A program full of emotion and depth: works by Lili Boulanger, Edward Elgar and Johannes Brahms tell of farewells, pain and creative struggles.

This concert focuses on three great composers whose works are closely linked to personal destinies and biographical crises. Lili Boulanger, born in 1893 and died far too young at the age of just 24, left behind an impressive oeuvre despite her short life. In D'un soir triste, one of her last pieces, pain, longing and consolation are condensed into music of great intensity. The central mourning motif unfolds a depth that goes far beyond the gentle melancholy of the title.

Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto was composed in 1917 in the shadow of the First World War, personal losses and his wife's serious illness. It is characterized by grief and retrospection, but at the same time by an inner strength that makes the work one of the most moving concertos in music history. With it, Elgar also bid farewell to his own creative phase of life.

Johannes Brahms, on the other hand, struggled for years with Beethoven's overpowering role model. "Such a giant is always marching behind me," he once wrote. Nevertheless, he completed his first symphony in 1876, which immediately enjoyed great success and finally brought him recognition as a symphonist - a work that stands between respect for tradition and a self-confident new beginning.
November 14, 2025