Name: Composed for London
Start: 2021-08-13T19:30:00

Jaap van Zweden

Khatia Buniatishvili

Gstaad Menuhin Festival

Gstaad Festival Orchestra

With its numerous stages, its very eager audience and generous institutions (such as the Royal Philharmonic Society), London has always been a magnet for artists. Hosted by Khatia Buniatishvili (with Tchaikovsky), Jaap van Zweden and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, this evening is a magnificent showcase for the city. The Seventh Symphony was Dvořák's first commissioned work. Premiered to thunderous applause on April 22, 1885 at St. James's Hall, it raised the delicate question for the Czech composer of where to draw the line between his natural inclination to let his heart and Moravian roots speak for themselves and the (new for him) need to appeal to an audience accustomed to the codes of “Western” Romanticism, embodied in particular by his mentor Johannes Brahms. With his characteristic talent and generosity, the great Antonin got it absolutely right... first time around!