Lionel Bringuier conducts Mayer, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven — With Alena Baeva

Internationally acclaimed violinist Alena Baeva makes her Liège debut alongside French maestro Lionel Bringuier and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège in an evening of Romantic musical gems! The Luxembourgish violinist brings new, sparkling life and “a tone as warm as Russian tea on a cold winter evening” (Klassik-begeistert) to Mendelssohn’s famed Violin Concerto. Its instantly recognizable melodies and electrifying cadenzas make it easy to see why celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim deemed the piece the “dearest of all [violin concertos] — the heart’s jewel.” Next up is Beethoven’s delightful Symphony No. 4. In stark contrast to its monumental neighbours — the revolutionary Eroica and mighty Fifth — the Fourth is an enchanting work full of youthful exuberance and unexpected twists and turns, culminating in a Beethovian joke in which we hear a comically slowed main theme followed by a great rush to the final bars. Bringuier also leads the OPRL in the Belgian premiere of Emilie Mayer’s Overture No. 2, complete with the signature muscular drama and Romantic lyricism of one of the 19th century’s most prolific women composers.

Photo © George Etheredge