Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Kopatchinskaja / Gimeno

In 1906, Béla Bartók met the travelling child prodigy, violinist Stefi Geyer, in Budapest. They became lovers, but soon separated due to irreconcilable religious differences. Bartók's first violin concerto was composed during their partnership. She never played it in public, but the manuscript remained in her possession until her death. Numerous other composers dedicated works to the great violinist, who lived in Vienna from 1911 to 1919 and also performed at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Patricia Kopatchinskaja will perform the violin concerto, also dedicated to her, in concert with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Gimeno. The evening will be introduced by an Austrian premiere by Canadian Kelly-Marie Murphy.

Mahler's Fourth
Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony, composed in 1899/1900 in Maiernigg am Wörthersee, is regarded as his »most classical« symphony: manageable in size and instrumentation, cheerful and often childlike in tone. The four movements paint a musical panorama ranging from playful bell music and a good-natured allegory of death to the naively heavenly finale, which sets the »Wunderhorn«-poem »Das himmlische Leben« to music. Folk song-like themes and ironic nuances pervade the work, which initially met with rejection at its premiere in Munich in 1901, but is now one of Mahler's most popular works.