Manfred Honeck and Leonidas Kavakos

Together on stage, they perform Korngold's Violin Concerto in D, one of the Austrian composer's most famous works, next to his opera Die Tote Stadt. Manfred Honeck and the VFO open this programme with the overture of Strauss' Die Fledermaus, and closes it with Brahms' last symphony.

An accomplished violinist and violist, Manfred Honeck was Claudio Abbado's assistant at the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Vienna. Subsequently, he was engaged by the Zurich Opera House, where he was bestowed the prestigious European Conductor's Award in 1993. More recently, he was appointed music director of the Staatsoper Stuttgart (2007-2011). He is a very regular guest at the Verbier Festival.

Leonidas Kavakos encountered increasing success in the late 1980s when he won both the Sibelius and the Paganini competitions. He now performs under the baton of the most renowned conductors, but is also a conductor himself, which helps him having an overview of the orchestral scores, whether he conducts or plays the violin.

Leonidas Kavakos appears courtesy of Decca.

© Picture: Yannis Bournias