Sibelius' Violin Concerto

At just 18 years old, Christian Li has already released three albums on Decca Classics - a label that has never before signed such a young artist. BBC Music Magazine praised his debut for "dazzling virtuosity and countless tonal colours", and tonight he tackles Sibelius' demanding violin concerto.

After the interval, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang takes the stage - a work originally written for Leipzig's 400th anniversary, blending the forms of symphony and oratorio in a closing tribute to life and faith.

On the podium stands Christian Blex, who won the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award at the Salzburg Festival in 2025. He has previously conducted the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

The soloists are Christian Li (violin), Liv Redpath (soprano), Marie-Luise Dreßen (mezzo-soprano) and Lucas van Lierop (tenor). Musikvereinigung Nordschleswig and Filharmonisk Kor perform as the choir.