Premiered in 1893 in St. Petersburg with Tchaikovsky on the podium, the Sixth Symphony—later nicknamed “Pathetique”—was met with lukewarm reception before achieving success a few months later under the baton of Napravnik, barely 9 days before the death of the composer! Dedicated to his nephew, Tchaikovsky explained that he had “put my whole soul into this work”, and a tragic aura has remained associated with his ultimate symphonic composition. Discover this powerful work in an exceptional performance with maestro Karajan at the head of the Wiener Philharmoniker.
The Four Seasons
“The greatest musical prodigy since the young Menuhin”: that’s how Herbert von Karajan described the talented violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, barely 14 years old when he met her. Together they recorded the violin concertos of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In this concert broadcast live in 1987 as part of the opening celebrations for Berlin Philharmonie’s Kammermusiksaal, the virtuoso violinist performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
LSO: Gardiner conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann
Inspired by his travels around Britain, and full of the influence of the rolling Scottish landscape, Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 – often known as ‘Scottish’ – and his Overture: The Hebrides are among his most popular and admired works. Programmed with Schumann’s richly imaginative Piano Concerto, acclaimed pianist Maria João Pires joins the Orchestra as soloist.”Even if they spoke with different accents these genial Romantics were united in their ambitious fervour for ‘abstract’ music to be acknowledged as having the same expressive force as poetry, drama or the literary novel. The three works on this album exemplify the endeavour and range of invention of two of them, friends and colleagues in Leipzig” (Sir John Eliot Gardiner). PROGRAM Mendelssohn, Overture: The Hebrides, Symphony No. 3; Schumann, Piano Concerto
LSO: Gergiev conducts Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Featuring the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, this triple header includes Hector Berlioz’ Waverley Overture, Les nuits d’été and Symphonie fantastique. PROGRAM Berlioz: Waverley Overture, Les nuits d’ete, Symphonie fantastique
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 1 & Szymanowski 1
Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 is presented alongside Karol Szymanowski’s own first symphony and Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring the acclaimed soloist Janine Jansen.PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 1; Szymanowski: Symphony No 1, Violin Concerto No 1
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 2 & Szymanowski 2
Presented alongside his Tragic Overture, Johannes Brahms’ relaxed Symphony No. 2, improvisatory in nature with a fuller orchestral sonority, is paired with Karol Szymanowski’s own second symphony. PROGRAM Brahms: Tragic Overture, Symphony No 2; Szymanowski Symphony No 2
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 3 & Szymanowski 3
Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 is considered to mark a new level and stage of maturity, and is performed here alongside his first orchestral piece Variations on a Theme of Haydn. Completing the program is Szymanowski’s Third Symphony, which was written during his second Franco-Arab period and sees tenor Toby Spence take to the stage. PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 3, Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Szymanowski: Symphony No 3
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 4 & Szymanowski 4
Conductor Valery Gergiev leads the London Symphony Orchestra in a stunning interpretation of Johannes Brahms’ fourth and final symphony that showcases the composer’s architectural musical skill. PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 4; Szymanowski: Symphony No 4
Karajan in Japan
Join the maestro Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker for this eclectic and striking program featuring three masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire! The concert begins with Mozart’s Divertimento No. 17 in B-flat Major. Composed in 1777, the work incarnates Classicist ideals of with its apparent simplicity disguising great sophistication. Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Don Juan follows: premiered in 1888, the work narrates the story of the famed libertine with a highly virtuosic score. The concert draws to a close with Ottorio Respighi’s Pines of Rome (1924), for which Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker prove to be the ideal interpreters of its complex and brilliant orchestration.
Berlin 750 Jahre – Opening Concert
Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform Mozart’s captivating Divertimento in D Major—one of many highlights of the 35-year relationship between the conductor and the orchestra! In 1987 as part of the 750th anniversary of Berlin’s founding, this concert kicked off a series of celebrations in the German capital, a festive moment whose preparations in West and East Berlin were a subtle prelude to the events of 1989. With a length and instrumentation reminiscent of the composer’s symphonic works, the Divertimento’s structuring in an extended series of six movements and one-on-a-part texture are typical of the chamber music of the period. A masterpiece composed by the classical genius at the tender age of 16!