“Virtuosic sparks” (klassik.com) As Artistic Partner of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, piano virtuoso Yuja Wang not only dazzles at the grand piano, but also gives her conducting debut. After an amuse-bouche of Mozart’s “precisely articulated and dynamically shaded” Serenade in E flat major, Wang takes the stage with Stravinsky’s Concerto for piano and wind orchestra and concludes the concert with a striking rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue: “With dreamlike chord accuracy and flawlessly rapid repetitions, she presents the rhythmic finesse of Gershwin’s music and demonstrates an unerring sense of jazzy impetus” (klassik.com). Mozart: Serenade for wind instruments, K. 375; Stravinsky: Concerto for piano and wind instruments; Dvorak: Serenade for wind instruments, cello and double bass in D minor, Op. 44; Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (arr. Ferde Grofé); Marquez: Danzón No. 2 (arr. Gómez-Tagle)
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2023
For a decade and a half, the Midsummer Night’s Gala has ushered-in the summer season at the Wolkenturm. It is also Grafenegg’s flagship media event, televised around the world. The best artists take centre stage, casting their spell over the audience amidst the idyllic scenery of the Castle grounds. For the cast of this edition – Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, American tenor Eric Cutler and French cellist Gautier Capuçon – Yutaka Sado, principal conductor of the Tonkünstler-Orchester, has put together a dramatic gala programme, with works by Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Prokofiev, Leoncavallo and Dvorák. “Eric Cutler’s tenor was soaring, Gautier Capuçon’s cello melting, the Tonkünstler Orchestra sovereign. And simply stunning the soprano of Lithuania’s opera superstar Asmik Grigorian” (Niederösterreichische Nachrichten)
Springtime in Vienna 2023
For more than 40 years, “Springtime in Vienna”, the TV Easter Concert of the Wiener Symphoniker, has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar. Featuring the world’s most in demand soloists, the Wiener Symphoniker celebrate the upcoming spring with a colorful bouquet of lively melodies. This edition features Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann. Within just a few years, she has established herself as one of the leading sopranos of her generation being acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for her exceptionally beautiful timbre and sensitive performances, most recently “outstanding as a radiant Pamina” (The Telegraph) at the Salzburg Festival. She has received numerous awards and prizes and in 2015, she was finalist of the “Cardiff Singer of the World” Competition.
150th Anniversary Wiener Staatsoper – Open Air Gala
The Vienna State Opera celebrates its 150th birthday with a glamorous open-air gala, gathering an extraordinary summit of operatic superstars like Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, Swedish soprano Nina Stemme, French tenor Roberto Alagna, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott or Italian bass Feruccio Furlanetto to name only a few. Together with soloists of the new generation of the house like sopranos Valentina Nafornita or Olga Bezsmertna – “a triumph for the ensemble” (Die Presse) – they present a firework of famous opera arias, accompanied by the Orchestra and Choir of the Wiener Staatsoper under the rousing baton of Maestro Marco Armiliato, a regular and appreciated guest at the Vienna State Opera. Nestled in the beautiful city centre, the State Opera is one of the most prestigous opera houses in the world with a long and significant history, a Mecca for international opera fans. Praised by critics as “mega event”, about 10,000 spectators came to witness this jubilee concert and celebrate musical passion in a fantastic atmosphere,
a feast for the ears and for the eyes.
