After one of the last guest performances by piano philosopher Piotr Anderszewski with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, one impressed critic wrote: »Even the most discerning of Mozart connoisseurs were stunned.« Anderszewski can now be seen performing Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto in c minor at the Elbphilharmonie. The second half of the concert features Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, about which Mahler himself once said: »The Fifth is a cursed work. No one understands it.« PROGRAM Mozart: Piano Concert No. 24, KV 491; Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Festive Advent Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden 2018
The Festive Advent Concert has become a much loved tradition in Dresden and one of German TV’s biggest classical music success stories. In 2018, conductor Lorenzo Viotti, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Staatsopernchor join forces with soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and violinist Daniel Hope to present a programme ranging from Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major to excerpts from Rossini’s “Petite messe solennelle” and sacral works by Mendelssohn and Reger.
BPO: Dudamel conducts Bernstein & Mahler
Gustav Mahler described his Fifth Symphony as a “cursed work” that “no-one understands”. While the extreme variety of expression actually overwhelmed the audience at the time, the symphony enjoys the highest popularity today, especially thanks to ist gossamer-like Adagietto movement. Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, also conducts Leonard Bernstein’s cheeky occasional piece, Divertimento, which – here in Europe at least – is far too rarely heard. PROGRAM Mahler: Symphony No. 5; Bernstein: Divertimento for Orchestra
BR: Festive Gala with Lang Lang and Mariss Jansons
Feel like taking a world tour? Let Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks take you to Europe, America and Asia in their festive gala programme. They are joined by super star Lang Lang, who performs the dreamy Andante from Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C major as well as an excerpt from the Yellow River Concerto, a popular piece from his native China. To end the concert maestro Jansons unleashes a musical firework display with an Hungarian Dance by Brahms and Rumanian folk music by Ligeti.
Festive Gala from the Semperoper Dresden 2018 – J. Strauss: The Bat
In this gala evening from the Semperoper Dresden Franz Welser-Möst brings his incomparable musicianship to the most Viennese of all operettas, Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Die Fledermaus”. The concert version shines with a distinguished cast headed by star tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Eisenstein, Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Rosalinde and Elisabeth Kulman as Prince Orlofsky. A sparkling production full of fizz and subtle humor.
The Odeonsplatz Concert: Gilbert & Fleming
Nestled in the historic city centre of Munich, the Odeonsplatz provides the perfect venue for one of the open-air highlights of the year: “Klassik am Odeonsplatz”! This time one of the greatest opera stars of our days, soprano Renée Fleming is joining the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Alan Gilbert’s baton. PROGRAM Songs by Tchaikovsky, Korngold, Bernstein, von Flotow; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5
The Christmas Tree Concert – Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim
Long-time artistic partners and close friends Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim bring their extraordinary artistry to the Pierre Boulez Saal in a piano duo recital, which features Bizet’s charming “Jeux d’enfants” alongside Ravel’s work for four hands “Ma Mère l’Oye” and Liszt’s rarely heard “Weihnachtsbaum suite”, an arrangement of Christmas carols written for his granddaughter. When Argerich and Barenboim invite the children in the audience to sit on the floor around the piano for their performance of Weihnachtsbaum, it is in the spirit of Christmas, when families come together, and reminiscent of the work’s premiere: First performed in a Rome hotel room on Christmas Day 1881 by Liszt’s granddaughter Daniela, the suite of 12 pieces brought the composer a family reunion with his beloved daughter and granddaughter.
Belcea Quartet & Antoine Tamestit at Pierre Boulez Saal
The Belcea Quartet, one of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles, teams up with viola player Antoine Tamestit to light up the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin with an exciting programme that ranges from the Classical and Romantic era to the 20th century: Mozart’s String Quintet in C major and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, which the Russian composer wrote in only three days in 1960. Brahms’s String Quintet No. 2 in G major completes the impressive set of the Belcea Quartet, about whom “The Guardian” raves: “A world-class ensemble!”
Claude Debussy – Commemorating the 100th Anniversary
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Claude Debussy, a group of acclaimed international artists, led by Daniel Barenboim, presents a selection of the French composer’s chamber music and songs. Along with duo and trio sonatas, the program includes the evocative “Syrinx for solo flute” played by Emmanuel Pahud and the “Chansons de Bilitis”, featuring French mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa. A celebration of an exceptional composer who is widely considered one of the fathers of modern music.
BR: Pappano conducts Rachmaninoff and Bernstein
Only once has Sir Antonio Pappano been a guest of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks – time for a reunion with the British star conductor at the Philharmonie in Munich! Pappano has earned the highest reputation as long-standing music director at London’s Opera House Covent Garden and of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. In Munich, his extraordinary programme includes Sergei Rachmaninoff’s magnificent Second Symphony, which demonstrates the outstanding melodic qualities of the Russian composer, who is regarded as the “Last of the Romantics”. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, Pappano presents the rarely heard Symphony No. 2, which shows the young American conductor and composer in search of meaning. With this work, dubbed “The Age of Anxiety”, the composer struck the nerve of the post-war generation who oscillated between loneliness and the craving for pleasure and longed for stability in faith. Kirill Gerstein, “who is emerging as one of the most respected pianists of his generation” (New York Times), gives his debut with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in the dark, urban piece of Bernstein. As the symphony’s dazzling protagonist, he will bring his jazz experience to this highly topical piece.