The Orchestra concludes its two concerts at the 2016 International Festival, under its celebrated Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt, with a concert highlighting its own remarkable history.

Sir András Schiff has been widely praised for his many magnificent performances at the International Festival both as pianist and conductor, combining a searing intensity with humour, wit and sparkle. He returns as soloist in the virtuosic brilliance of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto – which the Gewandhausorchester itself premiered in 1811.

It was an 1829 visit to Scotland that inspired Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish’ Symphony, regarded by many as his finest orchestral work, with a distinctive Caledonian flavour to its lilting melodies. And it was Mendelssohn himself who conducted the premiere of the Symphony in 1842, as Music Director of the Gewandhausorchester.

Blomstedt opens the concert with the brooding lyrical drama of Beethoven’s Leonora Overture No 2.

Few ensembles can more justifiably be regarded as a true custodian of German musical culture. ★★★★★

Bachtrack