Season Opening: Leonidas Kavakos / Yo-Yo Ma / Emanuel Ax

• Classical Music

If the term all-star team applies to one line-up, then it’s this one: violinist Leonidas Kavakos, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax are among the greatest in their respective fields – and are a force to be reckoned with as a trio. The Washington Post raved about the musical chemistry of their interaction as »almost supernatural«. For the opening of the Elbphilharmonie season, the three of them take to the stage of the Grand Hall, which they easily fill with their luxurious sound and concentrated charisma. They perform an exclusively Beethoven programme, including an unusual trio version of his First Symphony.
Since their first encounter in 2014 at the Tanglewood Festival in the US, the three superstars have appeared together many times, and have released two albums with arrangements of his Symphonies Nos. 2, 5 and 6 under the title »Beethoven for Three». »The fullness of sound here almost makes you forget that it’s not a large orchestra playing,«, marvelled Rondo magazine.

On this evening’s programme features the two »normal« op. 70 trios, which are groundbreaking in their own right, including the »Ghost Trio«, which was probably inspired by Shakespeare, as well as the First Symphony. The tradition of arranging symphonies as chamber music for domestic use actually originated in 19th century bourgeois salon culture; composers sometimes provided such chamber versions parallel to the symphony itself. Based on this tradition, Kavakos, Ma and Ax have also commissioned new arrangements, for example from the Israeli pianist, arranger and former Ax student Shai Wosner. Through these chamber music versions, »you learn a lot about Beethoven’s combination of controlled madness and incredible lyricism,« explains Emanuel Ax. Yo-Yo Ma goes one step further: »We tend to put people in categories: soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral musicians and so on. Such pigeonholing prevents creativity and fruitful collaboration. That’s why we’re returning to a basic principle of music – interaction between friends who want to do something together.«

PERFORMERS

Leonidas Kavakos violin

Yo-Yo Ma violoncello

Emanuel Ax piano

PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70/1 »Ghost«

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

- Interval -

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 70/2