although the second movement seems more optimistic overall, the thematic blocks always take unexpected turns. But still, the symphony fragment ends in a kind of chorale in which the conflicting themes are reconciled.
Boston Philharmonic Conductor Benjamin Zander joins "Forbes Talks" to discuss Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, classical music, his legendary career, and more.
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Beethoven's 9th Symphony is a significant milestone in music history and symbolizes culture and humanity. The famous final chorus with the "Ode to Joy" represents peace and international understanding. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv deeply connects with Beethoven's symphony and has conducted the Ninth many times. One particularly moving performance was with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, which took place the day after the Russian attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv in February 2022. The conductor finds the 4th movement especially poignant due to the lyrics written by the German poet Friedrich Schiller. When she hears the verse "All people become brothers," it reminds her that the world is still far from being peaceful. You can watch Oksana Lyniv's personal analysis of Beethoven's masterpiece.
00:00 Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, Oksana Lyniv & Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna (excerpt)
00:34 Oksana Lyniv on Beethoven's idea combining the symphony orchestra with human voices
Oksana Lyniv, born in 1978 in the Ukrainian city of Brody, showed early interest in music, studying piano, flute, violin, and singing during her youth. She began her formal training in flute and conducting at the Liudkevych State Music College in Lviv in 1992 and later pursued her conducting studies at the Lviv National Music Academy from 1996 to 2003. In 2004, she won 3rd prize in the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, which brought her international recognition. In 2005, Lyniv worked with the orchestra as Principal Conductor Jonathan Nott's assistant. She continued her studies at Musikhochschule Dresden ("Carl Maria von Weber" College of Music) from 2005 to 2009 and took part in a master class with Ekkehard Klemm in 2007.
Between 2008 and 2013, she served as Deputy Chief Conductor at the Odesa National Opera.
Lyniv worked as a musical assistant to General Music Director Kirill Petrenko and conductor at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich from 2008 to 2017. Subsequently, she held the position of chief conductor of the Graz Opera and the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra until 2020. Oksana Lyniv is enthusiastic about promoting classical music internationally and in Ukraine. She is a co-founder of the International Festival of Classical Music LvivMozArt in Lviv, Ukraine. In 2016, she founded the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (YsOU) and serves as its principal conductor. The orchestra frequently performs on prestigious international stages. During the Russian war against Ukraine, Lyniv views herself as a cultural ambassador for her country.
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Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.
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Does the world still need classical music? What about orchestras? In this gorgeous talk and performance, violinist Joshua Bell and the Chamber Orchestra of America play selections of classical music masterpieces — from Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 to Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and more — sharing why this art form remains a singularly unifying force. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 9, 2025)
