Süddeutsches Sinfonieorchester: Zeitenbruch!

J.S. Bach - Piano Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
A. Schönberg - Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (version for string orchestra)
R. Strauss - Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings

Piano: Lisi Namchevadze
Conductor: Patrick Giesel
South German Symphony Orchestra

With its second symphony concert, “Zeitenbruch,” the South German Symphony Orchestra continues its concert series under the theme “Becoming Human.” The works by Bach, Schoenberg, and Strauss reflect a world in upheaval—marked by profound upheavals, war, loss, and the collapse of old certainties. At the same time, they speak to the human capacity to seek hope and renewal even in times of the greatest catastrophes. The South German Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2025 and brings together top young musicians with members of renowned professional orchestras. In numerous concerts at the Liederhalle, the Forum am Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg, and in Baden-Baden, this young ensemble has already captivated audiences of all kinds with its high quality and energy.
The program opens with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Piano Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, one of the most impressive works in the Baroque concerto repertoire. With its dramatic energy, virtuosic brilliance, and at the same time heartfelt cantabile quality, it combines strict form with immediate expressiveness. The solo part will once again be performed by pianist Lisi Namchevadze, Artist in Residence of the South German Symphony Orchestra. The multi-award-winning Stuttgart-based pianist is in high demand internationally as a “Young Steinway Artist” and captivates her audiences with her technical mastery, emotional power, and musical depth.
Arnold Schoenberg’s *Verklärte Nacht* is a key work of modernist music. Inspired by Richard Dehmel’s poem of the same name, Schoenberg depicts a nocturnal encounter between two lovers, whose confession, forgiveness, and inner reconciliation unfold in a highly emotional musical language. While still fully committed to the late Romantic musical language, the work simultaneously offers a glimpse into a new musical world.
The program concludes with Richard Strauss’s *Metamorphosen* for 23 solo strings—one of the composer’s most moving late works. Composed during the final months of World War II, the work is marked by a deep sorrow over the loss of cultural and human values. In an uninterrupted musical flow, Strauss unfolds a profound reflection on transience, memory, and renewal. Metamorphosis is presented not as a sudden change, but as a slow inner process.
Once again, Patrick Giesel, music director of the Süddeutsches Sinfonieorchester, will be conducting. A native of Stuttgart, he studied under, among others, the legendary Finnish conducting teacher Jorma Panula, whose school has produced many of the most important conductors of our time, including Klaus Mäkelä and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He also drew artistic inspiration from Dan Ettinger, Daniel Barenboim, and Jörg Widmann. He conducted his first professional concert at the age of 19. Since then, he has collaborated with orchestras in several European countries, winning over audiences and critics alike with his musical energy and expressiveness.
A concert evening about transformation and transfiguration, about loss and hope—and about music’s ability to make inner worlds audible.