Christian Thielemann conducts Brahms — With Augustin Hadelich, Gautier Capuçon, and the Vienna Philharmonic

Two world-renowned star soloists, cellist Gautier Capuçon and violinist Augustin Hadelich, join forces with the Vienna Philharmonic for Brahms’s stunning Double Concerto for Violin and Cello! At the breathtaking Wiener Musikverein, German maestro Christian Thielemann conducts this all-Brahms program that also features the monumental Symphony No. 4.

In 1887, Brahms wrote his Double Concerto for cellist Robert Hausmann and violinist Joseph Joachim, the latter of whom features in the work via the F–A–E musical motif that stood for Joachim’s personal motto, Frei aber einsam ("free but lonely"). The virtuosic scurrying passages and poignant melodies seem to encapsulate this motto. Yet, the concerto's technical difficulties are imperceptible in the hands of these equally matched string masters who share an intricate and profoundly moving dialogue. Maestro Thielemann also leads a stunning and unmissable interpretation of Brahms’s monumental Fourth Symphony in E Minor, riveting from its hauntingly beautiful opening melody to its tragic conclusion — the only minor-key end to any Brahms symphony.

Photo © Niklas Schnaubelt