BAIBA SKRIDE

Baiba Skride returns to the Ludwigsburg Festival after a long absence – with a work that seems tailor-made for her blend of clarity, intensity, and a warm, resonant tone: Tschaikowsky’s Violin Concerto. Composed in 1878, it was initially considered nearly unplayable. The solo part, present almost throughout, demands technical mastery as well as the ability to let the long melodic lines flow freely. It is precisely in the transition between virtuosic brilliance, intimate canzonetta, and the dance-like finale that Skride’s breadth of expression unfolds.

With Rachmaninow’s Second Symphony, the evening takes Russian Romanticism a generation further. Both works share a small biographical parallel: they were composed far from the composers’ familiar surroundings, albeit for very different reasons. After a personal crisis, Tschaikowsky retreated to Clarens on Lake Geneva; Rachmaninow moved to Dresden with his family in 1906 – seeking peace and quiet to compose against the backdrop of political unrest in Russia. There he composed his Second Symphony, with its sweeping melodic arcs, dense layers of sound, and powerful crescendos. Baiba Skride performs with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg under Aziz Shokhakimov. The orchestra ranks among France’s leading symphony orchestras and was named »Orchestre de l’année« by Radio Classique in 2024. As chief conductor, Shokhakimov shapes the ensemble’s sound and is known for his precise, colorful interpretation of the great symphonic repertoire.

The concert is part of the  Festival Subscription FORUM.