In a 2012 interview, the violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann discussed how repertoire can become stale if overplayed, ‘which is very dangerous’. However, he made an exception for the concerto by Beethoven, which he played in this NDR Sinfonieorchester concert with one of his most frequent conducting partners over the years, Christoph von Dohnányi. ‘I’ve played the Beethoven at least 200 times and have changed my interpretation over time. Any other piece – even the Brahms – after 10 performances, it’s like eating too much cake. But with the Beethoven, I never have the feeling I could overplay it.’