The Georgian composer Vazha Azarashvili composed his cello concerto in 1970. In 2002, the then 25-year-old Maximilian Hornung performed this piece for its composer, and ever since, it’s been one of his closest and dearest works.
After the intermission, Hornung will be the soloist performing rising-star composer Karmit Fadael’s new composition for cello and low strings.
Thomas Larcher composed Ouroboros in 2016 for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. The Ouroboros is a depiction of a serpent or dragon eating its tail to form a perpetual circle and symbolises nature’s eternal cycle. At this year’s Cello Biennale, German cellist Julian Steckel will be the soloist performing this piece accompanied by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
Shostakovich finished his last composition shortly before his death in 1975. His solitude, as the end approached, is audible and heart-wrenching – especially in Vladimir Mendelssohn’s version for cello, strings and celesta