My motifs grow from the soil, from the animals, from humans – so that they are connected to everything that exists. (Leoš Janáček)

Javier Comesaña received the Prize of the State Orchestra of Lower Saxony at the 2021 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition. The young Spanish violinist, born in Seville in 1999, polarised and delighted the audience, winning them over with his combination of commanding virtuosity and sensitive musicianship. In the great Violin Concerto No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich, Javier Comesaña will be able to present the entire spectrum of his expressive range. The legendary David Oistrach, soloist of the work’s world premiere and dedicatee of the concert, compared the solo violin part with the work of an actor: “You have to carry and speak the part.” Thus, Comesaña will perform in scenes of introverted, nocturnal music and mocking grotesque, in masterfully controlled forms of variation and wild, exuberant dance.

In the second half of the concert, the orchestra will assume the leading role with Leoš Janáček‘s melancholy Adagio and captivating Sinfonietta. “I penetrate with the truth. To the extreme. Truth does not preclude beauty.” Janáček found truth and beauty in the music of his native Moravia, which he memorialised in the clarion fanfares of 25 brass players, in the cheerful dance rhythms and lyrical melodies of the Sinfonietta.

This concert will be the debut performance of Iranian conductor Hossein Pishkar with the State Orchestra of Lower Saxony. He exchanged traditional Persian music with classical composition and conducting in his youth. He has been living in Germany for ten years and has captured orchestras across Europe with his equally meticulous and passionate work.