‘National Orchestra of Belgium’

Guest conductor Xian Zhang, once assistant to Lorin Maazel but now a conductor in his own right, conducts the National Orchestra and the young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang. Anne-Sophie Mutter’s protégé gives a solo performance in Mozart’s Fifth violin concerto that she recently recorded with Arcangelo (Warner Classics). It is a technically demanding and dramatic concerto that got its nickname ‘the Turkish’ from the playful allegro in the finale. This is followed by the Symphony in D minor, possibly César Franck’s best-known composition. In it, the Belgian-French composer reconciles the traditions of the Viennese classics with the cyclic structures of ‘innovators’ such as Liszt and Wagner, his own extravagant harmonies give the work a nice balance.