Mit Steinway und Trompete

Interpreters

Alexander Melnikov . Direction & Piano
Jeroen Berwaerts . Trumpet
Susanne von Gutzeit . Violin
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

Programme

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Double concerto for violin and piano

Sergei Prokofiew
Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (arr. for strings; selection)

Dmitri Schostakowitsch
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 35, for piano, trumpet and strings

Exuberant joy of playing meets profound reflection – in this programme, the contrasts stretch out like a sky after a storm. Who better to lead this musical journey than Alexander Melnikov? The Russian pianist is known for his intelligent, analytical approach, combined with a special sense of sound and virtuosity. His interpretations reveal structures and explore colours and sound spaces with the utmost precision – perfect for a programme full of contrasts.

Mendelssohn's Double Concerto for Violin and Piano is a sparkling early work that combines classical elegance and clarity with romantic exuberance. Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, on the other hand, is a tongue-in-cheek whirlwind – virtuosic, humorous and full of parodies. The trumpet, originally the main protagonist, becomes almost ironically a secondary figure. In between are Prokofiev's ‘Visions fugitives’ – musical miniatures that flash by, sometimes dance-like, sometimes dreamy, and immediately fade away again. In Rudolf Barschai's string orchestra version, they unfold an iridescent colourfulness that makes Shostakovich's admiration for Prokofiev more than understandable.