Reconcilation
Nicolas Altstaedt cello
Lawrence Power violin
Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102
Intermission
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76, B. 54
“This concerto is a work of reconciliation—Joachim and Brahms have spoken to each other again for the first time in years”, wrote Clara Schumann of Brahms’s Double Concerto, Op. 102. The rift had been caused by Joseph Joachim’s divorce, in which Brahms sided with the violinist’s wife. In the concerto, the violin and cello explore the problems of a relationship, with the orchestra acting as the referee. Renowned violist Laurence Power takes on the challenge by stepping into the role of violin soloist, while the cello part is performed by the orchestra’s artistic partner, Nicolas Altstaedt. Dvořák’s rarely heard Fifth Symphony is one of the composer’s most optimistic and life-affirming works, his “Pastoral Symphony,” which has been favorably compared to Brahms.
