Karina Canellakis and the Staatskapelle Dresden whisk the audience away to the land of opportunity with melodies from Broadway to Hollywood. With energetic fervor, the conductor starts the evening with the overture to Bernstein’s Candide and the concert suite No. 1 from West Side Story. Soprano Fatma Said (“beautifully lyrical” – Der Merker) and tenor Jonah Hopkins sung Tony and Maria “with great feeling and intimacy” (Der Merker). Pianist Kirill Gerstein interprets Gershwin’s piano concerto in F major with great feeling for “rhythmic and jazzy peculiarities” (Der Merker). Arriving firmly on Hollywood turf with works by Steiner and Korngold, the concert ends with one last excursion to the musical stage with Cole Porter’s “Wunderbar” from Kiss Me, Kate.
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert 2025
The Wiener Symphoniker once again welcomed the summer with their yearly open-air concert in the heart of Vienna. For the fourth time, the Kaiserwiese – set against the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel – becomes the backdrop of a shared musical experience connecting generations, styles and stories. With a cross-genre programme combining operetta, musical, jazz and pop, the orchestra traces a lively Viennese tradition that has been bringing people together since the 19th century. Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff brought Frank Sinatra’s repertoire to life with his unmistakable voice, joined by soprano Alina Wunderlin, who moved effortlessly between classical music, operetta and jazz. Double bassist and composer Georg Breinschmid and his trio offered a jazz-inflected tribute to Johann Strauss, while singer-songwriter Lemo added a contemporary touch.
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert
With their Prater Picnic, the Wiener Symphoniker offer a very special open-air concert to their audience: visitors are invited to pack their picnic basket and enjoy a colourful concert on the Kaiserwiese in the Vienna Prater in front of the spectacular backdrop of the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel. This year, under the musical direction of Dirk Kaftan, the Wiener Symphoniker, together with soprano Vera-Lotte Boecker and baritone Rafael Fingerlos, embark on a musical journey around the world to mark the 150th anniversary of the Vienna World’s Fair of 1873 – with works by composers of this era from Robert Stolz and George Enescu to George Gershwin, Cole Porter and John Lennon.
Grafenegg: MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S GALA 2015
“Aural pleasure at the Wolkenturm” is how the Kurier newspaper described it, referring to the “top-flight summer night’s gala from Grafenegg”, taking place in the picturesque open air ambience of Grafenegg, Lower Austria. Under the artistic overall direction of pianist Rudolf Buchbinder the Grafenegg Festival has blossomed into a benchmark event for all the top stars on the classical music scene. A potpourri of lovely melodies from the world of opera, operetta and the concert hall, which brought praise from the audience and from the Wiener Zeitung: “Piotr Beczala’s wonderful operetta top notes, Elisabeth Kulman’s rich mezzo and Julia Fischer’s graceful violin playing with her refined reading of catchy Spanish tunes” are the ingredients for an unmatched evening recital in Grafenegg.