AN ORCHESTRAL BREAKTHROUGH

GEWANDHAUSORCHESTER LEIPZIG

Founded in 1743 by Leipzig merchants, the Gewandhaus Orchestra is regarded as the oldest civic concert orchestra in the German-speaking world. Its work across three venues in Leipzig is unique worldwide: it performs the ‘Grosse Concerte’ at the Gewandhaus, plays alongside the St Thomas Choir at St Thomas’ Church, and also serves as the orchestra for the Leipzig Opera. Its musical development has been shaped by eminent Gewandhaus conductors such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Arthur Nikisch, Bruno Walter, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt and Riccardo Chailly. Among the orchestra’s notable world premieres are Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony in C major and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. Today, Andris Nelsons is at its helm. Alongside its artistic work, the Gewandhaus Orchestra is also actively involved in social initiatives, including the Democracy Weekend, charity concerts and a wide range of community projects.

ANDRIS NELSONS

The Latvian Andris Nelsons is well on his way to becoming one of the Gewandhaus’s most influential chief conductors: having held the post since 2018, his contract in Leipzig has just been extended until 2032. Nelsons is no stranger to taking on responsibility: at the age of 24, he became director of the Latvian National Opera in Riga; in 2008, he moved to Birmingham, where he succeeded Sakari Oramo as chief conductor of the CBSO; six years later, he moved to Boston. He has since conducted the world’s leading orchestras, made a guest appearance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival and toured Asia with the Vienna Philharmonic. His CD recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhaus Orchestra have received numerous awards, including six Grammy Awards and the 2026 Opus Klassik Award. Yet the former trumpeter has never lost touch with reality; he is, to quote the title of a film portrait, ‘a maestro without airs and graces’.

GAUTIER CAPUÇON

Gautier Capuçon is one of the most outstanding ambassadors for the cello on the international stage. He completed his training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and subsequently in Vienna under Heinrich Schiff. He has won prizes at several competitions and performs as a soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. He is also passionately dedicated to chamber music, which he performs with first-class partners. The musician, who hails from Savoy, is also committed to supporting the next generation of musicians through the ‘Classe d’Excellence’ programme he directs in Paris and the foundation he established. His endeavour to expand the cello repertoire leads him to perform a large number of world premieres each season, whilst his extensive discography has already received numerous awards.

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: CONCERTO FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA IN B MINOR, OP. 104

Not many composers in the 19th century ventured into the cello concerto genre, which was considered tricky due to the difficult balance between soloist and orchestra. Antonín Dvořák achieved a genuine breakthrough in 1894/95 with his Op. 104, which has since become one of the absolute favourites of the repertoire. The work draws on the vocal qualities of the solo instrument as well as its agility and its gruff humour. Furthermore, the slow movement contains a wistful tribute to Dvořák’s childhood sweetheart, who was ill and died shortly before the composition was completed.

JOHANNES BRAHMS: SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN C MINOR, OP. 68

“Who can create anything after Beethoven?” This sigh is attributed to Schubert, but could just as easily have come from Johannes Brahms. The extremely self-critical composer long shied away from direct confrontation with the “giant” Beethoven, particularly, of course, in the realm of the symphony. It took more than 16 years for the initial drafts to become a finished work. But that work set new standards: with its extreme emotional fluctuations, the interplay of orchestral colours and, finally, the breakthrough into the light, at the decisive moment of which a Swiss folk song is heard.