Ein Heldenleben

Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) is one of the most majestic works of the Late Romantic period, written for a massive orchestra of about a hundred members. In a sense, the piece is a description of the life of the composer himself, who was certainly not lacking in self-confidence. “I do not see why I should not compose a symphony about myself; I find myself quite as interesting as Napoleon or Alexander,” he is quoted as saying to French writer Romain Rolland. In Ein Heldenleben, Strauss battles his enemies but triumphs in the end, stands up as the victor, and retires from the hurly-burly of the world.

Stefan Dohr, who won the principal horn position in the Berlin Philarmonic at age 25, has been called the “king of the horn.” He has been with the Berlin Philharmonic since 1993 and is a genuine legend among brass players. In addition to his work with one of the best orchestras in the world, Dohr is also in demand as a soloist. While in Iceland he performs Strauss' majestic Horn Concerto no. 2, written in Vienna in 1942 as a sort of adieu to the golden age then ending. 

The concert opens with a work by George Walker, the first black composer to win the coveted Pulitzer Price for music. Walker's best-known piece is Lyric for Strings, a heartfelt, passionate meditation written in 1946 and dedicated to his grandmother, who had been enslaved as a child.