This audio Wednesday we will be listening to the gala opening of the Belgrade Philharmonic’s 2017-2018 Season, which was also the inaugural concert of Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz. The program includes Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss.

When taking over as chief conductor of an orchestra, Feltz has a “lucky program” that he traditionally performs on those occasions. After the Altenburg-Gera Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, and the Dortmund Philharmonic, where he is still chief conductor, Maestro Feltz marked the beginning of his term with the Belgrade Philharmonic in the same way, with these two masterpieces by Beethoven and Strauss.

“We are performing my favorite program. I am particularly attached to the Alpine Symphony, which was why I became a conductor. At the opening of the season, we will listen to two masters of music art who worship nature. Do we still not need the same kind of commitment to our environment today?” This was one of the questions that Feltz and the Belgrade Philharmonic have devoted their entire season to with their series of concerts entitled The Five Elements.