Not only in Venezuela, but also in other South American countries, more and more emphasis is being placed on classical music education. The best example of this is the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, which consists of around 100 members aged between 17 and 24. Founded in 2010 and financed by foundation funds, it has become an export hit within a very short time. The ensemble has toured Europe and the U.S. several times, playing with greats such as Joshua Bell, Rolando Villazón and the Labèques. Artistic director is Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and the ensemble works closely with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Madrid Conservatory. And, of course, the Filarmónica Joven regularly tours its own country to introduce more young people to classical music. CLOSE

Born in Medellín (Colombia), Andrés Orozco-Estrada began his musical education by playing the violin. He received his first conducting lessons at the age of 15. In 1997 he was accepted at the renowned University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) in the conducting class of Uroš Lajovic, a student of the legendary Hans Swarowsky. He has been principal conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai since the 23/24 season, having previously held principal positions with the Houston Symphony, hr Sinfonierochester and the Vienna Symphony, among others. In addition, he will take over the GMD position of the Cologne Opera in 25/26. In September he celebrated his debut at La Scala in Milan with Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro", and in November he will make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. Since October 2022, Orozco-Estrada has been professor of orchestral conducting at the mdw. CLOSE

Hilary Hahn has secured a place among the most important violinists of our time. The U.S. violinist began a breathtaking career early on: her first performance with professionals at the age of 12, her European debut at 14, Carnegie Hall at 16. For her CD debut, she ventured into Bach's solo sonatas - and promptly won a Diapason d'Or. Numerous other prizes followed, for works as diverse as Bernstein's Serenade, the Sibelius Concerto and film music. Hahn's interpretational range is remarkable; she plays with rock bands, dedicates herself to the baroque repertoire, but also takes up new music, such as the violin concertos by Edgar Meyer and Jennifer Higdon. At the same time, she tries to overcome cultural boundaries by giving free concerts for young children and students. CLOSE

Mendelssohn's Concerto in E minor, one of the most popular solo concertos of the Romantic period, has lost none of its freshness to this day. With its exuberant brilliance and thematic richness, it seems to have been invented spontaneously. At the same time, the composer leaves nothing to chance: even the sudden opening signals that the relationship between soloist and orchestra is being explored anew here. The individual movements are linked by transitions, and many a formal section is found in an unusual place - a veritable rejuvenation of the violin concerto genre!

Shostakovich's 5th Symphony is considered a prime example of the fateful interplay between politics and art. Publicly denounced in 1936 on Stalin's orders, the star of the Soviet music scene had to withdraw his 4th Symphony and present a "creative response" to the criticism with the follow-up work. But what kind of answer is that? An ambiguous one: music that wrings approval and jubilation from itself in pain, that thematizes silencing, lamentation, isolation. In the Fifth, Shostakovich succeeded in nothing less than finding a new, ciphered language for the hardships of dictatorial times.