Auditorium di Milano Fondazione Cariplo: Eroica

About the Event

Experience the enchanting beauty of classical music in the highly‐anticipated concert featuring the magnificent works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Strauss. Immerse yourself in the mellifluous sounds as they fill the air of Milan's treasured and world‐renowned Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo.

Richard Strauss, encouraged by the young oboist John de Lancy of the Philadelphia Orchestra, composed a brilliant score for oboe and small orchestra, showcasing the technical possibilities of this solo instrument. The composition, performed with just woodwinds, two horns, and strings, demonstrates Strauss' virtuosic nature and includes every possible technique to highlight the oboe's capabilities. The harmonic writing and cadenzas, accompanied in a subtle and linear manner by the orchestra, maintain a diatonic foundation, devoid of the excessive phonic imagery prevalent in Strauss' earlier works. Premiering in 1947 at Zurich's Tonhalle under the direction of Volkmar Andreae and with Marcel Saellet as the soloist, the oboe concerto, lasting 23 minutes and 55 seconds, was a resounding success. Since then, it has become an integral part of the repertoire for oboists, who occasionally embrace the challenge this remarkable piece presents.