Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Two comic masterpieces bookend this program of music from different eras of the Austro-German tradition. Franz Schubert's Sixth Symphony—one of his most scintillating pieces—references Rossini and Beethoven, but sings in its own distinctive and witty voice. Although nicknamed the "Little" C-Major Symphony, it makes full-sized demands on the players. In turn, Jörg Widmann's Lied references Schubert, especially his "radical singing," but in a contemporary idiom colored by clusters and surreal juxtapositions. Widmann is one of several recent composers who have used Schubert as an inspiration. Although his piece is atmospheric and slow, it requires considerable virtuosity from the orchestra. The concert closes with Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks), a concise but wildly colorful tone poem based on the exploits and death of the legendary medieval rogue. Although basically a comic piece, Till Eulenspiegel has its own startling juxtapositions, moving abruptly from the prankish to the sinister.