About halfway through our Viennese expreience, Matt and I realized we hadn't yet heard any Beethoven. We were pleasantly surprised to come across an opportunity to hear Rainier Kuchel at the Musik Verein performing Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major.
The most inexpensive tickets one can purchase in the Musik Verein Brahms Saal went for about 5 Euros and had no view of the stage. Most times this was somewhat of a challenge for me, as I typically need some sort of visual stimulus to be totally entertained. Although I couldn't see him, I sat in rapture for the entire concert.
Each new movement was better than the last. Soaring cadenzas, difficult technical passages, nothing was too great a challenge. We felt so lucky to be hearing the concertmaster of the Vienna Phil performing solo. Not only did he play completely from memory, but he played so beautifully that he recieved three encores, which was the first time I had ever seen that happen.
Like all Beethoven, this piece is dramatic, as is it's story. Beethoven had written this piece to showcase the talent of Franz Clement, a violin playing colleague who had given him input for his opera, Fidelio. Beethoven finished the piece so late before the performance that Clement was forced to sight read it on stage, which after having heard the piece, is beyond impressive.
While I'm sure Kuchel wasn't sight reading, his interpretation was nothing less than spectacular. This was easily something everyone present will remember for a lifetime.
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