Guest in Innsbruck

Innsbruck, Congress
20:00 Uhr

»We play only when we are human in the fullest sense of the word, and we are only fully human when we play.« These famous words were written by Friedrich Schiller, and the programme under the baton of our honorary conductor Christoph Eschenbach inspires us to many playful moments – with our wind players repeatedly shining with their musical enthusiasm. And the instrumental performance hits the mark, for example in the overture to Weber’s opera »Der Freischütz« from 1821: here, bullets bewitched by demonic powers decide the fate of a young hunter’s love in a contest – but »the story ends happily«, as the composer remarked. Afterwards, we will join our solo horn player Andreas Kreuzhuber in a fascinating concerto by Reinhold Glière: although this bravura piece was written in 1950, it is entirely steeped in romanticism. We will also present Schubert’s exquisitely perfect »Unfinished«, which was first performed in 1865, many years after his death. Even though its two-movement form still gives some music lovers pause for thought, this symphonic hit is an eminently balanced composition in its own right. There have been regular attempts to complete it in one way or another. We take a different approach to this theme, full of experimental spirit, and conclude the evening with a kind of »encore« in the form of the overture to Rossini’s opera about the fate-stricken hero William Tell, which premiered in 1829. It is based on Schiller’s play of the same name and revolves around love and the thirst for freedom – including the legendary shot at the apple.

Christoph Eschenbach Conductor
Andreas Kreuzhuber Horn

Carl Maria von Weber Ouvertüre zur Oper »Der Freischütz«
Reinhold Glière Konzert für Horn und Orchester B-Dur op. 91
Franz Schubert Symphonie Nr. 7 h-Moll D 759 »Unvollendete«
Gioachino Rossini Ouvertüre zur Oper »Wilhelm Tell«