West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Salzburg – One day with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – Concert 2

The idea of uniting young musicians from Israel, Palestine and various Arab countries into a musical ensemble still seems incredible today. Yet such an orchestra has been flourishing since 1999, when Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The project, says Barenboim, brings together these young people “not so that they forget or hide their differences, but so that they can understand them.” He adds that “making music together gives us the best opportunity to learn to live with one another.” The concerts presented here were recorded at the 2007 Salzburg Festival, during the orchestras residency. The ensemble “proved its status as a first-class orchestra that has no need to shy from comparisons with the philharmonic ‘top dogs’ from Vienna or Berlin” (Munich’s Abendzeitung). Among the highlights of the concerts are Mozart’s “Sinfonia concertante” K. 297b, which gives four young soloists a chance to dazzle, and Igor Stravinsky’s “L’histoire du soldat,” an airy piece with a demanding percussion part. Songs and chamber music, including Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, showcase the individual talents of the young players. The major orchestral concert comprises a Beethoven overture, an intricate and multi-layered piece by Schoenberg, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, the “Pathétique,” in which Barenboim pulls out all the stops and coaxes rarely heard instrumental lines and accents from the depth of his ensemble. On three afternoons, Daniel Barenboim led a musical workshop called “The School of Listening.” In the first part, Barenboim explores the phenomenon of sound and the importance of the human ear. The second part features the fiery 24-year-old conductor Robin Ticciati in a rehearsal of Beethoven’s third Leonore Overture punctuated by the Maestro’s insightful comments and heated discussions with the young conductor. In the third part the great composer and conductor Pierre Boulez rehearses Béla Bartók’s rarely played “Four Orchestral Pieces,” answering questions from the audience and the musicians. Throughout, Barenboim’s enthusiasm, humor and directness make this three-part series an exceptionally informative and entertaining event. The orchestra’s residency at the 2007 Salzburg Festival will be rounded off with the documentary “Music Is Never The Same,” available in May 2008.

Salzburg Festival 2013: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare / Mendelssohn)

The new production of Shakespeares’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the incidental music by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Salzburg Festival 2013 is performed in a new translation and edition by Austrian director Henry Mason. Ivor Bolton, chief conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, leads the open-air perfomance at Salzburg’s stunning Courtyard of the Residenz Palace.

The Vatican Concert 2005 – In Honor of Pope Benedikt XVI

Recorded live in the presence of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City, this profoundly moving and inspiring concert is a true musical landmark. While the music ranges from the grand to the sublime, the atmosphere retains the warmth and intimacy of a “family reunion”: both the Munich Philharmonic and the boys’ chorus “Regensburger Domspatzen” are world-renowned institutions from the Pope’s native Germany and from cities closely connected with the former Cardinal Ratzinger. Among the works performed is a Sanctus from a mass written by Georg Ratzinger, the Pope’s brother and one-time director of the “Regensburger Domspatzen”. Under the direction of its distinguished young principal conductor Christian Thielemann, the Munich Philharmonic is joined by the boys’ chorus (which also sings a cappella works led by Georg Büchner) in music by Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Palestrina, Pfitzner, Verdi, Wagner and Georg Ratzinger. The musical event is rounded off with an address to the listeners and performers by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Andris Nelsons’ Inaugural Concert – Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

A new era in Leipzig has just begun: Andris Nelsons started his tenure as the 21st Gewandhaus conductor. The inaugural concert combined the world premiere of Relief, a new piece by composer Steffen Schleiermacher, with one of the most important premieres in the history of the orchestra. In March 1842, the Gewandhausorchester performed the famous Scottish Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy under the direction of the composer himself for the first time. In choosing this repertoire, Andris Nelsons pays tribute to the grand history of the city of Leipzig and its Gewandhausorchester. Alban Berg’s violin concerto, performed by Latvian Baiba Skride, works as a link between the decades. After Andris Nelsons’ first concert as the 21st Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, the Financial Times states: “the new partnership brims with artistic promise.” PROGRAM Schleiermacher: Relief for Orchestra; Berg: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Symphony No.3

Christmas with Benjamin Appl

The acclaimed baritone Benjamin Appl is constantly on the move, primarily in Europe, Japan, and South America. Now he returns to his hometown of Regensburg and joins forces with the Regensburger Domspatzen and soprano Elsa Dreisig to give a Christmas concert featuring carols from around the world. Melodies by John Rutter, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Cécile Chaminade, Michael Praetorius, as well as Traditionals from France, Sweden and Austria resound in the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady to the Ancient Chapel in Regensburg. The international Christmas programme musically draws on the traditions of multiple cultures and regions, hence appealing to a wide audience.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – A Ballet by John Neumeier

Choreographer John Neumeier created his version of Sommernachtstraum in 1977 and the piece has been a steady part of the Hamburg Ballet’s repertory. Proof lies in its unique and thoughtful, virtuosic approach to developing drama. After all, the complex mixture of musical layers would be worth a separate panel discussion. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s atmospheric musical score for Sommernachtstraum reflects the world of the mortals, while Györgi Ligeti’s siren-esque organ pieces bring to mind the fairy kingdom depicted in Shakespeare’s play. The craftsmen’s dance is underlined by dominant opera paraphrases for the barrel organ which satirize even the noblest melodies. As with the musical layers, together with his stage- and costume designer Jürgen Rose, Neumeier mixes the historical settings cleverly. What would be more suited to the sounds of Mendelsohn’s score than a sweet Biedermeier set? An olive tree is a perfect symbol of the antique, mythology and fairy tales in one. John Neumeier’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream always has been a wonderful representation of an full-length classical ballet made in the ladder half of the 20th century, the 1970s in Germany.

LSO: Kevin John Edusei conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann

German conductor Kevin John Edusei is regularly praised for the drama and tension that he brings to his music-making, and for his clear sense of architecture and attention to detail. In October 2020 he made his London Symphony Orchestra debut and leads the orchestra in a beautiful performance of the suite from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Boulanger’s “D’un matin de printemps” and Schumann’s ‘Spring’ Symphony.