Say goodbye to winter blues with this musical bouquet of wonderful melodies. Every year, the Wiener Symphoniker ring in the spring season with their Easter Concert, which has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar for more than 40 years. This edition features conductor Manfred Honeck, the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and world-class soprano Diana Damrau, who dazzles the audience with Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro”, Lehár’s “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß” and Poulenc’s “Gloria” among others. PROGRAM: Music by Bruckner, Brahms, Puccini, Lehar, Orff, Poulenc.
Salzburg Festival 2023: Nelsons conducts Berg, Bach and Mahler
In this concert, the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Andris Nelsons are focusing on a “heavenly” pairing of works: Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, entitled “To the Memory of an Angel” is combined with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, in the last movement of which the poem “Das himmlische Leben” (Heavenly Life) is set to music. With this performance, young German-American violinist August Hadelich gave his debut at the Salzburg Festival and thrilled the press: “The fabulous Augustin Hadelich filled the difficult solo part with emotion and fragility, his performance was sensitive and yet glowing.” (Die Presse) With Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Andris Nelsons performs “a Mahler miracle of quiet tones” (Volksblatt) – together with German soprano Christiane Karg (“subtle and with beautifully coloured soprano”, Kurier) as the soloist of the finale of the symphony. The concert is part of the Mahler cycle of the Wiener Philharmoniker and Andris Nelsons.
Anne-Sophie Mutter & Mutter’s Virtuosi
For years, Anne-Sophie Mutter has been performing together with various scholarship students of her foundation – in order to familiarize them with the life of a professional musician and to introduce them to a broader audience. In spring 2011 she also launched the project Mutter’s Virtuosi: This ensemble under the musical direction of the violinist consists of current and former scholarship holders of the of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation as well as several other young musicians. This concert at Vienna’s Musikverein includes works by J. S. Bach, his Violin Concerto No. 1 and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Vivaldi’s concert for three violins in F major, the Violin Concerto in A major by Joseph Bologne as well as the Nonet by André Previn, a commission for Mutter’s Virtuosi.
Thielemann conducts Brahms
“There is no clearer plea for a Brahms cycle with this conductor and this pianist” (Kurier) said the press about this concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the direction of Christian Thielemann. It is the continuation of their Brahms cycle, the performance of all of the composer’s symphonies and instrumental concertos. This part of the cycle includes Brahms’ Third Symphony and his Second Piano Concerto, which is considered one of the most difficult concertos in the piano literature. The exceptional pianist Igor Levit takes up this challenge and “seemingly took the heaviness out of the solo parts, […] his wondrous Brahms feeling enchanted in moments of floating tempi as well as in the midst of fine mists of sound that arose from rapid whispers. A summit of delicacy” (Der Standard). Together with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Christian Thielemann, it’s “a combination that one cannot imagine can be surpassed today” (Kurier) PRORAM Brahms: Symphony No. 3, Piano Concerto No. 2
Opening Concert Mozart Week 2023
Ivor Bolton, who was chief conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra from 2004 to 2016, returns to Salzburg for a special concert: designed in the style of an 18th-century “academy”, it offers a colourful mix of early and late works, large and small form, instrumental and vocal works. Solo support comes from violinist Clarissa Bevilacqua with Mozart’s Adagio in E major and Rondo in C major. The young Italian won the “Salzburg Mozart Competition” in 2020 in the violin category as well as the prize for the best Mozart interpretation. Austrian baritone Rafael Fingerlos sings selected arias from Bastien und Bastienne and Zaide. “A Mozart cross-section of high sensual appeal” (Kronenzeitung).
Honeck conducts Beethoven & Schmidt
Young Spanish violinist María Dueñas is currently conquering the concert stages of the world and performing with the most renowned orchestras and conductors of our time. Her technical skills, artistic maturity and interpretations full of character come together in her performances. Winner of several violin competitions, she was selected by BBC Radio 3 as one of the New Generation Artists 2021-23. In this concert with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Manfred Honeck, she presents Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with her own cadenzas. “Her mixture of tautness and elasticity, verve and sensitivity was as enchanting as the focused, luminous tone of her violin” (Der Standard). The concert is rounded off with Franz Schmidt’s (1874–1939) Fourth Symphony.
Paavo Järvi & Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
“When a conductor who is always in search of the ideal sound meets an orchestra that follows him with devotion at every stage and a virtuoso who transports us to other worlds with the truthfulness of his playing, extraordinary things can happen. This is what happened when Paavo Järvi and “his” Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich gave a guest performance with violist Antoine Tamestit at the Vienna Musikverein” (Kurier). The concert opens with Berlioz’s Harold en Italie, a dreamy, melancholy work in which Berlioz processed his wanderings in the Abruzzi. French violist Antoine Tamestit likes to experiment with new formats and seeks his way off the interpretive beaten track. Harold en Italie therefore seems tailor-made for him: as a symphony with solo viola, it was a highly innovative work in its time. The work is followed by Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1, in the version for orchestra by Arnold Schönberg. Brahms composed the piece in 1861 and it is known for its sweeping melodies and complex counterpoint.
Jakub Hrusa & Bamberger Symphoniker
Depth of feeling, melancholy and sadness: the programme of this concert with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under their chief conductor Jakub Hruša revolves around this triad. The concert begins with the Adagietto from Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, a musical declaration of love by the composer to his wife Alma. An ideal prelude to Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), the composer’s “swan song”, written in 1948, at a time when Strauss saw his world in ruins after the war and was already plagued by illness. American soprano Corinne Winters “shone with intensity and bright heights” (Der Standard). The concert closes with Suk’s symphonic monumental work Asrael. In it, Suk deals with two strokes of fate, first the death of his father-in-law Antonín Dvorák and a little later also the surprising death of his wife, Dvorák’s daughter. “What a blast” (Der Standard)
Evgeny Kissin plays Bach, Mozart, Chopin & Rachmaninoff
In this piano recital, master pianist Evgeny Kissin spans the programme from Bach to Mozart to Chopin and Rachmaninoff. For the latter, Kissin makes a passionate commitment in the year of the composer’s 150th birthday: “Rachmaninoff’s music”, he says, “has a quality that speaks directly to people. There are no language barriers”. With the selection of one piece, Kissin consciously positions himself against Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Chopin’s Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44, became part of the recital at short notice. Composed in 1841, it was written at a time when Poland was in a similar situation as Ukraine is now: Warsaw was occupied by Russian troops. “Goosebumps, new insights, unanimous cheers” (Frankfurter Neue Presse)
Springtime in Vienna 2023
For more than 40 years, “Springtime in Vienna”, the TV Easter Concert of the Wiener Symphoniker, has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar. Featuring the world’s most in demand soloists, the Wiener Symphoniker celebrate the upcoming spring with a colorful bouquet of lively melodies. This edition features Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann. Within just a few years, she has established herself as one of the leading sopranos of her generation being acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for her exceptionally beautiful timbre and sensitive performances, most recently “outstanding as a radiant Pamina” (The Telegraph) at the Salzburg Festival. She has received numerous awards and prizes and in 2015, she was finalist of the “Cardiff Singer of the World” Competition.