In the organizer's words:

Anna Clyne This Midnight Hour
Robert Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor op. 54
Peter Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor op. 64

The much-vaunted inner turmoil of the Romantic artist - where could it find a more genuine expression in music than in the works of Robert Schumann and Peter Tchaikovsky? Both were kindred spirits: If Tchaikovsky found in Schumann's music the "echo of mysterious processes of our soul life", he was also describing a trait of his own creative work.

Melancholy and inner doubt, but also euphoria and confidence, find equal expression in Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. Nowhere else did he succeed in shaping the topos of the symphonic development leading "through night to light" as convincingly as in this work. A whole world unfolds in this melodically unusually inspired symphony, in which deeply personal feelings have their place just as much as the social life of a glittering ball scene.

Robert Schumann's piano concerto also reveals an emotional world. The composer's love for his wife Clara has left deep traces in this concerto, from its creation as a piece for the famous pianist that she was, to the mysterious play with tone letters that stand for "Clara". To this day, this concerto is not only one of Schumann's most popular works, but is also regarded as the incarnation of the Romantic piano concerto par excellence.

3rd Philharmonic Concert: Theater Dortmund