This year’s Artist in Residence, Patricia Kopatchinskaja presents her brand-new project Golden Decade under the direction of Jonathan Stockhammer at the Dresdener Philharmonie. The project features Kopatchinskaja performing six major violin works from the Classical Modern oeuvre within three concert evenings — 6, 7 and 8 June.
On 6 June, Kopatchinskaja opens the series with the violin concertos of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. While their music shares many common roots, the composers’ temperaments differed. Kopatchinskaja’s playing embodies all these temperaments, fully embracing the spirit of Classical Modernism. The programme also includes Prokofiev’s Sonata for two Violins, performed together with the orchestra’s concertmaster.
7 June features two of the 20th century’s most significant works for the violin: Berg’s profoundly moving and Schönberg’s monumental Violin Concertos. Initially deemed unplayable by Jascha Heifetz, Schönberg’s concerto has found a passionate advocate in Kopatchinskaja, who loves both its romantic and expressive qualities. Berg’s concerto, subtitled To the Memory of an Angel, is a poignant tribute to Manon Gropius, the daughter of Alma Mahler-Werfel and Walter Gropius, who died at 19 from polio. Berg’s work is a deeply touching portrayal of the young woman’s dreams, personality and unfulfilled desires.
On 8 June, Kopatchinskaja performs Hartmann’s Concerto funebre and Bartók’s Violin Concerto No.2. Describing Hartmann’s work as “dark, powerful music where every note is like a word from a gospel”, Kopatchinskaja emphasizes the work’s emotional depth. Hartmann composed the concerto in response to Hitler’s 1938 invasion of Czechoslovakia. Bartók’s Violin Concerto No.2 holds personal significance for Kopatchinskaja, who describes her relationship with Bartók’s music as a “great love”, praising the sophistication of its sounds and imagery.
Additionally, on 2 June, Kopatchinskaja gives a performance of Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire. This piece, composed in 1912 in Berlin, consists of 21 short melodramas for voice and five instruments, based on poems by Albert Giraud. It is one of Kopatchinskaja’s signature works and a milestone in Schönberg’s journey towards his modern musical language.
