In the second half of his long and extraordinary career Pierre Boulez emerged as one of the most compelling exponents of 20th-century music – never more penetrating than when directing the virtuoso players of his own Ensemble Intercontemporain. In this inspired triple-bill from the Theater an der Wien, recorded shortly before the master’s 80th birthday, soprano Anja Silja performs a fully-staged version of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire – paired by Boulez with near-contemporary masterworks by Stravinsky and De Falla. Viennese modernism meets the world of the Ballets Russes, in the hands of a conductor who approached all music through the lens of his own dazzling creativity.
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 23
With unparalleled charm and whirlwind exuberance, world-renowned tenor Rolando Villazón hosts a unique television special in which young musical “stars of tomorrow” are introduced to millions of music lovers as soloists in performances with the Junge Sinfonie Berlin under the baton of Giedre Slekyte und Elias Grandy – a highly successful, casual, briskly paced concert series that appeals to young audiences!
Fatma Said – On the Way to Egypt
For the 2022/23 season, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin welcomed Cairo-born Fatma Said, a multi-award-winning soprano of international renown, as Artist in Residence. Said is known for the impressive diversity of her voice and repertoire: whether classical, jazz or traditional music, the young artist is well at home in many worlds. Her role as an intermediary between the musical cultures around the Mediterranean is particularly evident in the concert entitled “On the Way to Egypt”. The multi-faceted program, conducted by Alondra de la Parra, begins by looking from Egypt to the European compositional tradition and then from Western Europe to North Africa and Arabia.
Moment Musical – Avi Avital
As concert halls are silent and theatres dark during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, bringing performers and audiences together demands creative solutions. C Major Entertainment, in collaboration with Arte Concert and DG, is set to launch a series of professional live relays of concerts given by artists at Berlin’s legendary Meistersaal. The programmes focus on solo or duo works. This approach limit the number of artists, technicians and backstage staff involved, in compliance with government regulations, while drawing on the endlessly rich repertoire of chamber pieces past and present. Using remote cameras, members of the audio and video crew are safely dispersed in different rooms. The fourth episode featuring Berlin-based mandolin soloist Avi Avital and pianist Ohad Ben-Ari.