Farewell Symphony

Performers: Lithuanian chamber orchestra Artistic director, soloist and conductor SERGEJ KRYLOV (violin)

Program: MAX BRUCH – Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 (orchestration for strings by Tomas Petrikis) JOSEPH HAYDN – Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor ("Farewell"), Hob. I:45

On New Year's Eve, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and its artistic director, conductor and violinist Sergej Krylov, traditionally perform at St. John's Church. He will perform as a soloist in the emotional Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor by German romanticist Max Bruch, composed in 1866. In the second half of the 19th century, when new musical winds, experiments, and searches were already circulating in Europe, Bruch, working in Berlin, remained faithful to the noble and sincere romantic style of the previous century. This work is characterized by virtuosic brilliance, melodiousness, and youthful spirit. It became not only the author's most famous work but also one of the most popular violin concertos of the late Romantic era.

Various legends are told about Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor ("Farewell") due to its unusual nature. In 1772, Haydn's patron and employer, Prince Esterházy, stayed too long at his summer residence with his entourage and orchestra: the musicians lived there in poor conditions, were cold, and fell ill. Even Kapellmeister Haydn did not dare to tell the Prince directly. So, he composed a new symphony and invited the Prince to listen, staging a performance at the end of the piece: after the usual fast final movement, a slow Adagio began to play, and the orchestra musicians, extinguishing the candles on their music stands, left the stage one by one. Only Haydn himself and the orchestra's concertmaster remained to play. The Prince understood the hint and soon ended the summer season.

Since the 1970s, the old year has been seen off annually to the sounds of this Haydn symphony. This is one of the longest-running traditions of the Philharmonic's New Year's concerts – the musicians of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra play the legendary piece as candles are extinguished one by one...