Sensational Start
Igor Stravinsky inaugurated the era of musical neoclassicism with a sensational success. His Pulcinella continues to be uncommonly popular even today, primarily as a suite from the ballet of the same name – which makes this virtuosic orchestral piece the perfect choice for this fascinating MDG debut program featuring Joshua Weilerstein, the new principal conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. Apollon musagète and the rarely heard Concerto in D offer additional highly interesting insights into this important period in the great Russian composer’s oeuvre.

Apollonian Clarity
Apollonian clarity was Stravinsky’s aim in the ballet music for Apollon musagète. Simple tonal motifs, violins feasting on harmonic thirds, and the intelligent scoring solely for string orchestra: Apollo, the guide of the Muses, remains true to his calling right up to the top of Mount Parnassus. From time to time, a bit of compositional irony seems to poke a little fun at the world of ancient myth.

Avant-garde Complexity
Stravinsky wrote the Concerto in D for the Basel Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble that became one of the twentieth century’s outstanding orchestras under Paul Sacher, its legendary director and a generous patron of the musical avant-garde. This three-movement work challenges each and every string orchestra and repeatedly offers the musicians the opportunity to engage in solo playing. Rhythmically complex and tonally demanding, the concerto already anticipates the end of Stravinsky’s neoclassical period.

Success Story
With Joshua Weilerstein the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne has truly passed the torch to a new generation. The young conductor follows in big footsteps, but continuity on the highest level is also a sure bet: after the pianist Christian Zacharias another outstanding instrumentalist, this time a violinist, has assumed the conducting duties with this renowned Swiss orchestra.