Beethoven & Lentz: Violin Concertos

Violinist Arabella Steinbacher, the Luxembourg Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Gimeno present violin concertos by Beethoven and Lentz. Beethoven’s violin concerto may well be the most iconic contribution to its genre, and to Steinbacher, it is the most “sacred” and sublime in the repertoire, never ceasing to reveal new perspectives. The piece is coupled with Georges Lentz’ Violin Concerto ‘…to beam in distant heavens…’, written for Steinbacher and inspired by her virtuosity. Lentz’ concerto is equally inspired by William Blake’s poetry, as well as the idea that a future generation will one day look back on us and the way we destroy our planet. Oscillating between cosmic violence and angelic visions of love and hope, it places heavy demands on the soloist, and offers an illuminating counterpart to Beethoven’s equally searching and idealist work. The Luxembourg Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno are the ideal partners for this cosmic, adventurous pairing. Arabella Steinbacher is a multiple award-winner with an extensive PENTATONE discography, including Bach & Pärt (2023), Mozart’s complete violin concertos (2014 and 2021), Four Seasons (Vivaldi & Piazzolla, 2020), Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos (2015) and many others. The Luxembourg Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno released composer monographies of Coll (2021), Franck (2020), Rossini (2019), Debussy, Stravinsky & Mahler (all 2018) as well as Ravel, Bruckner and Shostakovich (all 2017) on PENTATONE.