PC 3: “The Great”

Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra
Soloist: Ilya Gringolts, violin

Programme: 
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26 
Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto in D minor, WoO 1 
Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944, “The Great”

The performance of Schubert’s “The Great” is usually accompanied by the story of the discovery of this “heavenly” extended masterpiece by the early Romantic composer, whose life was cut short. The symphony did not enjoy a proper public performance until ten years after Schubert’s death, when Robert Schumann discovered the score and convinced Felix Mendelssohn to present it at one of his celebrated concerts at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig in 1839. The rest is history.