The RCO’s125th anniversary celebrations in 2013 are concluding with a Christmas Matinee in style. Andris Nelsons conducts music by Wagner, who was born 200 years ago. The other titan featuring on the programme is Richard Strauss, who himself conducted his symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra no fewer than three times in Amsterdam. —– PROGRAM: Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll / Overture and Venusberg Music (Bacchanale) from ‘Tannhäuser’; Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra (UNITEL Cat. No. A865500060000)
RCO: Mariss Jansons conducts Mahler Symphony No. 4 (Kerstmatinee 2014)
RCO: Andris Nelsons conducts Strauss and Brahms
In 2014, Strauss’s birth 150 years ago is being commemorated. Strauss was a champion of the symphonic poem, and one of his first works in that genre was Macbeth. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche followed soon after, fully revealing Strauss’s mastery in the sharp melodic characterisations and brilliant instrumentation. With its energetic and cheerful character (despite Till’s execution, which is vividly depicted in the music), the work complements Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, which is imbued with a sunny, lush atmosphere. The brilliance of the grand finale is a quality rarely heard in Brahms’s. (Cat. No. UNITEL: A865500160000)
RCO: War Requiem
Witnessing a performance of Benjamin Britten’s monumental War Requiem is an experience. Scored for orchestra, large chorus, children’s choir and three soloists, it is certainly a challenge to perform. Gianandrea Noseda makes his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra with a work he has championed and for which he has received critical acclaim in performances and on record. In 1964, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed Britten’s War Requiem under the direction of Bernard Haitink with the ‘dream team’ Britten had actually envisaged for the world premiere two years earlier: the Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, the English tenor Peter Pears and the German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Now the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has again invited a Russian soprano, an English tenor and a German baritone.
RCO: Kerstmatinee 2018 – Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
A heart-warming Christmas Matinee featuring Tchaikovsky’s Christmas fairy tale The Nutcracker. For many, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Christmas Matinee is a fun introduction to classical music – for others, it’s a familiar, festive experience to look forward to each year. The combination of the captivating conductor Semyon Bychkov and Tchaikovsky’s legendary music for the Christmas ballet The Nutcracker makes this programme truly irresistible. People of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy Tchaikovsky’s infectious music and the atmospheric fairy tale about dolls that come to life. A sugarplum fairy, a Mouse King and a return to the Land of Sweets – it’s exactly what we need in the dark, wintry days before Christmas.
RCO: Kerstmatinee – Beethoven No. 9
Beethoven’s moving Ninth Symphony is being performed on the 2019 Christmas Matinee (“Kerstmatinee“) under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst with a superb singer quartet. Many generations of listeners have attended the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s festive Christmas matinees since the tradition was founded. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is an appeal for universal brotherhood – indeed it contains some of the most moving music Beethoven ever composed. A large chorus and four vocal soloists share the stage with the orchestra to get this key message across and the work continues to enchant young and old alike.
Currentzis conducts Beethoven No. 9
Teodor Currentzis and his musicAeterna present their first recording of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, produced at the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens. The history of the Ninth’s interpretations includes 200 years of staggering revelations and lingering stagnation. Performed by the musicAeterna orchestra and choir as well as stellar guest soloists under the baton of Teodor Currentzis, Beethoven’s opus magnum acquires the original poignancy and energy of a recent discovery.
Human Requiem
Human Requiem is a concert and dance performance created by German director Jochen Sandig and choreographer Sasha Waltz. It is based on Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, which Sandig followed to the letter and at the same time transformed into an extraordinary concert event featuring 60 singers of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, soprano Marlis Petersen and baritone Benjamin Appl, Angela Gassenhuber and Philip Mayers on the piano, as well as three dancers of the dance company Sasha Waltz & Guests. Set at the ancient sanctuary of Eleusis, the performance becomes an open communal space of collective catharsis, where text and body, space and sound, merge into a single work of art. The production was awarded the Classical:NEXT Innovation Award, while the New York Times acclaimed it as “an anthem for our time”.
Leonidas Kavakos & the Apollon Ensemble play Bach
In midst of the ruins of the Ancient Ecclesiastical Hall, accompanied by the rhythmic chirping of cicadas, Leonidas Kavakos and his Apollon Ensemble perform Bach. The atmosphere is electric, and the music is divinely beautiful. Night falls as the virtuosic Kavakos leads the musicians through the three Bach violin concertos “creating a fascinating dialogue between the ancient Greek aesthetic and the harmony and rhythm of classical music” (AMNA:Athens). And indeed, the timeless sounds of Bach seem to be at home in Ancient Messene. PROGRAM: Bach – Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041; Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042; Violin Concerto in G minor (reconstruction from the Cembalo Concerto), BWV 1056; Violin Concerto in D minor (reconstruction from the Cembalo Concerto), BWV 1052
Albrecht Mayer New Seasons – Händel for Oboe and Orchestra
Unlike the piano, the violin or even the flute, the oboe is a relatively rare instrument for a solo career. And when a soloist such as Albrecht Mayer plays the oboe, one wishes composers had written more works for this weetly mellow instrument. Critics write about the “divine spark” that inspires his playing, and about the “miraculous oboe” that turns into “an instrument of seduction.” With his particularly warm tone and exceptionally broad palette of nuances, it’s no surprise that Albrecht Mayer is one of today’s most sought-after international oboists. In this documentary portrait of the oboist, we retrace the musician’s impressive career and witness some of its many high points. Mayer embarked on a professional career in 1990, when he joined the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra as solo oboist. Two years later, he made the transition to the absolute top league with his appointment as solo oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and since then he has made countless international appearances, playing under such eminent conductors as Abbado, Rattle and Harnoncourt. In addition to his work as a soloist, Mayer also attaches great importance to chamber music. He is a permanent member of the Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble and also plays with such partners as Thomas Quasthoff, Matthias Goerne and Leif Ove Andsnes.