MENDELSSOHN and SCHUMANN were two leading composers of the Romantic period. One year older than SCHUMANN, MENDELSSOHN met him in Leipzig while the former was directing the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. In addition to sharing a close friendship, many of SCHUMANN's compositions were performed under MENDELSSOHN's baton, such as the premiere of his Second Symphony. MENDELSSOHN's sense of visual structure was compelling. Once he stated, "it is in pictures, ruins, and natural surroundings that I find the most music." No work and no surroundings produced as much compositional success as MENDELSSOHN's trip to Scotland and the writing of his Hebrides Overture. The grandeur of the caves, the solitude that comes from being in the middle of nowhere, the swelling of the sea, and the fury of the waves breaking on the cliffs were distinctly portrayed. SCHUMANN's life was marked by alternating periods of depression and exhilaration. By the time he began writing his Second Symphony, he had hit rock bottom. Gradually, he recovered the will to carry on and complete the work and commented that "it reminds me of dark days." The contrasts between radiance and darkness, light and shadow in the music reflects the internal struggles of SCHUMANN, his unrest and frustrations. In this concert the German composer WIDMANN will lead the NSO in performing his Violin Concerto No. 2 which was custom-made for his sister. This intimate communication between composer and dedicatee is a must-hear.