The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra presents its new Music Director Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla at the BBC Proms. Gražinyte-Tyla is not only the successor of Sir Simon Rattle and Andris Nelsons at the CBSO, but also the first female conductor to take over one of the world’s leading orchestras. Her talent and musicality shine bright in the concert’s centre piece, the “spellbinding and bewitching” (The Guardian) song cycle Let me tell you by Hans Abrahamsen, performed by no less than Barbara Hannigan, for whom the piece was written in the first place. In the second half of the concert, Gražinyte-Tyla and the CBSO explore Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Fourth Symphony – “technically impeccable and just that bit more vivid than usual” (The Guardian). PROGRAM: Mozart: Overture Die Zauberflöte; Abrahamsen: Let me tell you; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
ROH: Lessons in Love and Violence
Lessons in Love and Violence, the new opera by composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp, two of Britain’s most celebrated artists, received a glowing reception from audiences and critics alike on its world premiere at the Royal Opera House in London. In a modern day setting it tells the powerful and thrilling story of King Edward II, whose romantic relationship with the Earl of Cornwall, Piers Gaveston, tears his country and his family apart. Barbara Hannigan is as “outstanding as ever”! (Financial Times)
A Prelude to Debussy
Claude Debussy died one hundred years ago. His writings reveal him to have been profoundly non-conformist and extreme. Whether they find it mysterious and impenetrable or fascinating and brilliant, no one is indifferent to his music. Through correspondences, interviews with contemporary artists, archival materials and lots of music, this film brings to life the man and his work. In this film, contemporary artists – among them conductor Philippe Jordan, singer Barbara Hannigan and pianist Alexandre Tharaud – recount ‘their Debussy’, providing keys to a better understanding of the composer’s works and the radical rupture they constituted at his time. The portrait is completed by up to now unpublished archival interviews and excerpts of performances by great ‘Debussians’ like Samson François, Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez.
Maestras – The long journey of women to the podium
Being a female conductor means being an exception. Even today. When a woman stands on the podium she is, in most cases, somehow “the first”: the first to lead a world-class orchestra, the first to conduct the “Last Night of the Proms” in London, the first to win the German Conductor Prize. For decades, this sensational character has been tradition. At the same time it seems that the world of the maestro is now in a state of upheaval. The young Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, who took over the post of Andris Nelsons in Birmingham this September, said with conviction: “I really believe that something is changing now.” But why is it that there have been so few female conductors in the international music scene? To take a closer look at this phenomenon, the 53-minute film MAESTRAS follows several female conductors. This historical retrospective is supplemented by the memories of Hedy Graber. She is the daughter of Hedy Salquin, the first Swiss female conductor, who in 1955 received a letter from the Hessian Radio with the words: “Dear Mr. Salquin, although you are a woman we are addressing you with “Mr.” Moreover, we don’t have any use for you.”
Barbara Hannigan – A Late Night Concert
There are pianists who also conduct, and concertmasters who lead their orchestra from the violin chair. But a star soprano who coordinates a large instrumental ensemble while at the same time negotiating the trickiest coloratura singing is something entirely new. That is, until Barbara Hannigan came along to reveal this remarkable skill. “It’s like walking on virgin snow,” says the Canadian “artiste étoile” who teamed up at Lucerne Festival in Summer with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Next to conducting works by Fauré, Mozart and Rossini she performed onstage, decked out in a daring S&M-style leather bodice, Ligeti’s “Mysteries of the Macabre.”
I’m a creative animal – Barbara Hannigan
She crosses boundaries and loves to explore new territory. Barbara Hannigan is one of the most fascinating and multi-facetted artistic personalities of our time. She sets new standards as a singer, conductor, and performance artist. The intimate portrait “I’m a creative animal” takes the viewer into the world of an exceptional musician – a world of both passion and discipline. Her performances possess a breathtaking intensity because of her exquisite vocal technique and virtuosity, musical and theatrical expressivity, and uncompromising engagement.
SIMON! The Joy of Conducting
Sir Simon Rattle is one of the most famous conductors in the world. His enthusiasm, his inspiring charisma and his empathetic manner inspire audiences in the big cities and in the provinces. ,,I always have music in my head,“ says the 70-year-old Peter Pan of classical music – we are there when the spark jumps and understand why he can ignite a fire and inspire people to love music like no other. In January 2025, Sir Simon Rattle will be 70 years old – no age for a conductor, but reason enough to look back and see what made him what he is today: A constant innovator who always had to deal with resistance, but who never lost his passion for communicating music.