Alan Gilbert, chief conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, presents three 20th-century works which creatively confront the music of the past. Boris Blacher takes one of the most famous themes from the violin literature as the point of departure for his jazzy, virtuosic Paganini Variations. Samuel Barber, on the other hand, revitalizes the late Romantic violin concerto with unmistakable American tones. Joshua Bell returns to the Berliner Philharmoniker as soloist after a 15-year absence. Henri Dutilleux’s Second Symphony concludes the programme: a Baroque concerto grosso in the musical guise of Modernism.