Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Vladimir Jurowski

But the form is capable of so much more: it can turn inward, give voice to solitude, and tell of sleepless nights and dark thoughts.

The Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov has also written several serenades—yet none of them is limited to mere daydreaming. Behind the apparent tranquility there is always a deeper, more contemplative layer.

A few days after completing his Sixth Symphony, Pyotr Tchaikovsky died at the age of 53. The final movement of this work, in particular, becomes a grand, deeply human evening piece: music of farewell that knows the abysses of life, carries pain and bitterness within it, and at the same time offers immeasurable comfort.

A similar tension can also be found in Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, a work of proud, impetuous power. The passionate first movement unleashes powerful outbursts and a dark, immediate authenticity. In the Adagio, however, warmer, melancholic spaces full of wistfulness open up.

Instrumentation

• Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Vladimir Jurowski, conductor
• Julia Fischer, violin

Program

• Valentin Silvestrov: Serenade for String Orchestra
• Jean Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 (“Pathétique”)

Note:

• Pre-concert talk: 7:10 p.m., Ludwig van Beethoven Hall, Steffen Georgi