Dohnányi: Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Maestro Christoph von Dohnányi returns to the Philharmonia alongside violinist Arabella Steinbacher (“Purity and security, perspective and spaciousness”, The Times, April 2015) for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Soaring, song-like and seemingly effortless, Mendelssohn built his Violin Concerto from an inescapable melody; one he wrote that ‘sticks in my head’ and ‘will not leave me in peace’.

From one inescapable melody to another, the iconic first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony have become the most memorable moment in all classical music. The infectious rhythm these notes create resonates throughout symphony as the music makes its triumphant journey from darkness into light.