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
Gergiev conducts the complete Prokofiev Symphonies
As the highlight of the MPHIL 360° festival, Valery Gergiev performs all seven symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mariinsky Orchestra in the Philharmonie Munich. In this “grandiose exhibition of the composer’s oeuvre” (BR Klassik), Gergiev delivers a stunning rendition of Prokofiev’s symphonic cycle 1-7, from the first symphony, which Prokofiev himself named the “Classical”, as ist style is very close to that of Joseph Haydn, to the much-loved Symphony No. 5 and the composer’s beautiful last symphony with its lyrical qualities. The Russian star conductor leads his musicians with minimal movements through Prokofiev’s phantasmagoria of sound. He excels in bringing the little details of the compositions to life – it is nothing short of an “intoxication which Gergiev so irresistibly generates!” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
BPO: Dudamel conducts Dvorak & Adams
City Noir, John Adams’s work for orchestra, is a conglomeration of sophisticated solos, that pays homage to film noir with its title but also with its sinister and sensual sound language. Gustavo Dudamel leads the Berliner Philharmoniker “with lots of humour and real swing through the brilliantly instrumented urban jungle.” (Berliner Morgenpost). In an exciting juxtaposition, the Venezuelan conductor also performs Dvorák’s 9th symphony. Premiered in New York, the colourful work with the nickname “From the New World” brilliantly fuses American impressions and symphonic music. While the Largo can “hardly be imagined in a more noble way”, the Scherzo bursts with great energy, making the endless expanses of the Midwest “almost physically tangible in the swirling stream of sounds” (Tagesspiegel). PROGRAM Dvorak: Symphony No.9; Adams: City Noir
Blomstedt conducts Bruckner and Beethoven
The Staatskapelle Dresden reunites with its former Principal Conductor Herbert Blomstedt for a memorable performance at the Semperoper Dresden, thanking him for 50 years of highly productive collaboration. The grand seigneur amongst today’s conductors leads the orchestra in an impressive rendition of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, which features Sir András Schiff as acclaimed soloist “with an exquisite touch and finest nuances in his play” (Sächsische Zeitung). With the following performance of Anton Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt “leaves a monument” (Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten). PROGRAM Bruckner: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Piano Concert No. 1
The Complete Mozart Violin Concertos
On the occasion of the MPHIL 360° festival, Valery Gergiev brings together at the Philharmonie im Gasteig the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Mariinski Orchestra and five highly promising young violin talents: Vilde Frang, Sergej Dogadin, Alexander Conunova, Yu-Chien Tseng and Daniel Lozakovich. Together they perform all five of Mozart’s violin concertos. An impressive encounter of excellent musicians, who “show off in questions of virtuosity” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). Once again, “Musicmaniac” Gergiev’s motto is “‘Think Big!’ Success proves him right” (Münchner Merkur).
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: The Opening Concert
“HERE TIME BECOMES SPACE” : In January 2017 the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg finally opened its doors with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester under the baton of Principal Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and several top-class soloists. The audience enjoyed an exceptional celebration with numerous guests from the worlds of culture and politics, plus 1,000 people who won tickets in an international raffle. The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester performed an exciting programme that spans across all musical eras, from the Renaissance to the present. It culminated in a brand-new commissioned work, created especially for this occasion by the most important living German composer Wolfgang Rihm. In varying instrumentation and with outstanding soloists the possibilities of the Grand Hall and its acoustics are explored.
Opening Concert of the Pierre Boulez Concert Hall
A stellar lineup of artists, headed by Daniel Barenboim, comes together for the opening concert of the Pierre Boulez Saal, the new architectural highlight of the Barenboim-Said
Akademie in Berlin – “a masterpiece of its kind” (The New Yorker). Anna Prohaska and Jörg Widmann join Daniel Barenboim, “who plays with the sureness of a sleepwalker”
(Süddeutsche Zeitung), for Schubert’s lyrical scene Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, while the latter also partners with the Boulez Ensemble’s strings in Mozart’s Piano Quartet. Karim Said
and Michael Barenboim take on Berg’s Chamber Concerto, and Widmann performs his own Fantasy for Solo Clarinet. The programme is bookended by Boulez’ fanfare-like Initiale
and sur Incises, for three pianos, three harps, and three percussionists. “Absolutely beautiful!” (FAZ)
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola
The Mozart cycle of the MPHIL 360° festival in 2016 was complemented by the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin & Viola, with violinist Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici and viola player Yuri Afonkin. An impressive encounter of excellent musicians, who “show off in questions of virtuosity” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).
Nelsons conducts Bruckner 3
Nelsons lives up to his deep adoration of Richard Wagner, his favourite composer, in this concert, where he is conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, with the Prelude to the First Act and the “Karfreitagszauber” from the Third Act of Wagner’s Parsifal. The second part of the concert is dedicated to another great composer: Anton Bruckner and his 3rd symphony. “With Nelsons conducting, everything diverged into beauty.” (Der Tagesspiegel) “Nelsons worked his magic. Every repetition is a new reason for amazement, from the intimate Trio to the triumphant Final.“ (Berliner Morgenpost) PROGRAM: Wagner: Parsifal Prelude to Act I ; Good Friday Spell from Act III; Bruckner No. 3
Hengelbrock conducts the Brahms Symphony Cycle
Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra tackle a Brahms marathon, performing all four symphonies of the Hamburg-born composer in the historic Laeiszhalle. PROGRAM: Symphony No. 1 (46’); Symphony No. 2 (39’); Symphony No. 3 (38’); Symphony No. 4 (44’). Also available: LECTURE CONCERT “Discovering Brahms with Thomas Hengelbrock (Length: 43′)