For York Höller, who learned his craft from legendary Cologne composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, the exploration of “sound forms” (Klanggestalten) is an essential part of the process of composition. He decided to use the concept of “sound forms” to determine the structure of his works when he heard Gregorian chant at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. For the husband-and-wife-team consisting of cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and pianist Martin Helmchen, he has now written a double concerto for cello, piano, and orchestra, a work commissioned by the 2022 Ruhr Piano Festival, marking the duo’s sixth performance here.

This orchestral evening is introduced by the overture to La Clemenza di Tito, an opera originally written for the coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia – a splendid work from Mozart’s late period. In the second part of the evening, Haydn’s 90th Symphony in C Major is every bit as festive. Commissioned by the Parisian “Concert de la Loge Olympique” in the wake of the resounding success of Haydn’s so-called “Paris Symphonies,” the 90th Symphony displays masterful structure with loving attention to detail.