Opening Concert: Karina Canellakis and Christian Tetzlaff

Exciting folk dances, a beloved violin concerto, and mesmerizing choral and orchestral sounds. The opening concert of the AVROTROS Friday Evening Series makes an immediate, resounding statement. A mind-blowing journey, culminating inDvořák’s Violin Concertoand followed by Adams’*Harmonium* asan “afterparty.” Conductor Carina Canellakis will be in her element.

The Height of Romanticism
Dvořák’sViolin Concertois often called “the most perfect Romantic concerto.” Two movements of roughly equal length frame a typically lyrical and melancholic Dvořák adagio. The great violinist Joseph Joachim had his doubts, but the audience embraced the work immediately after the premiere. With Christian Tetzlaff as soloist, that remains the only option today.

Extremely Challenging
The German violinist Christian Tetzlaff first made a name for himself by performing Schönberg’s extremely challenging violin concerto at a young age. It brought him worldwide fame. He proved that he can also make his violin sing with delightful romanticism in Dvořák’sViolin Concerto; he recorded it twice: with an “exceptionally wide range of colors and nuances, from the very fragile to pure passion,” according toGramophone.