Polyptyque for violin and two string orchestras

Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G Major BVW 1048
Frank Martin Polyptyque for violin and two string orchestras
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no. 2 in D Major opus 36

Festival International de Colmar
The apotheosis of musical dialogue, J.S. Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto builds a marvellous bridge between chamber and orchestral music, with its unique way of bringing together different instruments, sometimes as soloists, sometimes as an ensemble. With his youthful Symphony no. 2, Beethoven broke with the models of the past and embarked on a new musical adventure that was soon to open the doors to Romanticism. As for the Swiss composer Frank Martin, he is undoubtedly their worthy successor: in a language of poignant depth, he revives the Passion genre, creating with his Polyptyque an essential masterpiece of twentieth-century sacred art.

photo: © Simon Fowler