In 2018, marking the exact 100th anniversary of the Armistice ending World War 1, the all-star World Orchestra for Peace gave two UNESCO designated performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Symbolically one in each of the UK and Germany – for the BBC Proms in London and for the Würth Music Foundation in Künzelsau. Founded in 1995 by Sir Georg Solti to reaffirm, in his words, “the unique strength of music as an ambassador for peace”, leading players from the world’s finest orchestras gave this performance at ‘the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month’, 100 years after the guns fell silent in 1918. The performance is preceded by moving words of welcome and introduction from Prof. Würth and Lady Solti, both highlighting the need for brotherhood and joy amongst all nations, as reflected in the words of Schiller’s Ode in the choral finale.
Midsummer Night’s Gala Grafenegg
The “spectacular opening” (Salzburger Nachrichten) of the Grafenegg Festival 2018 presented at the Midsummer Night´s Gala lots of famous opera aria and orchestral hits from Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Bellini, Offenbach, Elgar and more. The Tonkunstler Orchestra under Yutaka Sado was joined by the “terrific singer” (Kurier) Pretty Yende, her “congenial partner” (Kurier) Joseph Calleja and the wonderful cellist Harriet Krijgh. “A feast for the ears” (Kurier)
Through the Eyes of Yuja
This film is a journey with the famous pianist Yuja Wang. With more than 120 performances a year, she lives a nomadic lifestyle. The exploration of Yuja’s wanderings is a travelogue of exciting venues, glitzy cities and encounters with extraordinary artists, such as Gustavo Dudamel, Gauthier Capuçon and Leonidas Kavakos and personalities of other professional horizons but there is also a downside: fatigue, jet lag, pressure, doubts, hostilities, disorientation, and loneliness. With a bittersweet reference to the transience of life, the film reveals the invisible that complements the visible and shows us this artist in a very personal way. “Pianists have to be alone all the time, and it’s hard, it’s lonely. Being a musician is almost like a very isolated life, and the only time you actually get to communicate is on stage with music. It’s not a bad thing. I think being solitary, it really allows us to think about life and to think about why people write this music. […] It makes you start to wonder about things that are beneath the surface.” Yuja Wang
The Lover’s Garden (Il Giardino degli Amanti)
Il Giardino degli Amanti – Magic in Mozart’s Garden. In the garden of a Baroque villa, a chamber orchestra is playing Mozart’s wonderful quartets and quintets, and everywhere is pervaded with echoes and references to the composer’s world. As if by magic or conjured by the imagination, figures emerge from the shadows of the labyrinthine garden: they are Mozart’s characters, and they play with – or perhaps make fun of – the guests at the party, embroiling them in their well-known amorous dalliances. With lightness and irony, this journey into the universe of Mozart tips its hat to the 1700s also with the scenery and costumes, and fills the garden with fun and passionate virtuoso dances, which follow each other dynamically and quickly with constant changes in the mood. Like in a dream where everything is jumbled together, where reality and illusion merge. This piece, in which the spectator encounters among the dreamlike medley many well-known protagonists from Mozart’s operas (including Figaro, Don Giovanni, and the Queen of the Night), is a full-length choreographic work by Massimiliano Volpini, who himself performed on stage for many years as a dancer with the Scala ensemble. The topclass soloists, Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni, supported by the Corps de Ballet, carry the spectator through a magical maze all the way back to Mozart’s epoch.
Mozart Requiem – Bartabas & Marc Minkowski
An absolute highlight of Salzburg’s Mozart Week with “highest art of sound and riding“ (Kronenzeitung): the French equine artist and theatrical genius Bartabas presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem. Horses and riders from the formidable Académie Équestre de Versailles join forces with the Musiciens du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski, the Salzburger Bachchor and “an excellent quartet of soloists“ (Kurier), namely Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Julien Behr and Charles Dekeyser, to place the Requiem into a new theatrical context. Restoring the Felsenreitschule’s original purpose – a riding school – and at the same time including its impressive architecture of arcades into the musical dramaturgy, the production is a breath-taking synthesis of the arts. By meticulously refining the skillfully regulated interactions between humans, animals and music, Bartabas and his horsemen have created a production which is much more than a great show riding choreography: it’s a moving exploration of the interconnectedness of existence. A piece of art with an “exceptional power of attraction” (Schwäbische Zeitung), “a requiem for all senses“ (Kronenzeitung).
Bruckner Symphony No. 3
Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden already released the Bruckner symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and continue their Bruckner Cycle at the Philharmonie in Munich with a “radiant and majestic” (The Guardian) performance of Symphony No. 3, also known as “Wagner Symphony”. Thielemann, a more than experienced Bruckner interpreter, has once again proven himself as the top of his class, with masterly control over a shining wind section, which “pushed the audience deeply into their seats”. With “moments of disruptive suspense and intense audio density he displays the full musical maelstrom of Bruckners Symphony No. 3” (Münchner Merkur). „Thielemann and the Dresdeners played the Third Symphony … here radiant and majestic, clean ensemble giving a welcome illusion of structural clarity.” (The Guardian about the performance at the Proms) „… the orchestra unfolds from the beginning in fullest splendor“. (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Opera Gala für die deutsche Aids Stiftung
Excerpts from the musical program of the 5th Opera Gala for the German AIDS Foundation on 21 May 2016 at the Bonn Opera House. Featuring renowned singes like Simone Kermes, Roberto De Biasio and Robin Johannsen.
LGT Young Soloists
Highly gifted young soloists between the ages of 12 and 23 have gathered to form this unique string ensemble. Together they have won over 80 first prizes in national and international music competitions. The project was launched in the summer of 2013 by Alexander Gilman and LGT Private Banking. Their first CD Italian Journey was released in 2015 by RCA Red Seal (Sony) and was nominated for the International Classical Music Award (ICMA). The LGT Young Soloists captivate audiences around the globe with their enjoyment of playing, spontaneity and passion for music.
Bruckner Symphony No. 6
Since taking up his post as principal conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle in 2012, Christian Thielemann has launched each new concert season with a Bruckner symphony. In autumn 2015 he choose for the opening concert at Dresden’s historic Semperoper the Sixth, and for the Sächsische Zeitung this performance marked “another Bruckner triumph for Dresden”. Thielemann once more “conjured up the most magical of sonorities” and “the orchestra played magnificently under him“. (Der Neue Merker)
Karajan – Maestro for the Screen + Berliner Philharmoniker play Bach
Herbert von Karajan was the first conductor to be obsessed with filming his own musical performances in order to preserve his cultural heritage. As a film and TV director he was an aesthete, perfectionist, and true pioneer. This documentary starts with the very first concert productions in 1957 in Japan, followed by the impressive cooperation with director Henri-Georges Clouzot in 1965 to Karajan’s own film company Telemondial. It is absolutely fascinating to see how Karajan developed his language for filming orchestral productions. Including outstanding digitally remastered performance material, talks with Karajan, interviews with his closest collaborators and production partners, the documentary is an exciting part of the history of classical music and media.
BONUS: First ever release of a 32 minutes video CONCERT J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3
in G major, BWV 1048 + Suite (Overture) No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (Recorded 1967/1968)