MusicPublicIn-person

Julia Hagen plays Britten

Name: Julia Hagen plays Britten
Start: 2026-09-30T09:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-30T23:59:00+02:00
Location: Stadthausstrasse 4a, 8400 Winterthur, Schweiz

Stadthausstrasse 4a, 8400 Winterthur, Schweiz
Winterthur, Switzerland
Wed, September 30, 2026 (9:30 am - 11:59 pm)
Thu, October 1, 2026 (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

Learn MoreWed 30 Sep · 09:30

Description

"The best ever composed for the cello," wrote the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich enthusiastically when Benjamin Britten sent him the first excerpts from his latest work in 1963 – a composition for cello and orchestra that Rostropovich had previously commissioned from the composer. This dramatic, four-movement composition is so grand and interwoven that Britten simply called it not a concerto, but a "symphony."

Johannes Brahms, in turn, pondered this very form – the symphony – for years. The blockade was only broken with the 2nd Symphony in D major: while on vacation at the idyllic Wörthersee, the ideas literally flew to him in 1877. Deep abysses, like those that open up in Britten, can also be found in Brahms – perhaps more as an expression of that "lovely monster" before which the composer warned his publisher with a wink regarding the symphony.

Distorted cheerfulness is ultimately also found in Franz Schreker's "Intermezzo": the strings hover here between rich sound and fragile loneliness. With this, Schreker won a composition competition in 1901 as a fresh graduate of the conservatory, along with a juicy prize and a contract with the Viennese publisher Bosworth & Co.

Program:
Franz Schreker - Intermezzo for String Orchestra, op. 8
Benjamin Britten - Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, op. 68
- Intermission -
Johannes Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 73

Performers:
Musikkollegium Winterthur
Andreas Ottensamer - Conductor
Julia Hagen - Cello

Highlights

Performance of Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra
Works by Franz Schreker and Johannes Brahms on the program
With the Musikkollegium Winterthur and Andreas Ottensamer
Event at Stadthaus Winterthur

General Information

The concert takes place at Stadthaus Winterthur and presents a selection of significant works of classical music. It includes compositions by Franz Schreker, Benjamin Britten, and Johannes Brahms, performed by the Musikkollegium Winterthur under the direction of Andreas Ottensamer.