Gewandhaus Orchestra goes on a European tour

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is going on a European tour next week. Under the direction of Gewandhaus conductor Andris Nelsons, performances are planned in Hamburg, Luxembourg, Paris, Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna from February 26 to March 10. The soloist will be violinist Leonidas Kavakos. The program consists exclusively of orchestral works by Peter Tchaikovsky, including Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, and the venues are the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Philharmonie Paris, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Philharmonie Essen and the Vienna Musikverein. There will be two concerts in all cities except Essen.

Tchaikovsky had a personal relationship with the Gewandhaus. In January 1888, he came to Leipzig for the first time and appeared as conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. He himself saw this as an advance in the reception of his work in Germany. "The fact that my music had found its way into the Gewandhaus strengthened my self-confidence as a composer quite considerably, and it was a wonderful feeling for me to be able to begin my artistic journey from Leipzig, as this circumstance was likely to lend my name considerable weight in Germany," the composer was quoted as saying in the announcement of the current tour.