Repertoire: Schumann, Symphony No. 4 / Brahms, Symphony No. 4
Lucerne Festival: Moving to Modern Times: Simon Rattle conducts works by Ligeti, Wagner, Sibelius, Debussy and Ravel
In 2011, theBerliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle started their Lucerne series ‘Moving to Modern Times’. In 2012 they continued their celebrated and acclaimed start with pieces by Ligeti, Sibelius and Wagner. —— PROGRAM: György LIGETI ‘Atmosphères’ for full orchestra; Richard WAGNER: Prelude to ‘Lohengrin’; Jean SIBELIUS: Symphony No.4 in A minor, op. 63; Claude DEBUSSY ‘Jeux. Poème dansé pour orchestre’; Maurice RAVEL: ‘Daphnis et Chloé’. 2ème Suite
Lucerne Festival: Simon Rattle conducts Britten and Bruckner
Another late summer highlight at Lucerne Festival: Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker presenting works by Benjamin Britten and Anton Bruckner. Britten gethered eight musical-poetic night pieces together under the title ‘Nocturne’: Musical settings of English poets throughout the centuries perfomed by tenor Ian Bostridge. This cycle of orchestral songs is coupled with Bruckner’s ‘Swan Song,’ his last symphony, which was unfinished and which he dedicated to ‘Dear God’ – Symphony No. 9 in D minor.
New Year’s Eve Concert 1989 – Carmina Burana
New Year’s Eve concert 1989 from Berlin featuring Seiji Ozawa conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Kathleen Battle in a performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.”
Rostropovich and the Berlin Philharmonic – New Year’s Eve Concert 1990
Programme: Tschaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Alfred Schnittke: Monologue for Viola and Strings, Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile, Dimitri Shostakovich: Interludes from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Berlin Philharmonic: New Year’s Eve Concert 1991 – Beethoven Gala
Programme: “Egmont”, “Leonore III”, Chorfantasie.
Richard Strauss Gala – New Year’s Eve Concert 1992 – Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The programme includes Don Juan, Burleske, Till Eulenspiegel’s lustige Streiche, Finale from “Der Rosenkavalier”.
Berlin Philharmonic – Wagner Gala – New Year’s Eve Concert 1993
The 1993 New Year’s Eve Gala of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is dedicated to Richard Wagner. On the programme: ‘Tannhäuser’: Ouverture, Act II Aria ‘Dich teure Halle’, Act III Song to the Evening Star, ‘Lohengrin’: ‘In ferner Einsamkeit des Waldes’ (Act II),’ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’: Prelude to Act I, Aria ‘Was duftet doch der Flieder (Act II), ‘Die Walküre’: ‘Der Männer Sippe’ (Act I), The Ride of the Valkyries (Act III).
Herbert von Karajan – Maestro for the Screen
Herbert von Karajan was the important conductor, who created film and later video productions on his own responsibility. „I am actually born too early“, he said, well knowing, that the video possibilities were still in their very beginnings. Georg Wuebbolt made interviews with Karajan’s team: his Director of photography, his cutter, his secretary, his producer and musicians of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This documentary includes outstanding performance material from the Unitel and Telemondial library, as well as unreleased digitally remastered excerpts from the legendary
RBB (SFB) and ORF archive.
Lucerne Festival 2013: Simon Rattle conducts Mozart – The Last Three Symphonies
Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic take on a myth with their complete performance of the last three symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. For the Romantics, these three scores represented Mozart’ legacy to posterity – but for Rattle they signify an interpretive challenge of the first order: “Here human emotions are pushed to the absolute extreme,” he explains. Mozart’s music is in any case incomparable: “It is deeply emotional and passionate and dark and dangerous and cheerful like no other music that has ever been written.” —– PROGRAM: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony in E-flat major, K. 543 / Symphony in G minor, K. 550 / Symphony in C major, K. 551 (Jupiter)