“La passione”: Haydn did not personally give the Symphony in F minor Hob. I:49 its nickname, but it does capture the character of the music. Is the work connected to the sacred sphere, specifically the Passion of Christ? The work's form, which with its slow opening movement resembles a church sonata, would seem to suggest this. On the other hand, does the composition belong to the musical “Sturm und Drang”, in which emotional storms rage with hitherto unimagined strength? Or could it be intended as piece of dramatic incidental music? Whatever the case, passions reign everywhere, and seem to increase even more in Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, a jubilant work full of explosive rhythms, ecstatic melodies, and a full range of dynamics. To this, Julian Rachlin, in the dual role of soloist and conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, adds the great violin concerto by Johannes Brahms: a compositional souvenir from the composer's summer retreat at Wörthersee – but with a few dark clouds hovering in front of the sun - and crowned with a finale that takes a detour to the Hungarian Puszta.