In her January 2008 concert with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie under Matthias Pintscher, Julia Fischer, named ‘Artist of the Year’ in 2007 by the U.K.’s ‘Gramophone’ magazine, did exactly as Bach and Mozart did: she appeared in public as a soloist on two completely different instruments, the violin and the piano. Fischer, who also trained as a pianist, pulled off this rare and risky feat with extraordinary prowess. In Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor op. 61, she weaves her lines seamlessly into the orchestral texture, emerging now with prominent embellishments, now with passionate cantilenas, or withdrawing to let the woodwinds express themselves as equals. For her ‘piano’ part of the evening, Julia Fischer chose the popular Grieg Concerto in A minor op. 16, a warhorse that shares with the previous work an intricate interweaving of the solo and orchestral parts. Commenting on her flawless piano technique and utterly natural artistry on this instrument, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: ‘She mastered the work with bravura … a more than amazing double talent.’
The Mahler Project – Mahler, Symphony No.9 in D major
The Mahler Project: A fascinating documentary on the musical world of Gustav Mahler as seen by the two great musicians, and a recording of Mahler’s colossal Ninth. “Mahler created a new world with each of his symphonies (…) It is a fantastic journey for both of us”. With these few words, Daniel Barenboim sums up the vast scope of a project undertaken with his friend Pierre Boulez: two very different world-class conductors tackle all nine completed symphonies of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) with one orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin. Performed as a complete cycle in Berlin, Vienna and New York, the concerts were a tremendous success. The Financial Times even wrote: “New York is going Mahler mad”.
Salzburg Festival 2012: Opening Concert
The Opening Concert of Salzburg Festival 2012 builds a bridge to the Ouverture spirituelle: Valery Gergiev conducts STRAVINSKY’s Symphony of Psalms, a work that is as unusual as it is haunting, setting three psalms from the Old Testament to music. Modest MUSORGSKY’s Songs and Dances of Death are performed in a version for high voice, with the Russian tenor Sergei Semishkur. The programme closes with Sergey PROKIFIEV’s Symphony No. 5.
Salzburg Festival 2013: Dudamel conducts Mahler 8 “Symphony of a Thousand”
The “Mahler Cycle” of Salzburg Festival 2013 is opened by Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E flat conducted by Gustavo Dudamel who leads “his” Simón Bolívar National Youth Orchestra & Choir of Venezuela, joined by a cast of internationally acclaimed soloists. The concert is also part of the visionary and exemplary project EL Sistema (The Miracle), based on the visionary idea of giving children a better future through classical music by building a network of children orchestras and music centres.
Monteverdi in Saint-Denis
After speaking with her for one and a half minutes, I knew that I would even sing Heavy Metal for her if she wanted me to,’ gushed Rolando Villazón after meeting French conductor and harpsichordist Emmanuelle Haïm. Devoted to cultivating the works of Monteverdi, Handel, Rameau and Purcell, the vibrant Haïm has become one of the leading lights of the Early Music scene. Trained as a pianist and harpsichordist in Paris, she assisted William Christie before founding her own ensemble ‘Le Concert d’Astrée,’ which performs on historical instruments. Rolando Villazón is better known for his performances as tormented lover and ‘dream’ partner of Anna Netrebko in ‘La Traviata’ and ‘La Bohème’ (both available from UNITEL CLASSICA) than for his accounts of early Baroque music. But in this concert of works by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), the powerhouse tenor proves his allround mastery of italianità. The main work is the ‘Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda,’ a descriptive piece for three voices based on a text from Torquato Tasso’s epic poem ‘Gerusalemme liberata.’
Midori plays Bach in Köthen: The Partitas and Sonatas for Solo Violin
Midori’s recent interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo has earned her many accolades by audiences and the media worldwide. In August 2016, Midori performed these pieces, known as one of the most challenging for any violinist, for an audio-visual recording at the Castle of Köthen (Schloss Köthen), where Bach served as Court Chapel Master between 1717 an 1723. There, the precise, light but nevertheless emphatic playing by Midori unfurled a unique world of sound that maybe Bach himself had imagined while composing these polyphonic masterpieces. PROGRAM: J.S. Bach: Partitas and Sonatas for Solo Violin BWV 1001 – 1006
Puccini – The dark side of the moon
The Italian composer, Giacomo Puccini is reputed to have once described himself as „a passionate hunter of water birds, texts and women.“ It was an ironic description of the problems which are said to have accompanied him throughout his life. He was indeed a passionate, yet terrible, hunter. With every opera he wrote, he wore out numerous librettists in the search for the perfect text, because unlike Mozart, he couldn’t write a single note before the „script“ for a new piece of work was just as he wanted it – and for as long as he lived, he was almost manic in his hunt for and collection of beautiful women…The film by Andreas Morell looks at Giacomo Puccini’s life from the point of view of his psychological manic preoccupation with one subject: women. He makes connections between the women in Puccini’s life and those in his operas, looking as he goes, at what made Puccini tick. Starting with a characteristic situation in Vienna in 1923 – one year before the composer’s death – the film offers an insight into Puccini and reflects a repetitive pattern which spanned almost three decades of his life. As he summarised for his own credo: “I cannot compose without love in my life!”
Jonas Kaufmann – The Sound of Movies
Jonas Kaufmann is an ardent film enthusiast and now, for the first time, he brings this passion to the
stage. In his new program, „The Sound of Movies,“ Kaufmann presents film music hits from 80 years of film history, featuring music from various eras and genres including Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, and musical hits like “West Side Story” and “The Sound of Music.” The program offers a cinematic experience for the ears, culminating in a captivating journey through the magic of cinema.
Golda Schultz, Rolando Villazón, Ludovic Tézier at Neuschwanstein Castle
The internationally acclaimed artists Rolando Villazón, Golda Schultz and Ludovic Tézier crown the castle concerts on the final evening at Neuschwanstein. At the grand finale in the castle courtyard, the names of the soloists are as impressive as those of the composers: Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Mascagni and Léhar. As at the beginning, the finale of the Neuschwanstein Concerts 2025 is once again a passionate journey through the world of opera. Realised with the highest musical finesse and quality by the renowned Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. The conductor is none other than Omer Meir Wellber. The conductor and composer is regarded as one of the hottest opera and concert conductors of our time.
HAUSER at Neuschwanstein Castle
With his innovative musical skills and irresistible charisma, HAUSER is bringing a new wave of cello music to audiences worldwide. His programme includes music that reflects his unique approach to classical compositions, film scores and popular music, drawing on repertoire from his various solo albums. The Croatian musician is acclaimed worldwide for his captivating live performances and is considered a master of audience interaction. To do justice to the beautiful setting of Neuschwanstein Castle, HAUSER and the Munich Symphony Orchestra have selected an exclusive programme for this evening that promises to do justice to the unique surroundings.