Wiener G’schichten op. 52 – Premiere!
The great concert-master of Academy St.Martin in the Fields/London, Tomo Keller, was already in 2015 the protagonist of Ehrenfellner’s double-concerto op.28 ‚Sospiri&Scherzi‘ together with Sergey Malov. Now here is a piece taylored to his needs and stunningly performed by Tomom Keller at St.Martins in London. Pre-premiered at Loh-Orchester Sondershausen, where Ehrenfellner and Keller both held recidencies, this short Hommage on Viennese sujets immediately captures the audience with charm and virtuosity. Evidently the local heroes Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert and Fritz Kreisler are patrons of this piece, and their spirit comes through every bar. The playing of Tomo Keller is as virtuos as humorous, fitting the capricious moments just as much as the velvet-sound passages. A real treat!
Tomo Keller & Christoph Ehrenfellner
The two artists share a long friendship from student days in Vienna, both in the violin-class of Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartet). Alternatively they would both lead a combo playing Mozart&Strauss shows for the tourists every night…to earn their coins for paying their rent. Probably the musical misery braught them closer just as much as the glorios times with Gerhard Schulz. The Joint Commission of the Academy St.Martin and the Loh Orchestra Sondershausen for a new piece written by Ehrenfellner for Tomo Keller was only natural. Tomo’s role at the Academy is to lead from the violin, and the Wiener Gschichten is set to be done that way, although there are challenging sections for this combination of ‚free-ride‘. Tomo Keller did it anyway and succeeded greatly.
Chamber Orchestra & violin…
Wiener Gschichten op.52 uses the cast of a ‚Mozart-Violin-concerto‘, strings+ 2 Oboes+2 Horns, and a splendid solo-violin. It’s ca. 12min long and narrates with fantsaque introduction, capricious Polonaise and real final stretta with elaboured Coda all the Viennese violin-tricks of charming and stunning an audience. The Chamber Orchestra is a great partner for this individual story, as it is both flexible and powerful by it’s nature. Christoph Ehrenfellner has enlarged his experience in that field quite a bit, with Arrangements of Schubert Fantasy C, b-minor Rondo, Erlkönig, 3 Schubert Lieder, Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata, all for solo-violin+ChamberOrch. Plus original compositions like his 2nd quartet ‚La Ballade‘ or ChamberSymphony No.1…
