Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig – Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, Mozart, Larcher

The Gewandhaus season 2017/18 celebrates two momentous occasions: the appointment of Andris Nelsons to the position of the 21st Gewandhaus Kapellmeister and the 275th anniversary of the inception of the Gewandhausorchester. A four-week festival in February and March 2018 was devoted to the new music director. The closing concert of the festive weeks marked the beginning of the highly promising Tchaikovsky cycle by Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester. Peter Korfmacher of the Leipziger Volkszeitung commented: “A Tchaikovsky moment of glory with Andris Nelsons [..] With cleverly balanced tempos that can burst out unrestrainedly, and, when in doubt, allow all the pain in the world, but also all the time in the world. With finely balanced dynamics that are not afraid of extremes, leaving room for detail and further development”. Also, the orchestra performed the new work “Chiasma” by Austrian composer Thomas Larcher and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.

The concerts of the festival weeks were most promising for a great musical future of the Gewandhausorchester and its new conductor Andris Nelsons. In his own words: “Being appointed as the next Gewandhaus Kapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester is a completely overwhelming honor. This extraordinary orchestra and its wonderful musicians are unique in so many respects, and particularly in their creation of an exceptional sound world based on an outstanding tradition that is, at its heart, inspirational.”