More than 250 years after their premiere, conductor Giovanni Antonini and his ensemble Il Giardino Armonico are bringing Joseph Haydn’s three symphonies based on the times of day back to their place of origin, the magnificent Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace in Austria. A musical journey through the day, in which the location, the work, and the musicians form a magical connection. Historical and very contemporary.
“The Morning.” “The Noon.” “The Evening.” Not just three times of day, but also three symphonies composed by Joseph Haydn, with which he probably celebrated his debut at the magnificent court of Prince Esterházy in 1761. More than 250 years later, Il Giardino Armonico, conducted by Giovanni Antonini, once again perform the cycle in the historic setting of its premiere: in the magnificent Haydn Hall of Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt in Burgenland, Austria. Long Version includes additionally Haydn: Arianna a Naxos with Kate Lindsey
Tarmo Peltokoski, Music Director Designate of the HK Phil, leads a captivating Nordic-inspired programme that showcases Finland in both its traditional and cosmopolitan forms. The evening opens with Castor, a dazzling orchestral work by Esa-Pekka Salonen, HK Phil’s Composer-in-Residence for the 2025/26 season and a compatriot and mentor of Peltokoski. The piece is inspired by the twin brothers of Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux. Superstar pianist Lang Lang then brings radiant virtuosity to Grieg’s lyrical Piano Concerto, before the concert concludes with Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, evoking the mythic heart of Finnish folklore in all its power and poetry. PROGRAM Salonen: Castor; Grieg: Piano Concerto
Yunchan Lim was the youngest ever winner of the legendary Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. Now, at the age of twenty-one, he is making his Concertgebouw Orchestra debut in Robert Schumann’s one and only Piano Concerto. The dreamy slow movement of this Romantic work is among the most beautiful Schumann ever composed. After the interval, the conductor Jakub Hruša guides us through his native Czech Republic with symphonic poems by two renowned fellow countrymen. In The Wild Dove, Dvorak tells a story full of passion, murder and all-consuming guilt in a village community. When Dvorak died in the spring of 1904, his pupil and son-in-law Josef Suk happened to be working on Prague, a symphonic ode to the city of Prague. The epic work would also become a homage to his mentor. PROGRAM Schumann: Piano Concerto; Dvorak: The Wild Dove; Suk: Prague
At the centre of the Shostakovich Festival 2025 in Leipzig was a performance of Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony, in which Andris Nelsons led the combined forces of the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Gewandhaus. Since 2018, both orchestras, at the helm of both of which Andris Nelsons stands, have continuously developed an ever-closer transatlantic partnership. Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, known as the “Leningrad Symphony”, was composed during World War II and stands as a masterpiece of both artistic and historical significance. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No 7
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich’s death in 2025, the Leipzig Gewandhaus organized a unique festival featuring world-class artists and orchestras. The opening concert was the first highlight: the Gewandhausorchester, under the baton of its music director Andris Nelsons, performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the acclaimed pianist Daniil Trifonov as well Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Piano Concerto No 2, Symphony No 4
In his internationally acclaimed interpretations of Mahler’s symphonies, Riccardo Chailly focuses on the musical quality of the works, avoiding false pathos and sentimentality while retaining the music’s dramatic intensity. Together with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and Elina Garanca, he opened the 2025 festival summer festival with Mahler’s poignant, unfinished 10th Symphony and Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. The concert opened with Pierre Boulez’s Mémoriale, in reverence of the inaugural director of the Lucerne Festival Academy, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2025. PROGRAM Mahler: Rückert-Lieder, Ssymphony No 10; Boulez: Mémoriale
The Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly continued their journey into Sergei Rachmaninoff’s emotional world. With the rarely performed The Rock, Op. 7, they immersed themselves in the composer’s early work. In his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Rachmaninoff counterposes his own piano virtuosity against the brilliance of the legendary violinist Paganini. The piece was performed by the exceptional pianist Beatrice Rana, renowned worldwide for her electrifying playing. To conclude the evening, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, under Riccardo Chailly’s direction, presented Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1. PROGRAM Rachmaninoff: The Rock, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No 1
The chief conductor designate Klaus Mäkelä is once again following in the footsteps of Gustav Mahler. Since Mahler led the orchestra in his Fifth Symphony in 1906, they performed it 130 times. The kaleidoscopic symphony evokes emotional extremes. ‘Each movement has its friends and foes,’ Mahler once said. Yet the Adagietto, the symphony’s very lifeblood, seems to have only friends. According to Willem Mengelberg, the orchestra’s then chief conductor who maintained close contact with the composer, this movement was a pure declaration of love to Mahler’s wife Alma. The young violinist Daniel Lozakovich joins the Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first collaboration together. He shines in Max Bruch’s legendary First Violin Concerto. PROGRAM Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1; Mahler: Symphony No. 5
With his innovative musical skills and irresistible charisma, HAUSER is bringing a new wave of cello music to audiences worldwide. His programme includes music that reflects his unique approach to classical compositions, film scores and popular music, drawing on repertoire from his various solo albums. The Croatian musician is acclaimed worldwide for his captivating live performances and is considered a master of audience interaction. To do justice to the beautiful setting of Neuschwanstein Castle, HAUSER and the Munich Symphony Orchestra have selected an exclusive programme for this evening that promises to do justice to the unique surroundings.
Tarmo Peltokoski is at the helm of the Hong Kong Philharmonic for this concert featuring Henk de Vlieger’s “Orchestral Adventure” drawing together highlights of Wagner’s monumental Ring: a superb distillation of some of the most exciting, moving and thrilling music ever written, presented in concentrated orchestral form.
