CANCELLED: NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Herbert Blomstedt

»It makes me happy if I manage to touch people’s hearts«, said Herbert Blomstedt when signing his contract as chief conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in September 1995. It was also Blomstedt who stood on the rostrum for the concerts celebrating the orchestra’s 50th anniversary. 25 years later, the 93-year-old grand seigneur is still a regular guest in Hamburg – and has lost none of his talent for touching people’s hearts.

He continues his series of interpretations of major works in the standard repertoire together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra with Schubert’s Symphony in C major, »Great«. Robert Schumann’s enthusiastic verdict on this pioneering masterpiece, which was not performed until several years after Schubert’s death, was as follows: »All the instruments here are human voices. There is still life in every fibre, tone colour right down to the finest nuance, meaning is everywhere… And then the heavenly length of symphony!« Schumann’s last sentence has achieved ambiguous fame, but he actually meant it positively. Blomstedt precedes this crowning achievement of Early Romantic symphonic music with another work that represents the summit of its genre: Mozart’s last piano concerto, played by newcomer Francesco Piemontesi.