In the age of social media, some artists or politicians often send their private thoughts into the global network shortly before their performance. Therefore, the musical self-portrayal of the composer Richard Strauss in his Symphonia Domestica (Sinfonia domestica) does not seem be particularly explosive nowadays. Strauss initially referred to the work as “My home. A symphonic self- and family portrait. Later it evolved into the academically sober short title of Symphonia Domestica. His critics have long since railed against the “composer’s extroverted approach” of disclosing private information through his music. Even today, it has been a challenge to perform this symphony. However, this tends to be due to its opulent orchestral composition and the particularly high technical requirements of the numerous soloists in the orchestra. Richard Strauss developed the premiere with the New York Philharmonic in 15 rehearsals. If a performance gets off the ground, you will be fascinated by the myriad musical ideas, the development and the orchestral tones of this grandiose instrumentation.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung recently described Arabella Steinbacher as a “radiant violin queen”. Led by conductor Marek Janowski, she will début in Basel with Mendelssohn’s violin concerto.