Juraj Valčuha conductor
Renaud Capuçon violin

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
MAHLER Symphony No. 5

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony follows a clear progression from a mood of dark despair to joyful reconciliation. The opening of the fourth movement, the Adagietto, is by far the best-known and is often performed by itself. It was originally conceived as a love-poem for the beautiful Alma Schindler who Mahler married in 1902, and was made famous by its subsequent use in Visconti’s 1971 film, Death in Venice. The first half showcases a late Mendelssohn work of breath-taking originality, the Violin Concerto. From the outset, the soloist pitches straight in with a passionately surging melody that verges on the melodramatic, which contrasts with the song-like simplicity of the second movement. In the final movement, a dose of energy ensures a suitably high-spirited ending.