Die schweigsame Frau

Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman), the first and only joint work by Richard Strauss and Stefan Zweig, was performed for the first time at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The opera embodies comic opera in a new and unexpected way, starting with the genre name, which Strauss used here for the first and only time in his career. Compositionally, it is his most progressive work. With his new production of Richard Strauss’ opera, director Jan Philipp Gloger places social issues such as loneliness and housing shortages at the centre of the opera. The superb cast brings his ideas to life with “energetic performance and balanced vocal power” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). “What Thielemann conjures up from the orchestra pit is classical cinema at its finest.” (BZ)

Festive Gala at the Semperoper Dresden: Beethoven Symphony No. 9

“Everyone loves Beethoven’s ‘Ninth’,” says Christian Thielemann. Performing it with the Sächsische Staatskapelle was “one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in my life”. For many it is the soundtrack for New Year’s Eve ever since Arthur Nikisch conducted this landmark in symphonic history over the turn of the year 1918/19 and established a tradition that has spread worldwide. New Year’s Eve was also the occasion for this concert performed in the festively lit Semperoper. Camilla Nylund, Christa Mayer, Klaus Florian Vogt and Georg Zeppenfeld form the vocal quartet of this performance, Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden. “Thielemann led the orchestra with composure […], made the music […] a sound speech, celebrated the melody in the slow movement. [The finale] culminated in a veritable thundering of joy.“ (Sächsiche Zeitung)

Thielemann conducts Bach’s Christmas Oratorio

By performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Christian Thielemann, the new chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, fulfilled a long-cherished wish: he always wanted to conduct this work and in Dresden he found the ideal conditions. At the same time he brought it back on the schedule of the Staatskappelle after a pause of over 20 years. The Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 by Johann Sebastian Bach was written for the Christmas season of 1734 in Leipzig. Christian Thielemann leads the Staatskapelle Dresden along with a roster of top soloists: Sibylla Rubens (Soprano), Christa Mayer (Alto), Daniel Behle Tenor) and Florian Boesch (Bass).

Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 in c minor

Christian Thielemann’s Bruckner “is so mighty, and with such a depth of sound … that one would have to be hard-hearted not to be touched by this heartfelt music” wrote the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel after this concert featuring Anton Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony performed by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The recording of this symphony shall start a cycle of Bruckner’s complete symphonies with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under their principal conductor Christian Thielemann that is to be produced over the course of several years – a living monument of musical architecture.

Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem op.45

Johannes Brahms composed his Requiem in 1865/66, shortly after the death of his mother. A profoundly moving work for soprano and baritone solo, chorus and orchestra, it is the composer’s largest single composition. No work did more to win Brahms international recognition and, after the first complete performance of the Requiem in Leipzig in 1869, he was regarded as one of the leading composers of his time. It was not the first requiem in German, but the first in which a composer pieced together his text from Bible passages in Martin Luther’s German translation. It is an intensely personal selection, which speaks to the living and seeks to offer hope and comfort. Through his subtle, almost surreal, affinity to Brahms’ unorthodox, elusive worldview, conductor Christian Thielemann has crafted a performance that places him among the best interpreters of this work, such as Maazel, Furtwängler, Karajan, Klemperer.

Wiener Philharmoniker: Thielemann conducts Brahms

Continuing their ongoing Brahms cycle, Thielemann and the Wiener Philharmoniker bring a “combination of magnificent sound and deep meaning” (Kurier) to their interpretation of the Fourth Symphony. Gautier Capuçon and Augustin Hadelich “enchanted” (Der Standard) with the Double Concerto for violin and cello. “Thieleman, Capuçon, Hadelich – the very best for Brahms” (Kurier) Program: Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Violoncello in A Minor, op. 102, Hungarian Dance No. 5, arranged for Cello and Violin, Symphony No. 4

Thielemann & Levit – Wiener Philharmoniker Brahms Cycle

“Thielemann, Levit and the Wiener Philharmoniker act like a single musical soul” (Kurier) The collaboration between Christian Thielemann and the Wiener Philharmoniker in their Brahms cycle is truly something special. One of the highlights is pianist Igor Levit’s passionate take on Brahms’ Piano Concerto in D minor. Critics have raved about how beautifully he connects with the orchestra, bringing out the nuances in the piece. After that stunning performance, they dive into Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, which impresses with its powerful moments and delicate details. Thielemann’s guidance, combined with the orchestra’s skill, really shines, setting a high bar for concert performances. PROGRAM: Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15; Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

Thielemann conducts Brahms

“There is no clearer plea for a Brahms cycle with this conductor and this pianist” (Kurier) said the press about this concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the direction of Christian Thielemann. It is the continuation of their Brahms cycle, the performance of all of the composer’s symphonies and instrumental concertos. This part of the cycle includes Brahms’ Third Symphony and his Second Piano Concerto, which is considered one of the most difficult concertos in the piano literature. The exceptional pianist Igor Levit takes up this challenge and “seemingly took the heaviness out of the solo parts, […] his wondrous Brahms feeling enchanted in moments of floating tempi as well as in the midst of fine mists of sound that arose from rapid whispers. A summit of delicacy” (Der Standard). Together with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Christian Thielemann, it’s “a combination that one cannot imagine can be surpassed today” (Kurier) PRORAM Brahms: Symphony No. 3, Piano Concerto No. 2