Staatsoper Stuttgart

With the , Ludwig van Beethoven revolutionized the symphonic genre. Its scale and Beethoven’s unconventional approach to form broke with convention. Inspired by the French Revolution, Beethoven intended to dedicate his symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte. However, when Napoleon crowned himself emperor, Beethoven tore up the title page in a fit of rage. He viewed the self-coronation as a betrayal of the ideals of freedom, to which he had erected an impressive monument with his . Under the baton of Markus Stenz, Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto will also be performed. The Czech composer was actually skeptical of the low-pitched string instrument. The fact that he went on to compose such a masterpiece of Romantic beauty was due to the inspiring Cello Concerto by his American colleague Victor Herbert, whom he had met during his stay in New York. While in America, Dvořák also received the sad news that his childhood sweetheart, his sister-in-law Josefína Kounicová, was dying. Deeply shaken, he incorporated Josefína’s favorite song into his Cello Concerto – the piece he had composed – “Leave Me Alone in My Dreams“. The solo part is performed by Alban Gerhardt, one of the most versatile artists of our time.