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
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
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
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!”
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.
Elbphiharmonie: Urbanski conducts Holst and Williams
Is this music from »Star Wars« or »E.T.«? Such questions regularly pop up when sections of the »Planets« by Gustav Holst are performed. However, it is the other way around: long before the first »talkies« were ever made, British composer Holst created these effective and visionary pieces that have remained popular ever since. PROGRAM Holst: The Planets; Williams: Soundtrack to Star Wars
The Odeonsplatz Concert 2017: Honeck & Grubinger
Munich’s Odeonsplatz Concert is one of the openair highlights of the year. Nestled in the historic city centre, between the magnificent Residenz Palace, the towering Theatinerkirche and the Feldherrnhalle, the Odeonsplatz provides the appropriate setting for an exceptional performer such as Martin Grubinger. The Austrian multi-percussionist is credited for turning classical solo percussion into an event. He demonstrates his versatility with works by Bruno Hartl, John Corigliano and Tan Dun, who wrote The Tears of Nature specifically for him. Performing at a breakneck pace, Grubinger, “a virtuoso beyond believe” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), challenges the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck to a percussion duel at the highest level. Pieces by Antonin Dvorák and Dmitri Shostakovitch complete the programme.
Odeonsplatz Concert 2017: Gergiev & Wang
Munich’s Odeonsplatz Concert is one of the open-air highlights of the year. The magnificent Residenz Palace on one side and the serene, towering Theatinerkirche on the other provide the ideal backdrop for exceptional performances of classical music. In this setting, Chinese star pianist Yuja Wang, Valery Gergiev and the Münchner Philharmoniker present a popular yet demanding concert programme. Wang performs Brahms’s First Piano Concerto “with vertiginous virtuosity, somnambulistic sovereignty, a fine sense of dramaturgy and rhythmic perfection” (Münchner Merkur). With “a secure sense for creating effects without gimmickry” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), Gergiev conducts Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, before closing with popular encores from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila. PROGRAM: Brahms: First Piano Concerto; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Mariss Jansons and Daniel Barenboim perform Beethoven & Prokofiev
Daniel Barenboim returns to Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) for a very special collaboration – ten years after his first performance as piano soloist with them. Together they present a stunning rendition of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. Hardly any other musician has studied the works of Beethoven as thoroughly as Barenboim and he turns the second movement into something special indeed: the calmness and intimacy of the Adagio is second to none. “No other piano player creates such a magical atmosphere in the quiet passages; no other is capable of stopping time hypnotically like this.” (Abendzeitung) The second part of the night is devoted to Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. Here, the BRSO soars to great achievements in sound, creating a finale “with vertiginous vehemence and power of sound” (Bachtrack). PROGRAM: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Festive Gala from the Semperoper Dresden – 100th Anniversary of UFA
The Festive Gala at the Semperoper Dresden brings back the splendour of UFA Film for one scintillating night full of famous melodies. Christian Thielemann and his Staatskapelle Dresden together with outstanding singers Angela Denoke, Elisabeth Kulman und Daniel Behle pay homage to the hit songs of the so-called dream factory, which dominated the German film industry from 1917 to 1945, and produced classics like “Metropolis”, “The Three from the Filling Station” and “The Blue Angel”. Created in the first half of the 20th century, the UFA productions are marked by the ambivalence of culture and politics that is characteristic for this part of German history. For ZDF and the artists, the concert offers the chance for a deliberate, critical review of the “film dreams” of the past and the undeniable “dissonances” of the nation’s history.