Sinfonieorchester Basel
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin
Katja Stuber, soprano
Anne Bierwirth, alto
Johanna Wokalek, speaker
Ladies of the La Cetra Vokalensemble
Ivor Bolton, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Overture, op. 21 and incidental music, op. 61, with text intermezzi by Franzobel (2006)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concerto begins with five timpani beats! Only an intrepid as well as original spirit like Beethoven succeeds in obtaining a motif from this that also suits the violin well.
Mendelssohn spins the thread further in his splendid Shakespearean piece of invention. The Austrian writer Franzobel has written new text intermezzi. The German actress Johanna Wokalek slips into the roles of Puck, Titania and Zettl at lightning speed, accompanied by the singers of the La Cetra vocal ensemble.