Konzerthausorchester Berlin . Lothar Zagrosek

Nothing could be more authentic than Kodály's Hungarian dances. He was inspired by the gypsy orchestras of his birthplace, the Hungarian Galantá. The music flicks from elegant melancholic grace to whirling, fierce gypsy dances. Robert Schumann wrestled seven long years with his first and only piano concerto. Such a dazzling result however, has provided us with the best of the romantic concert repertoire. A vacuous virtuoso piece it is not. Instead, it is a perfect dialogue between piano and orchestra, with unrivalled powers of poetic expression. Schumann regarded Brahms as a born symphony writer. However, this infamous doubting Thomas only completed his First Symphony at the age of 43. In his Fourth and final symphony, Brahms reached the absolute pinnacle of the classical-romantic symphonic tradition. He experienced his greatest musical triumph with this piece just before his death. Here, we have the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, formally the (Radio) Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, together with Lothar Zagrosek, to whom you gave a warm reception at deSingel in 2006.