Red Ribbon Celebration Concert
Red Ribbon Gala Concert from the stunning Burgtheater Vienna presented by a unique cast of world-famous singers. —– PROGRAM: Johann Strauss: Intermezzo from Tausend und eine Nacht / Arrigo Boito: “Ave Signor” from Mefistofele / Camille Saint-Saëns: “Mon coeur s´ouvre à ta voix” from Samson et Dalila / Antonín Dvorák: “Beda, Beda!” from Rusalka / Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski: Arabischer Tanz aus: Nussknacker-Suite op. 71a / Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakow: Song of the Indian Merchant from Sadko; “Plenivšis’ rozoy, solovey” (The Nightingale and the Rose); Romanze op.2/2 / Georges Bizet: Intermezzo from Carmen Suite No. 1 / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni; “Deh, vieni alla finestra” from Don Giovanni / Georges Bizet: “Seguidilla” from Carmen / Charles Gounod: “Le veau d´or” from Faust / Astor Piazzolla (arr. Pablo Ziegler): Oblivion (Rojotango) / Franz Lehár “Lippen schweigen” from Die lustige Witwe / Aram Khachaturian: Dance of the Young Kurds from Gayane // Pablo Ziegler: Rojotango
BBC Proms 2022: Marin Alsop conducts RSO Vienna
Marin Alsop and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra are joined by Proms regular and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Benjamin Grosvenor for Prokofiev’s ferociously demanding Piano Concerto No. 3. ‘My new symphony,’ wrote Dvorák of his Seventh, ‘must … make a stir in the world.’ The result does just that, emerging from a brooding opening into rhapsodic warmth, animated by folk dances and a seemingly endless stream of melodies. This contrasts with the deliciously grotesque episodes of Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin suite; and the orchestra and conductor also bring a new work by Viennese composer Hannah Eisendle, having given its world premiere in March 2022. PROGRAM: Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin – suite 19’; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major; Hannah Eisendle: Heliosis 8’; Dvorák: Symphony No. 7 in D minor
Paavo Järvi and Rudolf Buchbinder: Dvorák, Beethoven
Before the New World Symphony and the Requiem there were the Symphonic Variations and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8. The Symphonic Variations are as original as they are rarely performed, and blend seamlessly into this symphony. Composed a full decade before the symphony, Dvorák’s variations last no more than two minutes each. The symphony itself is full of surprises and gives a rarely seen glimpse into the mind and work of this agile and energetic composer. Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 rounds out the evening at the Orchestre de Paris with a performance by Rudolf Buchbinder, one of Paavo Järvi’s close collaborators and one of piano’s rare talents. —– Program: Antonín DVORÁK, Symphonic Variations, Op. 78; Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Piano Concerto No. 3, in C minor, Op. 37; Antonín DVORÁK, Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
Le Concert de Paris 2019
«Le Concert de Paris» is an exceptional event held each year on Bastille Day at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, as a prelude to the traditional July 14th fireworks display. Two of Radio France’s most prestigious musical institutions, the Orchestre National de France and the Radio France Chorus, under the baton of maestro Alain Altinoglu, propose a top-quality programme, giving pride of place to the voice and brings together some of the world’s greatest soloists, including Khatia Buniatishvili, Roberto Alagna, René Pape, Gautier Capuçon, Gaëlle Arquez, Jakub Orlinski and many more!
Lucerne Festival 2016: Rattle conducts Berliner Philharmoniker
Even if the music world is often dominated by rivalry, examples of genuine friendships can certainly be found. Take Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvorák: a pair whose friendship was free of self-interest. And sure enough, his first publication, the spirited Slavonic Dances, enjoyed a sensational success. The Berlin Philharmonic paid homage to this musical friendship by pairing Dvorák’s bravura Slavonic Dances with the Second Symphony of Brahms, also composed in 1877. And as an “appetizer” Sir Simon Rattle has commissioned a new work from his compatriot Julian Anderson. PROGRAM: Julian Anderson: Incantesimi for Orchestra; Dvorák: Slavonic Dances, Op. 46; Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Khatia Buniatishvili – Mind in the Wilderness
Khatia Buniatishvili’s playing has been described as having ‘an aura of elegant solitude and even melancholy. It’s a perfect characterization of the pianist with such a wide palette of expression. Khatia Buniatishvili commands a natural musicality. ‘Force of nature’, ‘Spiritedness’, or ‘Infinite freedom’ are frequently mentioned attributes on her interpretation. Buniatishvili’s artistic approach to making music is undoubtedly associated with the Romantic tradition, always maintaining a fine balance between unhinged wildness and lyrical introspection. The repertoire comprises cheerful moments, melancholic passages and nocturne-like episodes: virtuously brought to life throughout a concert experience with a great quality of intimacy and generous ardour. —- Works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Kancheli, Brahms, Ravel, Grieg, Händel, Liszt, Dvorák, Buniatishvili, Pärt, Ligeti.