‘Rotterdam Philharmonic, Mallwitz & Andsnes’

Hindemith’s opera Mathis der Maler is a fictional retelling of the life of Mathis Grünewald, a painter on the run during the Reformation. Hindemith had been fascinated with the artist for some time, and the opera was preceded by a symphony of the same name. In three movements, the composer sets a famous altarpiece by Grünewald to music, angels and demons included. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is not inspired by anything so tangible. It was dedicated to the pianist Josef Hofmann, who did not dare take on this daunting technical challenge. Rachmaninov himself was the only one to perform his 1909 concerto for many years. As a student, the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes couldn’t wait to take up the gauntlet, and finally achieved his great goal with a recording in 2023. Finally, La Valse by Ravel waltzes us out of the horrific memories of the Great War.