ang Lang, one of the most celebrated pianists of our time, joins forces with the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev for an evening of extraordinary orchestral colour and virtuosity. The programme opens with Ravel’s effervescent Piano Concerto in G major — a work whose jazz-inflected brilliance and lyrical slow movement offer the ideal canvas for Lang Lang’s dazzling technique and poetic sensitivity. After the interval, Sokhiev leads the Wiener Philharmoniker through two masterpieces of orchestral imagination: Debussy’s shimmering triptych La Mer, with its luminous evocations of the sea in all its moods, followed by Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet suite — assembled by Sokhiev himself — whose dramatic sweep and heartbreaking tenderness bring Shakespeare’s tragedy vividly to life in sound. PROGRAM: Ravel: Piano Concerto in G majo; Debussy: La Mer; Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet
The John Cranko Stuttgart Ballet Collection
Three legendary performances from the Stuttgart Ballet in the choreography of John Cranko: Onegin, Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew. Including bonus conversations on each ballet and three documentaries on the Stuttgart Ballet and its outstanding dancers Marcia Haydée and Friedemann Vogel: Of Miracles and Superheroes – The Stuttgart Ballet, Marcia Haydée – The Seduction to Dance and Friedemann Vogel – Incarnation of Dance. The 3 documentaries are for the first time available on DVD and Blu-ray!
Sir Georg Solti – Journey of a lifetime
Sir Georg Solti was one of the greatest recording artists who ever lived – not only his still unequalled record of 31 Grammys® attests to that: the present documentary illluminates the life and work of Sir Georg Solti on the 100th anniversary of his birth. We follow the Hungarian-Jewish conductor’s career: as Toscanini’s assistant at the Salzburg Festival, as music director in Munich and Frankfurt after the war, achieving worldwide fame with his legendary Vienna Philharmonic recording of Wagner’s Ring cycle. It was as the long-serving music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that Solti became an international star of classical music, one
whose musical ardour and perfectionism remain unsurpassed to this day.
Gergiev conducts Debussy, Prokofiev and Stravinsky
The energy and excitement of performances under the baton of maestro Valéry Gergiev are thrilling. This concert, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, was recorded live at the city’s Doelen Hall. The programme includes Debussy’s Fragments Symphoniques for D’Annunzio’s mystery play Le Martyre de St Sébastien, Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Stravinsky’s Fireworks and his Piano Concerto. The soloist for the concerto is the Georgian virtuoso Alexander Toradze, a singularly imposing figure at the keyboard.
Oramo conducts Rautavaara, Prokofiev & Sibelius – with Olli Mustonen
With its opening sunrise and vaulting “Swan Hymn”, Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony is one of the defining masterpieces of Finnish music, and it’s been at the centre of Sakari Oramo’s repertoire since the start of his conducting career. This concert finds him on tour in 2000 as music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra – an ensemble with a long Sibelius tradition of its own – and striking sparks off his young compatriot Olli Mustonen in Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3. Oramo opens with the haunting Lintukoto by the late Einojuhani Rautavaara: one of the undisputed masters of Finnish music in the generation since Sibelius.
Star-studded Anniversary: 125 Years of the Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Th e Concertgebouw was officially inaugurated on 11 April 1888. Public interest was so great that Amsterdam experienced its very first traffic jam (of carriages). Now, 125 years later, the RCO and the Concertgebouw are organising an anniversary concert together. Under the baton of its chief conductor Mariss Jansons, the orchestra is welcoming three popular guest soloists: Janine Jansen, Thomas Hampson and Lang Lang. This festive programme features Mahler and Strauss, both of whom conducted the orchestra on several occasions. Musicians from the RCO, the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras are joining forces for a performance of the Elégie from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. —— WAGNER: Prelude to ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ // MAHLER: ‘Ging heut’ morgens über Feld’, ‘Rheinlegendchen’, ‘Lob des hohen Verstandes’ // PROKOFIEV: Piano concerto Nr 3 in C major, op. 26, 3rd movement // TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for strings: Élégie // SAINT-SAËNS: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso // R. STRAUSS: Suite from ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. (75′ / 90′ / 102′) (A865500020000)
Odeonsplatz Concert 2025: Franz-Welser Möst & Daniil Trifonov
For 25 years, the Odeonsplatz Concert has been an open-air highlight of the classical music summer, attracting over 16,000 viewers each year. Star pianist Daniil Trifonov opened the evening with a thrilling performance of Prokofievís Third Piano Concerto, accompanied by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst. In the second half, Welser-Möst delighted the audience with the irresistible melodies from Richard Strauss’s Rosenkalavier. “Trifonov remains the ideal choice for Prokofiev” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto, No. 3; R. Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier (arranged by Franz Welser-Möst); J. Strauss: Unter Donner und Blitz
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 22
With unparalleled charm and whirlwind exuberance, world-renowned tenor Rolando Villazón hosts a unique television special in which young musical “stars of tomorrow” are introduced to millions of music lovers as soloists in performances with the Junge Sinfonie Berlin under the baton of Giedre Slekyte und Elias Grandy – a highly successful, casual, briskly paced concert series that appeals to young audiences!
Wiener Philharmoniker: Tugan Sokhiev & Martha Argerich
“Glaring drama and bizarre comedy, lyrical poetry and gripping, vivid theatricality: Argerich demonstrated this par excellence in Prokofiev” (Der Standard). Under Tugan Sokhiev, the Wiener Philharmoniker presents two masterpieces of the early 20th century: Classical icon Martha Argerich interprets Sergei Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with “great dexterity and fire” (Die Presse), “Thunderous cheers and bravos!” (Kronenzeitung). Igor Stravinsky’s ballet music “Petrushka” (1911 version) was transformed by Sokhiev “into a furious sound theatre” (Kurier). PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Scarlatti: Sonata, K.141; Stravinsky: Petrushka – Suite
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2023
For a decade and a half, the Midsummer Night’s Gala has ushered-in the summer season at the Wolkenturm. It is also Grafenegg’s flagship media event, televised around the world. The best artists take centre stage, casting their spell over the audience amidst the idyllic scenery of the Castle grounds. For the cast of this edition – Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, American tenor Eric Cutler and French cellist Gautier Capuçon – Yutaka Sado, principal conductor of the Tonkünstler-Orchester, has put together a dramatic gala programme, with works by Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Prokofiev, Leoncavallo and Dvorák. “Eric Cutler’s tenor was soaring, Gautier Capuçon’s cello melting, the Tonkünstler Orchestra sovereign. And simply stunning the soprano of Lithuania’s opera superstar Asmik Grigorian” (Niederösterreichische Nachrichten)