Augustin Hadelich, renowned as one of the foremost violinists of his generation, takes the stage of the Salzburg Festival with conductor Christian Thielemann, as part of the Wiener Philharmoniker’s Brahms Cycle. The concert begins with Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, a masterpiece that combines lyrical warmth with a symphonic scale, requiring a delicate balance of poetic intimacy and heroic command. These are qualities that Hadelich possesses in rare abundance, allowing him to interpret the piece with exceptional depth and sensitivity. Brahms’s monumental First Symphony in C minor represents Brahms’s hard-won triumph over the daunting legacy of Beethoven, skillfully transitioning from a mood of brooding darkness to a radiant, hymn-like finale that is celebrated for its unforgettable expressive depth and emotional resonance. PROGRAM: Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major; Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Brahms, Symphony No.3 in F major, op.90
Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers. The Symphony No. 3 was recorded live at the Berlin Philharmonie in 1973.
Brahms, Symphony No.1 in C minor, op.68
Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers. The Symphony No. 1 was recorded live at the Berlin Philharmonie in 1973.
Ein deutsches Requiem
Ein deutsches Requiem, Brahm´s majestic masterpiece, in a definite performance: Christian Thielemann and the Münchner Philharmoniker are a synonym for excellence in German late-Romantic repertoire. Soloists Christine Schäfer and Christian Gerhaher also rank among the best in their voice ranges. Through his almost surreal affinity to Brahm´s music, Thielemann has crafted a perfromance that places him among the best interpreters of this work, such as Furtwängler, Karajan or Guilini. “In Thielemann´s hands, this dying fall became the Requiem´s gently expressive high point.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Hélène Grimaud & Konstantin Krimmel
Klavier-Festival Ruhr presents Hélène Grimaud and Konstantin Krimmel. The young baritone, a member of the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera, is pursuing a stellar career and developing into one of the most important Lied singers of our time. Hélène Grimaud has been performing the music of the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov for many years, and the audience of the Ruhr Piano Festival is also familiar with his music. His Silent Songs are music that he composed to poems with powerful images. Grimaud and Krimmel’s interpretation from Konzerthaus Dortmund gets under your skin, especially when paired with the Songs op. 32 by Johannes Brahms. PROGRAM Brahms: 9 Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 32; Silvestrov: Selection from Silent Songs
Ein deutsches Requiem
The “German Requiem” made Johannes Brahms one of the most famous composers of his time. He himself later said of his work, “I have now found consolation.” Under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda, who presented himself with this extraordinary concert as the new General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House, the choir and orchestra performed in an empty hall – the orchestra on the stage, the choir facing it in the parquet and the tiers of the auditorium. Distanced, yet united in consolation. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Ein Deutsches Requiem
150 days later to the day, Johannes Brahms’s “Ein Deutsches Requiem” returns to the place of its triumphal premiere on 10th April 1868, the stunning Bremen Cathedral, thanks to Grammy Award winner Paavo Järvi. He conducts the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen & State Choir Latvija as well as acclaimed soloists Matthias Goerne and Valentina Farcas – “rarely you hear such an insightful performance!” (FAZ) Järvi shows the masterpiece in Brahms’s final version with all seven movements, using the same number of musicians as the composer himself, which is less than what is common practice today.
Brahms, Symphony No.1 in C minor, op.68
The opening of Copenhagen’s new concert hall, the spectacular Koncerthuset, was celebrated with a very special project: to present their new home to a broad public the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Thomas Dausgaard performed four popular works within the classical symphonic tradition, Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 (Length: 39’), Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 (Length: 45’), Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 (Length: 49’) and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 (Length: 35’). Additionally, the performances were filmed on highest standards and with an extensive setup of cameras.
Brahms, Symphony No.2 in D major, op.73
Thanks to Kleiber’s legendary reluctance to produce recordings, each recording is an event, a classic. He could allow himself the luxury of choosing his own repertoire and performers, and of working at a pace that ensured peerless music-making. The results can perhaps be best illustrated with the image of ‘an expert art restorer who clears away centuries of grime to reveal a painting in its pristine glory. Kleiber… strips away the varnish from some of music’s most tradition-encrusted masterworks to expose the vital creation lurking beneath.’ (TIME)
Brahms, Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15
Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. For Bernstein, Brahms was “a true Romantic, containing his passions in classical garb”, but also a “North-German classicist swept away to Vienna, and fired by Danubian, Carpathian and gypsy passions”. Bearing this dualism in mind, Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. The soloist in Brahms’s concerto is the Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, who launched his meteoric career when he won the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1975. An important influence in his youth was his friendship with Arthur Rubinstein, and other landmarks in his career arose through his work with conductors such as Bernstein, Giulini and Karajan.