The programme performed under the baton of guest conductor Ruth Reinhardt in her debut with the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra shines the spotlight on a wealth of interesting interconnections.
The symphonic nucleus of the concert, so to speak, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn, considered to be a co-creator of the genre. His Symphony No. 88 in G major is an example of classical perfection with a wonderful lightness of touch. To this day, it is one of his most popular symphonic works. Following on from the Vienesse classicism of Haydn is Johannes Brahms as an important representative of the Romantic era. After the pastoral lyricism of his Second Symphony, his Third is characterised by a powerful energy that pulses through it, fittingly beginning with a magnificent brass motif. Detlev Glanert’s “Weites Land” references Brahms. His work is in fact subtitled “Music with Brahms”. “There is a good deal of northern Germany in it,” says the composer who, like Brahms, hails from Hamburg. Indeed, he quotes the first four bars of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony in “Weites Land”.