Hessischer Rundfunk

What could he have meant by that? Jean Sibelius said that this Second Symphony was “a confession of the soul”—but what exactly was weighing on his mind? Did he want to confess to having copied from Brahms? Certainly not! But the classically refined Brahmsian tone suits it well nonetheless.

Confession or not, the audience was immediately captivated by this symphony. And they interpreted it—which was not at all Sibelius’s intention—as an act of resistance against Russia, the threat to Finland —specifically as “an overwhelmingly powerful protest against all the injustice that in our time threatens to rob the sun of its light and the flowers of their fragrance,” according to conductor and Sibelius contemporary Robert Kajanus. It was sometimes called the “Symphony of Independence”; perhaps that is one reason why conductor Aivis Greters took a special interest in it. Greters, like so many outstanding young conductors today, hails from the Baltic region.
The compact “Quick & Classy” program is complemented by a cello concerto that deliberately avoids being a virtuoso piece. In Robert Schumann’s work, poetic sound, cantilena, and atmosphere take center stage—or as Clara Schumann put it: “What melodiousness and deep feeling are found in all the vocal passages within it!”

Program: Sibelius’s “Confession of the Soul”
Anton Spronk (cello), Aivis Greters (conductor), Robert Schumann (Cello Concerto), Jean Sibelius (Symphony No. 2).
Concert duration: approx. 85 minutes without an intermission!

After the concert: Meet & Greet with the musicians at the bar

Photo: Hessischer Rundfunk

Oct. 30, 7:00 p.m.

hr-Sendesaal, Bertramstr. 8, Frankfurt

50% off: €27 for 2 tickets

Please book here. CITY CARD holders will receive a personal link and promotional code by e-mail no later than the next working day after booking to order and pay for tickets directly at hr-ticketcenter.de