Just as Brahms and Sibelius did in their violin concertos, Danish composer Carl Nielsen combines genuine gravitas with brilliant virtuosity. He began the work in Norway, where he was visiting Nina Grieg, and completed it back home in Denmark, struggling to present the solo instrument “in the best light, that is, rich in content, popular, and dazzling without becoming superficial.” Nielsen conducted the premiere in 1912, along with the first performance of his rousing Third Symphony.

Come for:

Always a welcome presence, Hahn brings us a relative rarity this time.

And more:

Russian conductor Andrey Boreyko in a reflective but also dramatic Nordic program.