Andris Nelsons: From the new World

“Andris Nelsons and the BR-Symphonieorchester are a sensation”, raved the press. It isn’t often that a young conductor excites audiences and stirs up critics to the extent that Andris Nelsons does. As can be seen in this concert “From the New World”, he communicates his passion with a vocabulary of gestures that sweep the audience off their feet. The concert with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks is devoted to the “New World”. The main work of the evening is Antonín Dvorák’s Ninth Symphony, “From the New World”. The first half features compositions of the 20th and 21st-century by American composers Charles Ives and John Adams, along with a work by Igor Stravinsky, who spent several decades in the U.S.

Stravinsky, The Firebird (Suite)

The Philadelphia Orchestra was founded in 1900. Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985) stood at its head as principal conductor from 1936 to 1980. Continuing the work of his predecessor Leopold Stokowski, he turned the orchestra into one of the leading ensembles not only of the United States, but of the world. Under his direction, the orchestra became renowned in particular for its performances of late romantic and early 20th-century music.

Pulcinella

Following the success of Massine’s choreography in “Les femmes de bonne humeur”, Diaghilev wanted to present a work based on the music of Pergolesi. He collected the composer’s unfinished manuscripts and was able to persuade Igor Stravinsky to compose the music for a new ballet. Picasso was engaged to design the sets and the costumes, while Massine was responsible for the choreography. The effort was worthwhile. “Pulcinella” is one of those rare ballets in which the individual elements – plot, music, choreography, set design and costumes – form a harmonious and homogeneous whole. Heinz Spoerli presents his Pulcinella using the language of modern ballet. One of the most important choreographers of our time, Spoerli was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1941 and became director of the Basler Ballet in 1973. Under his direction, the Basler Ballet has become a highly esteemed international ensemble.

Salzburg Festival 2012: Opening Concert

The Opening Concert of Salzburg Festival 2012 builds a bridge to the Ouverture spirituelle: Valery Gergiev conducts STRAVINSKY’s Symphony of Psalms, a work that is as unusual as it is haunting, setting three psalms from the Old Testament to music. Modest MUSORGSKY’s Songs and Dances of Death are performed in a version for high voice, with the Russian tenor Sergei Semishkur. The programme closes with Sergey PROKIFIEV’s Symphony No. 5.

Salzburg Festival: Opening Concert 2008

Put one of the world’s greatest orchestras in the hands of one of the foremost specialists of 20th century music, add a soloist who is one of today’s leading pianists and conductors, and you are assured of a concert of superlatives that pays glowing tribute to three major works of the past century. The official Salzburg Festival opening concert of the Wiener Philharmoniker is conducted by Pierre Boulez, once the ‘enfant terrible’ of the musical world, now a sensitive, analytical conductor of works from the 19th and 20th centuries. Combining Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 1 – Daniel Barenboim is the soloist – with Maurice Ravel’s ‘Valses nobles et sentimentales’ and Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’ ballet in its full-length version of 1910, Boulez weaves a compelling musical texture that uncovers the links among the three works and the three composers.

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Salzburg – One Day with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – Concert 1

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.

Young People’s Concerts: Happy Birthday: Igor Stravinsky

Awarded four Emmys and hailed by Variety as “a rare moment in the symbiosis of the arts and broadcasting,” Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts left their mark on television history. Aired on CBS from 1958 to 1972, these 53 one-hour programs were written and hosted by Leonard Bernstein. With the New York Philharmonic and guest artists providing the live music, these programs brought musical concepts and music history to life for generations of viewers. “Lectures accompanying music might not sound like the formula of a hit kids’ TV program, but Bernstein was the secret ingredient who made it work” (Variety). Balancing scholarship and showmanship, Maestro Bernstein brings the full range of his magnetic personality to play in these programs. And he succeeds in infecting viewers young and old, connoisseurs and the uninitiated, with his overwhelming love of music. Bernstein sketches a brief history of Stravinsky’s musical career, noting changes of style and shifts of directions. The whole of “Petrouchka” is played and each scene is analyzed.

LA Phil 100 – The Centennial Birthday Gala

A century to the day after the orchestra’s first concert on 24th October 1919, the centennial season culminate in a baton-waving conductor’s summit at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with Dudamel, Mehta and Salonen sharing the podium. The repertoire is a true reflection of the DNA that makes the LA Phil the LA Phil. If you’re wondering why the New York Times recently called the LA Phil “America’s most important orchestra. Period.”, look no further than this concert’s program: Ravel’s La Valse conducted by Zubin Mehta; Lutoslawski’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; Strawinsky’s Firebird Suite conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and the World Premiere of Daníel Bjarnason’s

New Work for Three Conductors!