Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, hailed as “opera hero of the year” (Sächsische Zeitung), and Carolina Ullrich are the stars of this festive Advent concert from the Frauenkirche in Dresden. Conductor Bertrand de Billy heads this particularly lavish program with the Staatskapelle Dresden in the famous Baroque Frauenkirche. Together with the Chor der Sächsischen Staatsoper and the Kammerchor der Frauenkirche, and in a setting of resplendent beauty, they perform inspiring and festive works.
Franck, Symphony in D minor
The great D minor Symphony by César Franck (1822-1890) shared a fate common to many of Franck’s works: it was as highly praised as it was virulently condemned. What particularly seemed to disturb the French audience at the world premiere in 1888 was the vaguely “Germanic” quality of the work, which could not hide its admiration for the Viennese tradition and occasionally even stole covetous glances at Wagner. Leonard Bernstein conducts the Orchestre National de France in a concert recorded live at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on 21 November 1981 featuring French works of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Salzburg Festival 2021: Barenboim & West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Ever since its first performances in 2007, the concerts of Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra have been among the first to be sold out at the Salzburg Festival. In 2021, the orchestra presents a program including works by Beethoven, Brahms and Franck with Michael Barenboim and Kian Soltani, both members of the orchestra, as soloists. PROGRAM: Beethoven: Overture to the ballet “Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus”; Brahms: Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra; Franck: Symphony in D minor
LSO: Nathalie Stutzmann conducts Brahms & Beethoven
Nathalie Stutzmann dives deep into the dark heart of 19th century music, with storm-swept thrillers by Beethoven, Brahms and Franck. The stars shine most brightly when the night is at its darkest. Brahms stares tragedy in the face in his final symphony: music that wrestles beauty and hope from a lifetime of sorrow. Beethoven finds poetry among the shadows, in his moody Third Piano Concerto. And César Franck gallops through the night in a wild, supernatural sonic thriller. We’re going to hell and back – hold on tight! Nathalie Stutzmann’s concerts with the LSO always bring out the drama and emotion of romantic music, repertoire that she lives and breathes. In her own words, to inspire people, “you have to be the incarnation of the music you have in your heart.” PROGRAM Franck: Le chasseur maudit; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3; Brahms: Symphony No. 4