hr-Sinfonieorchester

Almost a family reunion: hr principal conductor Alain Altinoglu was born in Paris and has Armenian roots. And Yerevan-born Sergey Khachatryan grew up in Frankfurt as one of the greatest violin talents of recent decades. It is a must that Armenia's best-known composer also comes into play here, and a plus that it even gives rise to a small programme focus for the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under the title ‘Armenian Soul’. Aram Khatchaturian's Violin Concerto, composed in 1940, has everything a violinist could wish for: Fire, brilliance, the great cantilena as well as the light but always perceptible folkloristic touch. And it calls for a true virtuoso like Sergey Khachatryan, who says: ‘If he didn't play the violin, he would have become a racing driver. He is always looking for an adrenaline rush, both on the podium and in life, and he plays every concert with an artistic exertion as if it were his last. Exhaustion: this is also the keyword for one of the most famous orchestral works of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky's ‘Le sacre du printemps’. It is ballet music, but not the airy kind - on the contrary, it is a worship of the earth, rhythmically pounding, with horrendous sound power. The premiere in 1913 was dominated by bewilderment and tumult - the work still takes the breath away today. (hr-Sinfonieorchester)