For the 2022/23 season, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin welcomed Cairo-born Fatma Said, a multi-award-winning soprano of international renown, as Artist in Residence. Said is known for the impressive diversity of her voice and repertoire: whether classical, jazz or traditional music, the young artist is well at home in many worlds. Her role as an intermediary between the musical cultures around the Mediterranean is particularly evident in the concert entitled “On the Way to Egypt”. The multi-faceted program, conducted by Alondra de la Parra, begins by looking from Egypt to the European compositional tradition and then from Western Europe to North Africa and Arabia.
Collegium 1704 play Handel
In the beautiful setting of famous castle Slavkov-Austerlitz, the two most-known works of George Frideric Handel, “Water Music” and “Music for the Royal Fireworks”, were filmed with Collegium 1704 under the musical direction of Va´clav Luks, one of the most fascinating ensembles specializing in historically informed performance. PROGRAM Handel: Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks
20 years Walt Disney Hall – LA Phil & Gustavo Dudamel
The Los Angeles Philharmonic marks the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall at its annual gala concert by paying homage to Frank Gehry, architect behind the iconic downtown LA venue. The prelude from Bach’s Partita, the first piece performed in the then-still-under-construction Hall, opens the program, followed by Esa-Pekka Salonen’s transformation of its melody into his piece FOG accompanied by Lucinda Childs, performing her own original choreography. Gehry’s love of the sea, orchestral music, and jazz is combined into offerings from Herbie Hancock, GRAMMY Award-winning R&B singer H.E.R., and Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who conclude the program with Debussy’s La mer. PROGRAM Bach: Violin Partita No.3, Prelude; Salonen: FOG; Hancock: Maiden Voyage; Debussy: La mer; H.E.R. & LA Phil
Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Friends: A Celebration!
Superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter celebrates her 60th birthday year with a performance she created with her friends and musical colleagues. She joins the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra along with legendary conductor and composer John Williams, longtime friend and pianist Yefim Bronfman, her protégé, cellist Pablo Ferrández, and sought-after conductor Susanna Mälkki. Anne-Sophie Mutter performs the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Yefim Bronfman and Pablo Ferrández in the first half of the evening, under the baton of Susanna Mälkki. The second half will bring Anne-Sophie Mutter together with the legendary conductor and composer John Williams for a special program featuring his compositions. This one-night-only performance is not to be missed!
Inaugural concert of Tarmo Peltokoski in Latvia
With the start of the 2022/2023 concert season, 22-year-old Finnish conductor, Tarmo Peltokoski, becomes the musical and artistic director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO). The French music magazine Diapason writes about him: “ATTENTION, A GENIUS!” Peltokoski has a strong musical vision and a clear idea of what he wants to achieve in the next three years. His inaugural concert took place in the Cesis Concert Hall, which is characterised by exceptional acoustics. PROGRAM Williams: Symphony No. 5; Auznieks: Grace; Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Young Generation: Joana Mallwitz conducts the Konzerthausorchester Berlin
A special gala concert from Berlin showcases a galaxy of new stars. Joana Mallwitz conducts the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and is joined by a brilliant array of soloists: Bomsori, Kian Soltani and Rafal Blechacz take the stage for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto; Andrè Schuen sings Mahler’s “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen”, and Bruce Liu is the piano soloist in Beethoven’s boundary-breaking Choral Fantasy, also featuring the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. Further works by Beethoven and Brahms complete the programme for what promises to be an unforgettable concert. PROGRAM Brahms: Akademische Festouvertüre; Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Choral Fantasy, Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Mischa Maisky – A Birthday Concert
The cellist Mischa Maisky is one of the greats of his profession. Now he has given a concert with Paavo Järvi and the German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen, performing the works that have given particular shape to his life. The occasion for the concert on July 3rd, 2023, as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, was Maisky’s 75th birthday. PROGRAM Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Nocturne in D minor; Bruch: Kol Nidrei; Haydn: Symphony Nos. 93 and 104
Doppelganger – Jonas Kaufmann
Contemporary Opera Director Claus Guth and celebrated Set Designer Michael Levine transform PARK AVENUE ARMORY Hall for a spectacular reimagining of Schubert’s Schwanengesang. The cycle forms a series of masterful snapshots of all that life has to offer, and features a performance that transcends genre: Jonas Kaufmann and his longtime accompanist, pianist Helmut Deutsch, interpret the collection of songs, augmented by additional Schubert repertoire an atmospheric soundscape and transformative light and video projections to create a production that is part performance, part installation. “a rare treat … the theatrical ingenuity and visceral force was so strong that the audience let out an audible gasp of shock” (The New York Times), “a remarkable theatrical coup … Kaufmann’s burnished tenor remains potent, unleashing powerful torrents of sound.” (The Financial Times), “Doppelganger is awesome experimental theater on a grand scale … There’s really nothing like it in New York right now.” (Theatermania)
Maria Callas at Paris Opera – The Concert 1958
Maria Callas made her debut in Paris in 1958. In front of the magnificent backdrop of the Paris Opera (now the Palais Garnier), she shone with arias from Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi’s The Troubadour and Gioachino Rossini’s The Babier of Seville. A spectacular performance in the city that became her home until her death in 1977. Her debut in front of the grandiose backdrop of the Paris Opera was a social event that drew crowds from all over Paris. Among the guests were numerous celebrities from politics, society and culture, including Charlie Chaplin and Brigitte Bardot. Maria Callas took to the stage in designer clothes and adorned with a million dollars’ worth of jewels. She began with “Casta diva” from Vincenzo Bellini’s “Norma”, followed by Leonora’s sad aria and the poignant “Miserere” from the fourth act of Giuseppe Verdi’s “The Troubadour”, before she lifted the mood with “Una voce poco fa” from Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”. Maria Callas took the Parisian audience by storm. At the time, nobody could have guessed that Paris would become her city of destiny, where she would settle and where she would die far too young in 1977 at the age of just 53.
Hélène Grimaud & Konstantin Krimmel
The turbine hall on Lake Stienitz, a striking industrial monument near Berlin, is the site of an extraordinary musical collaboration. Celebrated pianist Hélène Grimaud and rising star baritone Konstantin Krimmel come together in a unique space where nature and industry converge. The once-noisy hall now resonates with the sounds of the most direct and intimate of musical genres – the song. The duo presents a program that includes Brahms‘ Lieder und Gesänge op. 32, as well as a selection of the contemplative Stille Lieder by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. Grimaud has been a champion of Silvestrov‘s music for more than two decades, and the selection of his songs adds a deeply meditative dimension to the program. The setting for this recording is a testament to the power of artistic collaboration to transform spaces and bring new life to old structures. Against the backdrop of unspoilt nature and a historic industrial site, Grimaud and Krimmel create a musical experience that is both timeless and deeply rooted in its surroundings. PROGRAM Brahms: Lieder und Gesänge op. 32; Silvestrov: Silent Songs (selection)