Gautier Capuçon, one of the world’s most acclaimed cellists, returns to the Palau de la Música Catalana with one of the great works in the repertoire for his instrument: Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. A score as demanding for the soloist as it is rewarding for the listener, from its opening theme it reveals the Czech composer’s gift for creating melodies that captivate from the very first moment. The French cellist, one of the leading artists of this season, exchanges the intimacy of chamber music for the grand scale of the orchestra and a concerto that seems tailor-made to showcase the full breadth of his expressive range.

With his Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”, Tchaikovsky created one of the great landmarks of Romantic symphonic music and one of the most personal expressions of his entire legacy. Of extraordinary emotional intensity, the symphony defies expectations before culminating in a slow, dark and deeply moving finale, highly unusual among the great symphonies of its time. Tchaikovsky premiered it just nine days before his death, never living to witness the enormous posthumous success it would achieve. Its nickname, far from the negative meaning the word may suggest today, refers to pathos: passion and emotion, which lie at the very heart of this work, now one of the most frequently performed and beloved symphonies in the repertoire.

At the helm of the Nederlands Philharmonic, Lorenzo Viotti, one of the most promising conductors of his generation, completes a line-up that brings together two major figures on the international scene and two particularly beloved works from the great repertoire. Dvořák and Tchaikovsky, melody and passion, in a programme designed to speak directly to the listener.