‘Belgian National Orchestra’

The Belgian National Orchestra starts its season with Tchaikovsky's beautiful Violin Concerto. He wrote this work at a lakeside resort in Geneva, Switzerland. He was recovering there from the depression and nervous breakdowns caused by his unhappy marriage to a young conservatory student. Tchaikovsky composed the score in record time, inspired by the charming presence of Josif Kotek. This 22-year-old violin and composition student advised him on the technical aspects of violin playing.  Bartók also wrote with his Divertimento a work in Switzerland. The result is a playful composition for strings only, in which Bartók reverts to the baroque concerto grosso, but colours it in an idiosyncratic way.