“The manual skills, the virtuosic and differentiated use of the pedal and the relaxed arm position and sound quality of 79-year-old Argerich are simply unique. A great moment of chamber music” BR Klassik. PROGRAM Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 8; Prokofiev: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2; Franck: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major
BBC Proms 2022: Marin Alsop conducts RSO Vienna
Marin Alsop and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra are joined by Proms regular and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Benjamin Grosvenor for Prokofiev’s ferociously demanding Piano Concerto No. 3. ‘My new symphony,’ wrote Dvorák of his Seventh, ‘must … make a stir in the world.’ The result does just that, emerging from a brooding opening into rhapsodic warmth, animated by folk dances and a seemingly endless stream of melodies. This contrasts with the deliciously grotesque episodes of Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin suite; and the orchestra and conductor also bring a new work by Viennese composer Hannah Eisendle, having given its world premiere in March 2022. PROGRAM: Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin – suite 19’; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major; Hannah Eisendle: Heliosis 8’; Dvorák: Symphony No. 7 in D minor
BBC Proms 2021: Vikingur Olafsson plays Bach and Mozart
Award-winning Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson makes his much-anticipated Proms debut, as soloist in both Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in F minor, whose energised outer movements frame a ravishing central Adagio, and Mozart’s pioneering Piano Concerto K491, a rare minor-key work whose stormy, richly orchestrated music climaxes in a relentless dance. The Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Paavo Järvi frame the concert with two symphonies: Prokofiev’s playful ‘Classical’ Symphony, with its clever juxtaposition of traditional forms and contemporary colours, and the more loaded irony of Shostakovich’s compact Symphony No. 9. PROGRAM Prokofiev: Symphony No.1; Bach: Keyboard Concerto; Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9
Lang Lang in Vienna
‘The most popular pianist on the planet’ (CNN) performs at the stunning Musikverein in Vienna, recorded for the first time at a special TV recital! “For me, there are few halls around the globe that have the same prestige as Carnegie Hall and the Musikverein. Of course there are other great halls, but I always feel these two have a unique place in people’s hearts. So I felt that after Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein would be the place where I should do another live recordings.” (Lang Lang) The programme also includes special backstage features, interviews and much more. ‘To his millions of fans worldwide the 27-year-old Chinese musician is a God-like star, whose skill and energetic performance style put him in a league of his own.’ (CNN) Works: Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”, Albéniz: Iberia Book 1, Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83, Chopin: Étude No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 25, Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 “Heroic”, Grande Valse Brillante No. 2 in A flat major, Op. 34, No. 1
New Year’s Eve Concert 1988
Salzburg, August 1988: the 17-year-old Evgeny Kissin meets the legendary conductor Karajan for a private audition, and his performance of a Chopin Fantasy brings the maestro to tears. A few months later, Kissin is at his side to perform Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto as part of a New Year’s Eve concert in Berlin. The success would follow the pianist for years to come: as he put it, “the miracle happened again. Still today, people speak to me about this concert.” (L’Express). Experience the archival film footage of his acclaimed performance from that day, which captures not just the astonishing virtuosity of a young Kissin, but also Karajan’s last appearance with his orchestra the Berliner Philharmoniker. Just seven months later, this “monster of classical music” (France Musique) would pass away at the age of 81.
Yuja x Hockney at Lightroom London
One remarkable pianist, one remarkable artist: Yuja Wang presents a very special concert from London’s Lightroom. She performs music by composers ranging from Bach to Berio, carefully selected in response to a series of artworks by David Hockney, which are shown in stunning 360-degree projections as she plays. The result is an all-encompassing audio-visual experience that seeks out connections between the senses, between art and music, and between two major cultural figures of our time.
Carnegie Christmas Hall Concert
The film features thirty musical pieces performed at Carnegie Hall on December 8, 1991. Soloists like Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, and Wynton Marsalis perform on a tiered stage before Christmas-themed panels. The uninterrupted program blends sacred and secular works from various traditions, including jazz, spirituals, European carols, and songs by composers like Hugh Martin and Mel Tormé. Performers also include the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the American Boychoir, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under André Previn.
Bruce Liu Piano Recital
With a highly acclaimed performance, shooting star Bruce Liu thrilled as part of the 2024 Klavier-Festival Ruhr. The Chinese-Canadian pianist excelled in this concert evening with the full range of his stupendous playing technique, which he proved with an impressive performance of a stylistically wide-ranging series of works from Haydn, Chopin, and Beethoven to Prokofiev, touching on the variations of the Ukrainian Nicolai Kapustin, which are infused with a relaxed jazz feeling. Bruce Liu has made a name for himself by winning the Warsaw Chopin Competition in 2021, conquering his place in international music life. PROGRAM Haydn: Sonata No. 32; Chopin: Sonata No. 2, Op. 35; Kapustin: Variations Op. 41; Beethoven: Sonata No. 18, Op. 31/3 “The Hunt”; Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7
LSO: Antonio Pappano and Seong-Jin Cho
Beethoven’s defiant Symphony No 5 meets the sneering mockery of Shostakovich and Prokofiev in exhilarating mood. In 1945, Soviet authorities expected Shostakovich to use his Ninth Symphony to celebrate Soviet military might. What they got was a subversive, mischievous work that thumbed its nose at Stalin. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2 is one of the most powerful and technically challenging of all. Listen out for moments in the opening movement that test the soloist’s stamina to its limits, and a helter-skelter finale that never lets up. Fate rules over Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a revolutionary work that grows to dramatic, sublime heights from the simple germ of its opening four notes. The LSO is joined by South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO Chief Conductor, conducts. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2; Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
LSO: Noseda conducts Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev
Gianandrea Noseda conducts Prokofiev’s ‘symphony of the greatness of the human spirit’, and Janine Jansen is the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular Violin Concerto. Put aside all thoughts of turmoil and angst; Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto by the shores of Lake Geneva, surrounded by people he loved – and you can tell. Simone Lamsma is a most welcome guest and Gianandrea Noseda follows her performance in grand style, with a truly epic Russian symphony. In fact, it’s said that at the Moscow premiere in 1945, Prokofiev couldn’t begin his Fifth Symphony until an artillery barrage had fallen silent. This is music of iron and steel, and LSO Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda is passionate about it. First, though, he puts down a marker for the future, with a new, Russian-inspired orchestral work by George Stevenson – a rising star of the LSO’s Panufnik Composers Scheme. PROGRAM Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto; Prokofiev: Symphony No 5; Stevenson: Vanishing City.