Concert series of the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra “Classics” 2026

February 20, 2026 at 19.00 at the Vanemuine Concert Hall
February 21, 2026 at 19.00 at the Viimsi Artium

Programme:
Béla Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra, sz. 116
Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, E-flat major, op. 11
Richard Strauss, “Don Juan”, op. 20

This spring, the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra concert series “Classics”, initiated in 2024, will bring to the audiences the creations of Béla Bartók and Richard Strauss. Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, which was one of the most large-scale works in his final years, combines the elements of Western classical music and Eastern European folk music. Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto no. 1 was inspired by the young composer’s father Franz Strauss, one of the leading horn players of his time. Strauss’s symphonic poem Don Juan offers a modernist interpretation of the legend of Don Juan which originated from Renaissance-era Spain.

 

February 22, 2026 at 17.00 at the Ukuaru Music Hall in Rakvere

Programme:
Arvo Pärt, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, E-flat major, op. 11
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, “Fate Symphony”, op. 67

Launched in 2024, the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra’s concert series “Classics” brings to Rakvere this spring a diverse programme featuring three significant works of music history. The evening opens with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, a meditative work of remembrance, followed by the virtuoso Horn Concerto No. 1 from Richard Strauss’s early period. The concert concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, composed in 1808 and widely known as the “Fate Symphony” for its ominous four-note opening motif.