City of Cambridge Symphony Orchestra with Júlia Pusker (violin)

Carl Maria von Weber, a contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven, was hampered by incomprehensible and implausible librettos for his two final operas. Because audiences wouldn’t put up with the incompetence of the wordsmiths, the runs were short and only the overtures have survived. The overture to Euryanthe is wonderfully characterful, varied and unpredictable, a firm pointer to the romantic styles of Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner. In this concert, the overture will be conducted by the winner of the CCSO’s biennial Young Conductors’ Competition.

Another young musician, the Hungarian violinist Júlia Pusker, stars in the Violin Concerto by Antonin Dvorák. Júlia’s sparkling career dates back to early childhood, and her accumulation of prizes and honours is impressive indeed. Dvorák’s concerto is a monumental work, on a par with the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, and like them it has some charming lighter moments, especially in the final movement.
Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 needs no introduction. Although it is the shortest of his four symphonies, many regard it as his most profound and moving. Based on an easily recognised motif of three notes, it tells a gripping musical story without words or pictures.