'The danger is now past,' sighed the relieved Gustav Mahler, feeling superstitious about the well-known fatal properties of ninth symphonies, after completing his own Symphony No. 9, an event which he survived by only little over a year. In the opininion of musicologist Antal Molnár, the massive and mysterious work conveys a final message to the listener: 'People, be good!' Alban Berg, on the other hand, viewed Mahler's last completed symphony as a musical expression of extraordinary love for nature and the world. This makes it a quite fitting match for the concert's other major work, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E major, which has enticed performers and audiences alike ever since its 1845 world première, not only through its unbroken popularity, but also with the joy and enthusiasm for life that gushes forth from it. To serve as the soloist for this concert work, András Keller has invited Clara-Jumi Kang, a young German violinist of South Korean descent with a string of competition victories already to her name.

Presented by: Concerto Budapest