This fall, Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra embark on a European tour, treating audiences in Leipzig and beyond to the music of Brahms, Mendelssohn, and more. 

On October 30 and 31, Nelsons and the orchestra are joined in Leipzig by violinist Augustin Hadelich for Brahms’s sweeping, virtuosic masterpiece, his Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77. The piece is paired with Dora Pejačević’s Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 41 (1916-1917, rev. 1920), a sadly underperformed work that has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. The program will be repeated on November 11 at the Vienna Music Society.

Virtuosic pianist Seong-Jin Cho joins Nelsons and the orchestra on tour for performances of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25. Cho and Andris Nelsons have collaborated on multiple occasions, most recently for a recording and performances of Maurice Ravel’s complete piano works and concertos with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This collaboration was part of the 2025 Ravel anniversary and has been highly praised, including a specific recording of Ravel’s two piano concertos under Nelsons’ baton.

The program will also include Haydn’s Symphony No. 22 in E-flat major, The Philosopher, a charming early symphony that showcases Haydn’s witty and inventive orchestral imagination. The orchestra will also play Brahms’ emotionally conflicted Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90. Its famous motto, “Frei aber froh” (“Free but happy”), threads through the symphony’s shifting moods, culminating in an understated finale that fades into quiet. 

This program can be seen on November 6 and 7 in Leipzig, with performances in Vienna on November 10, the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Eindhoven in the Netherlands on November 13, Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp on November 14, Philharmonie Luxembourg on November 15, Dortmund Concert Hall on November 16, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on November 17.