Leipzig is one of Europe’s great cities of music—a place where composers have made history. This concert program takes us to the heart of that tradition, bringing together three masterpieces by composers closely associated with Leipzig: Richard Wagner, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
The program opens with Richard Wagner’s »Siegfried Idyll,« a work brimming with lyrical warmth and poetic timbres. Originally composed as a personal gift, it unfolds an intimate, almost chamber-music-like atmosphere in which Wagner’s music reveals its particularly subtle side.
This is followed by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major—a masterpiece of Baroque clarity and elegance. In this concerto, concentrated musical energy blends with dance-like lightness. The solo violin leads, responds to, and inspires the orchestra—a fascinating musical dialogue that unites virtuosity, precision, and radiant elegance. Holger Engelhardt performs this solo part with stylistic finesse and presence.
The grand symphonic finale is Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Symphony No. 3, »Scottish.« Mysterious soundscapes, dramatic developments, and passionate climaxes guide the listener through an atmospheric musical journey—culminating in a radiant finale of overwhelming power.
Performed by the Leipzig Philharmonic under the baton of its principal conductor, Michael Koehler—a concert evening that brings the musical soul of Leipzig to life through three great masterpieces.
PERFORMERS
Philharmonie Leipzig orchestra
Michael Koehler director
Holger Engelhardt violin
PROGRAM
Richard Wagner
Siegfried Idyll in E major, WWV 103
Johann Sebastian Bach
Konzert für Violine, Streicher und Basso continuo E-Dur BWV 1042
- Interval -
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 »Scottish«
