NSOI: Randall Goosby plays Brahms Violin Concerto

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
Hans Graf conductor
Randall Goosby violin 

Strauss Don Juan 
Schubert Symphony no. 8 ‘Unfinished’ 
Brahms Violin Concerto

“In a perfect balance of intelligent artistry and showmanship, he [Randall Goosby] brought down the house prompting a standing ovation in the middle of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto”. So said The New York Times of Goosby’s 2023 Lincoln Centre performance. The famed American violinist, will make his National Concert Hall debut with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, bringing his characteristic “warm tone and expressive phrasing” to Brahms’s beloved Violin Concerto. 

Widely considered one of the ‘Big Five’ concertos, the piece, dedicated to Brahms’s collaborator violinist Joseph Joachim, is admired for its lyrical richness, virtuosic brilliance, and profound sensitivity, demonstrating Brahms’ ability to create music that speaks directly to the soul.  

The programme continues with Schubert’s Eight Symphony, the “Unfinished,”. Written in 1822, it defies convention with just two movements, yet achieves extraordinary musical prowess, notable for its flowing allegro moderato and a deeply expressive andante con moto, creating music that lingers long after the final note.

The evening opens in dramatic fashion with Strauss’s exhilarating tone poem Don Juan. Composed in 1888, it is one of Strauss’s most vivid early masterpieces, bursting with energy, colour, and theatrical flair. Inspired by the legendary womaniser, it follows Don Juan’s passionate quest for fulfilment, culminating in a poignant and powerful conclusion as desire gives way to fate.

A powerful and expressive programme, highlighting both the versatility of National Symphony Orchestra Ireland under Hans Graf and the remarkable artistry of one of today’s most exciting young violinists.

Presented by NCH