Mozart’s legendary Requiem is certainly one of the composer’s most famous and frequently performed works. Raphaël Pichon and the ensemble “Pygmalion” – one of the leading music ensembles (a choir and orchestra) following historical criteria and playing on period instruments, now present the work in a unique version: divided into four blocks, it is interspersed with various vocal works, specially chosen to provide an overarching theme and sweeping vision within the context of the genius’ musical oeuvre. Performed in the Palau de la Música Catalana, UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world, the performance becomes “an aesthetic experience full of sensitivity, a performance close to the sublime and a refreshing reading of one of the most performed and programmed works of the sacred repertoire” (Platea Magazine).
RCO: Haitink conducts Mozart & Bruckner
Conductor laureate Bernard Haitink conducts Bruckner and Mozart. For the first time in almost 35 years he will be leading the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony. The composer himself considered this die keckste (the boldest) of all his symphonies. More than his other ones this symphony emphasises the rhythm and dynamics instead of the monumental construction. At the premiere conducted by Gustav Mahler, three years after Bruckner’s death, the Sixth left its audience in a state of confusion, and is still not performed often today. This must be some kind of mistake as it is a brilliant symphony full of insights into the human existence – earning it the nickname The Philosopher – and offers much to enjoy. Pianist Mitsuko Uchida, back since seven years, performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. In this work the woodwinds play a significant role and Mozart allows several melodies from the operas he was working on in the same time period to seep in. PROGRAM: Bruckner: Symphony No 6; Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
RCO: Hengelbrock conducts Schubert “Unfinished” & Mozart Requiem
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Thomas Hengelbrock present a fine selection of incomplete works by Schubert and Mozart. They are joined by Hengelbrock’s Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, “one of the world’s best choirs” (Gramophone), and by four proficient soloists. Performed one year after his death, the whole concert is dedicated to conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, RCO’s Honorary Guest Conductor from 1975 to 2013. According to Hengelbrock, being Harnoncourt’s pupil was a path-breaking experience. The encore “Komm o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder”, the very first Bach-chorale Hengelbrock and Harnoncourt performed together, is a deeply moving finale to a concert night “of radiant beauty” (NRC). PROGRAM Schubert: Stabat mater; Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’, W.A. Mozart: Requiem
RCO Opening Night 2017: Hengelbrock conducts Mozart and Dvorak
With its festive RCO Opening Night, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra kicks off the new season with a hall full of loyal listeners and new music lovers. The RCO is joined by celebrated conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and – for the first time ever – by German star soprano Diana Damrau. Together they perform well-loved arias and orchestral works by W.A. Mozart, as well as Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8. Dedicated to the genius of Mozart, the first half of the concert kicks off with the overture to Don Giovanni, played with gusto by the RCO and Thomas Hengelbrock, an expert in historically informed performance practice. Diana Damrau’s “L’amerò, sarò costante” is a sincere declaration of love while the concert aria “Bella mia fiamma, addio” is a dramatic farewell letter to a loved one which the singer performs with great passion. The programme is rounded off by Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8, an exuberant ode to the great outdoors.