ANASTASIA KOBEKINA

Anastasia Kobekina’s concert programmes are full of momentum, cheerfulness, and focused energy, perfectly reflecting her character. The cellist has found an ideal ensemble for this in the versatile Basel Chamber Orchestra. They are performing together in Ludwigsburg for the second time, once again showcasing musical gems in a lively and joyful interplay between solo cello and orchestra. The programme features lesser-known treasures by the composer Puccini, who frequently drew on his earlier chamber music and songs for his famous operas. This is followed by a lively exchange between woodwinds and cello in Tchaikovsky’s captivating variations, with simply articulated Rococo echoes and a virtuoso homage to Mozart. The »Hungarian Dances« radiate the »infectious good humour« that Johannes Brahms, often sombre in his old age, expressed in his serenade during his youth. His Göttingen mentor Julius Otto Grimm spoke of a »fundamental musical comfort«. For Brahms, this was a tribute to the harmony of Viennese classical music, as wind music was called at the time. Even he, who was otherwise a relentless critic of his own works, succumbed to the charm of his Serenade.

This concert is part of the Festival-Subscription III.