DIAMONDS

This evening opens with one of Mozart’s youthful symphonies – composed in 1773 when he was 17, and had returned from his travels to Italy with original traditional compositions ringing in his ears. This will be followed by one of Beethoven’s best-known compositions for violin and orchestra, the Concerto in D major, op. 61, with the soloist Isabelle Faust; this is the only violin piece the genius from Bonn wrote. Reports of that time say it was composed in a short time and was first played by the violinist Franz Clement, who enjoyed a personal success.
It was forgotten for some decades, but was rediscovered towards the mid-1800s, and since then it has earned a reputation as an absolute classic. The Concerto does demand great virtuosity, though it is by no means technical simple – and the dialogue with the orchestra is extremely fluid and elegant.
In the second part of the concert we are once again with Beethoven and the fortepiano-player Kristian Bezuidenhout will play the Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra no. 3, for this occasion on a copy of a fortepiano of that period.  Composed in the early years of the 1800s, it was performed for the first time in 1803, with Beethoven himself on the piano. While still respecting the classic patterns of those times, the Third Concerto already expresses the composer’s originality and gained a place as the piano concerto most often heard in the whole of that century.
The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra focuses on performance with historically styled instruments and its international concert schedule is intense.