Fallen from the sky

"The second hour was all music: first Mozart's G major Violin Concerto K. 216, then Mozart's G minor Symphony K. 440. At the end, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra stood up and, with its violin-playing chief conductor Julian Rachlin at the helm, performed the Hatikva. Nobody had the idea of singing along, as is usually the case with hymns.

Afterwards, there was silence for a short while. Just as well. Silence says more than thunderous applause."

"The custom of the “Liberation Concert” goes back to the so-called “Liberation Concert”, which took place open air in May 1945 on the grounds of the Sankt Ottilien monastery in Bavaria, north of Lake Ammersee."

(28.09.2024, Tagesspiegel, Eleonore Büning)

 

"The fact that the chief conductor Julian Rachlin is himself an outstanding violin virtuoso makes it easier for him to think of orchestra and solo voice together. This intertwining of symphonic breadth and beautiful tonal restraint in favor of the cello's concertante leadership was particularly appealing here."

"Rachlin and the extremely concentrated Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra knew how to impressively orchestrate the euphoric effect with retractions, intensifications and dramatic caesuras. The audience's frenetic reaction was almost inevitable."

(29.09.2024, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Reinhard Palmer)