NDR Sinfonieorchester / Thomas Hengelbrock

»Patricia Kopatchinskaja is capable of mesmerising audiences again and again.« This was the enthusiastic opinion of the Royal Philharmonic Society when they awarded her a prize: »When she is digging into the dark emotions of 20th-century masterpieces she is as irresistible as a force of nature.« One of these masterworks is Sofia Gubaidulina’s First Violin Concerto. The piece was premiered in 1981 and made its Russian composer – who lives near Hamburg today – internationally famous. The title »Offertorium« describes the deeply religious content of the work. »Heavenly life« is also the theme of the finale of Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, with which Thomas Hengelbrock and his NDR Sinfonieorchester conclude their concert.