For his open-air concert in Sicily, star violinist David Garrett has chosen a spectacular location: the ancient theater of Taormina with a view of Mount Etna. There he plays Vivaldi, Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Kreisler and many other composers in new arrangements. With his individual selection, Garrett recalls the Golden Age of violin virtuosos – artists such as Zino Francescatti, Arthur Grumiaux, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler and Yehudi Menuhin, who delighted their audiences with such musical miniatures and encores. David Garrett is accompanied by his guitarist and arranger Franck van der Heijden, bassist Rogier van Wegberg and the “Orchestra del Teatro Vittorio Emanuele di Messina” conducted by Gianna Fratta. Special guest: Matteo Bocelli.
Bach 300 – Tribute to Bach
An array of musical stars converges in Leipzig to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach taking up his appointment as Kantor at the city’s iconic Thomaskirche – a post that he occupied for more than a quarter of a century, covering a period in which he created many of his greatest works. Among those performing on a special open-air stage in the city’s market square are pianist Lang Lang, violinist Daniel Hope, cellist Sophie Kauer and oboist Albrecht Mayer, joined by the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester under current Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. Join us for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration!
Vikingur Olafsson: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Víkingur Ólafsson goes back to Bach for his highly anticipated new recording. Celebrated for his visionary interpretations of the composer’s music, the Icelandic pianist follows up the award-winning Johann Sebastian Bach of 2018 with this stunning recording of the Goldberg Variations, a work he’s dreamed of recording for 25 years. “At least to me, the Goldberg Variations’ genius lies not in the general, but the specific,” says Ólafsson. “As each variation unfolds, one must be wholly gripped by its individual drama and affect, drawn into its own marvellous little microcosm and filled with the joy of discovering it.” As part of a tour taking the work to venues around the world, this concert sees Ólafsson perform it to music-lovers in the South Korean capital.
Jonas Kaufmann at Arena di Verona
Experience an unforgettable gala evening with Jonas Kaufmann. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of opera and wonderful melodies. In the magical setting of the Arena di Verona, the “King of the Tenors” shows the incomparable versatility of his repertoire: from the most beautiful opera arias, including from Tosca, La Traviata and Otello, to operetta classics such as “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” and moving songs from great film classics such as West Side Story. Jonas Kaufmann celebrates the 100th opera season in the Arena di Verona with this unique gala concert this year. And the “wonder tenor” (Le Monde) does not come alone: with Sonya Yoncheva and Ludovic Tézier, three of the world’s greatest opera stars are on stage for this very special evening.
RCO Opening Night 2023: Gianandrea Noseda – Dance and Rhythm
In this dazzling open-air concert, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays beloved classics and pleasant surprises. The season opening of the Concertgebouworkest will take place at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam. Gianandrea Noseda conducts a festive program full of dance and rhythm, with famous pieces such as Ravel‘s Bolero and the Moldau by Smetana and some special surprises, including a world premiere.
RCO: Rouvali conducts Shostakovich and Morricone
Finnish conducting sensation Santtu-Matias Rouvali takes the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for a marvelously program: the Dutch premieres of works by Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Ennio Morricone, plus Shostakovich’s philosophical, allusive 15th Symphony! The charismatic Rouvali, known for championing new and unique repertoire is the perfect choice for these two Dutch premieres: Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s “Metacosmos”, a fascinating “balance between beauty and chaos,” and the late, great Ennio Morricone’s “UT”, a concerto for trumpet performed by the excellent Omar Tomasoni, the RCO’s principal trumpeter. Rounding off the program is Shostakovich’s final completed symphony, No. 15 in A, the product of a burst of creativity in the early 1970s. Tonally expansive and delightfully referential, the symphony seemed to Shostakovich to “[appear] in my mind with total clarity from first note to last. There was nothing left for me to do but write it down.” PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No 15; Thorvaldsdottir: Metacosmos; Morricone: UT
RCO: Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla conducts Tchaikovsky and Weinberg
Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla conducts two works packed with folk tunes: Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, with Gabriela Montero, and Weinberg’s Third Symphony. The concert starts with music by Raminta Šerkšnyte. PRGRAM Raminta Šerkšnyte: De Profundis; Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Weinberg: Symphony No. 3
Leif Ove Andsnes plays Mozart
Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra continue their collaborative exploration of Mozart’s great piano concertos and their surroundings. This large-scale project is receiving acclaim in the most prestigious concert halls as well as award-winning results in the recording studio. In the Great Hall of the Mozarteum, attention is now focused on works composed in 1785/86 that are characterized by ambiguous twilight and expressive instability: It begins with the great Piano Concerto KV 482 with its heartbreaking Andante in C minor, a set of variations that had to be repeated at the premiere; carries over to the “Prague Symphony,” and concludes with the singularly plaintive chromaticism of the C minor Piano Concerto, KV 491 – all testaments to Mozart as arguably the first Romantic composer. PROGRAM Mozart: Piano Concertos KV 482 & 491, KV 504 “Prague Symphony”
Christmas Oratorio
Bach’s timeless, irresistible Christmas Oratorio returns to Leipzig – and to St. Thomas’s Church, where several of its six gorgeous cantatas were heard for the very first time in 1734-35! Adding to the historical import of this unmissable event are the Gewandhausorchester, one of the world’s oldest and most venerated orchestras founded in 1781, and the Thomanerchor (St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig), a legendary ensemble formed over eight hundred years ago in 1212 and directed by Bach himself between 1723 and 1750. The eighteenth person to hold the post of Thomaskantor since Bach, Andreas Reize leads the impeccable orchestra and choir – joined by soloists Christina Landshamer, Benedikt Kristjánsson, and Konstantin Krimmel – in a festive and delightful performance of one of those cherished works from which the holiday spirit flows unfettered and ebullient.
Lucerne Festival 2022: Riccardo Chailly & Mao Fujita
Sergei Rachmaninov is perhaps most remembered—and beloved—for his piano concertos, which still stand as pillars of Romanticism, though mostly written in the 20th century. At the 2022 Lucerne Festival, virtuoso pianist Mao Fujita performs the composer’s celebrated Piano Concerto No. 2—absolutely brimming with memorable melody and poignant harmony—alongside maestro Riccardo Chailly at the head of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra!