Jakub Hrůša / Sol Gabetta

»There is no denying that Mr van Beethoven is a man of genius, who possesses originality and undoubtedly follows his own path.« This was written in the »Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung« in 1799. Every beginning is difficult, yet Beethoven knew exactly what he was doing when, in response to the works of Haydn and Mozart, he began his ascent to symphonic heights: His impetuous work Op. 21 is already a confident showcase of his creative power. It was first performed at his initial »Musical Academy« in Vienna – which an observer considered to be the »most truly interesting in a long time«. That was in 1800 and marked the starting point for what he was to set in motion with his symphonies. Bohuslav Martinů remarked on the dilemma faced by many composers after Beethoven, stating that »the volume of the orchestra alone is by no means an indication of greatness or grandeur«. Written in 1945 whilst in exile in America, Martinů’s Fourth Symphony reflects his joy at the end of the war with optimistic tones, whilst its folk-inspired passages also express his homesickness for Bohemia. The two symphonies frame a work by the Swiss-born Ernest Bloch, whose followers regarded him as the fourth »B« – after Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. His late-Romantic rhapsody from 1916 revolves around Solomon’s sermons to his people, as handed down in the Old Testament – and a moving dialogue unfolds between the orchestra and the solo instrument.