The Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel was born in 1931 and began his international career around the middle of the 20th century. His extensive repertoire comprises works of the classical, romantic and modern eras. Brendel, who has also made a name for himself as a musicologist, author of music books, and poet, is often called a philosopher of music.
Liszt, Années de Pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) Book 1: Switzerland With introductions by Alfred Brendel
The Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel was born in 1931 and began his international career around the middle of the 20th century. His extensive repertoire comprises works of the classical, romantic and modern eras. Brendel, who has also made a name for himself as a musicologist, author of music books, and poet, is often called a philosopher of music.
Liszt, Les Préludes
Liszt, Mephisto-Waltz
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Im Ozean der Sehnsucht (In the Ocean of Longing) – The Life and the Death of King Ludwig II of Bavaria.
Liszt, A Faust Symphony
Liszt had discovered Goethe’s Faust in a French translation just before the premiere of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and it was Berlioz who drew his attention to it. Though he initially contemplated writing an opera on this topic, he ultimately decided on a symphonic work which he called “A Faust Symphony in Three Character Pictures” which evoke Faust, Marguerite and Mephistopheles. His goal was to create psychological portraits that capture the character from within and, through recurring motifs and melodies, show that the three figures are interconnected. The work was premiered in Weimar on 5 September 1857 under the direction of the composer. In this performance, Leonard Bernstein conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra and tenor Kenneth Riegel at Boston’s Symphony Hall.
Mahler, Live
“Mahler, Live” is a dialogue between two outstanding ballets, the world premiere of “4” by Martin Schläpfer and Hans van Manen‘s icon of dance history “Live”. The new director of the Vienna State Ballet Martin Schläpfer not only presents his first own program at the Vienna State Opera with the premiere “Mahler, Live” but also introduce himself as choreographer with his world premiere “4” to Gustav Mahler‘s 4th Symphony. The result is a great ballet for the entire ensemble, which is preceded by an icon of dance history at the opening of the evening, with Hans van Manen‘s “Live”. For Martin Schläpfer music is a central basis of his work. Whether a large symphony or a chamber music miniature – the scores he chooses are usually the starting point for his works, provide the framework with their architectures, supply the energy for his tension-filled movement images. Hans van Manen‘s “Live” is the first video ballet in dance history and a masterful puzzle game with the mechanisms of perception. First performed in Amsterdam in 1979, “Live” has so far been danced exclusively by Het Nationale Ballett. With this new production in Vienna, Hans van Manen entrusts his work to another company for the first time.
Salzburg Festival 2020: Dudamel conducts Liszt & Stravinsky
“Evgeny Kissin is one of the best technicians on the keys” Süddeutsche Zeitung. PROGRAM Liszt: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1; Stravinsky: L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird)
Recital Arcadi Volodos
For the first time in over nine years, Arcadi Volodos has agreed to record an entire concert for TV again. Indeed, his recital at Vienna’s Musikverein, for which he has chosen works by Skryabin, Ravel, Schumann and Liszt, features a line-up of Romantic to early 20th-century heavyweights, which Volodos renders with his inimitable blend of ethereal lightness and forceful vigor. The recital begins with a selection of pieces by Alexander Skryabin, in which Volodos displays his phenomenal technique, culminating in the White Mass. Under Volodos’ hands, Maurice Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales becomes “a kaleidoscope of transparent, gossamer colors” (Die Presse). While Volodos’ account of Schumann’s Waldszenen flashes with startling harmonic echoes of the Ravel piece, his rendition of Liszt’s Après une lecture du Dante from the Années de pèlerinage “radiates modernity” (Der Standard). The keyboard sensation provides a further example of his artistry in his encores, in which he demonstrates his talent for creating his own dazzling piano transcriptions of works by other composers.