WKO x Michael Barenboim - Off to Estonia!

After a fantastic tour in Korea, Michael Barenboim is once again traveling with the WKO – this time to the homeland of chief conductor Risto Joost. Accompanying them is an emotional program that tells of war and destruction, but also of friendship, conveyed through touching string sounds. In October 1942, "Capriccio," the last opera by Richard Strauss, premiered in Munich. It features the opening sextet, which feels timeless, as Mozart's music resonates in the late Brahmsian style of Strauss. A year later, the National Theatre lay in ruins. Strauss is shaken: "With Capriccio, my life's work is complete, and the notes I am now scribbling together [...] have no historical significance." However, he would contradict himself when he created the "Metamorphosen" in 1945, a mournful piece full of meaning, symbolism, and philosophical depth. Vasks' Violin Concerto "Distant Light" also seeks, like many of his works, to alleviate suffering and soothe grief through music. It is dedicated to his friendship with Gideon Kremer. Less tragic, but intended for the touching pure sound of strings, are Arvo Pärt's "Greater Antiphones."