In his inaugural concert as chief music director of Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Staatskapelle Berlin, Christian Thielemann showcases his versatility. He performs Mendelssohn’s seldom-played Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Igor Levit, described as having a “warm, soft, full-bodied” sound. The concert concludes with Schönberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, praised for its emotional depth and Thielemann’s ability to bring out the brass at the perfect moment, generating powerful, transparent music that evokes strong feelings. “It was evident how well Igor Levit and Christian Thielemann work together. Both build up great pressure and tension, seem to literally spur each other on, and the audience cheered”(Bild) PROGRAM: Moussa – Elysium; Mendelssohn – Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 40; Schönberg – Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5
Festive Gala from the Semperoper Dresden
In this edition of the Staatskapelle Dresden’s New Year’s Eve concert, every classical music fan is sure to get their money’s worth. Exceptional pianist Igor Levit performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, perhaps the most famous of Mozart’s piano concertos. “Transparent, without the slightest scratch, he mastered his part, attentive to the orchestra. At times it seemed as if Levit was stroking the keys, only to grow into brilliant virtuosity.” (Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten) South-African soprano Golda Schultz (“a voice with an almost immeasurable range of colours, effortlessly guided and golden in bloom”, Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten), Czech mezzo-soprano Štepánka Pucálková and Ukrainian baritone Iurii Samoilov take the audience into the world of opera and operetta – from with love arias from Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro to Strauss, Offenbach, Franz Lehár and Strauss II. Conductor Tugan Sokhiev “proved himself to be a man of unerring precision and precisely differentiated orchestral work.” (Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten) “A splendid programme with splendid soloists” (Dresdner Morgenpost)
Festive Gala at the Semperoper Dresden: From Berlin to Broadway – The Golden Twenties
The Semperoper Dresden invites the public into the New Year with songs, hits and operetta classics from Berlin to Broadway: In the festive ambiance of the Semper Opera House, the audience of the New Year’s Eve concert, which have now become a tradition, can expect lively melodies from the “Golden Twenties”. Under the direction of Christian Thielemann, excerpts from “Metropolis” will be heard alongside well-known film hits from the heyday of cinema in the transition from silent to sound film. Berlin as the glorious center of a new, independent operetta era and New York with its Broadway musicals and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, played by Igor Levit, are the musical focal points of the program.
Magic Moments of Music – Leonard Bernstein and Krystian Zimerman interpret Brahms
It was a unique coming together in Vienna in 1984 when enigmatic pianist Krystian Zimerman and charismatic maestro Leonard Bernstein stepped onto the stage and in front of the cameras to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. The result was indeed a magic moment of music and a landmark in the career of Krystian Zimerman. In this episode Zimerman gives a rare interview, and for the first time in a TV documentary, speaks in detail about the background to the concert recording and why the collaboration with Leonard Bernstein radically changed the course of his artistic life. Eminent colleagues including Hélène Grimaud and Igor Levit as well as close confidants of Leonard Bernstein such as the conductor Marin Alsop and his former assistant Charlie Harmon also tell us what makes this concert a great moment for them.
Thielemann & Levit – Wiener Philharmoniker Brahms Cycle
“Thielemann, Levit and the Wiener Philharmoniker act like a single musical soul” (Kurier) The collaboration between Christian Thielemann and the Wiener Philharmoniker in their Brahms cycle is truly something special. One of the highlights is pianist Igor Levit’s passionate take on Brahms’ Piano Concerto in D minor. Critics have raved about how beautifully he connects with the orchestra, bringing out the nuances in the piece. After that stunning performance, they dive into Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, which impresses with its powerful moments and delicate details. Thielemann’s guidance, combined with the orchestra’s skill, really shines, setting a high bar for concert performances. PROGRAM: Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15; Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Thielemann conducts Brahms
“There is no clearer plea for a Brahms cycle with this conductor and this pianist” (Kurier) said the press about this concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the direction of Christian Thielemann. It is the continuation of their Brahms cycle, the performance of all of the composer’s symphonies and instrumental concertos. This part of the cycle includes Brahms’ Third Symphony and his Second Piano Concerto, which is considered one of the most difficult concertos in the piano literature. The exceptional pianist Igor Levit takes up this challenge and “seemingly took the heaviness out of the solo parts, […] his wondrous Brahms feeling enchanted in moments of floating tempi as well as in the midst of fine mists of sound that arose from rapid whispers. A summit of delicacy” (Der Standard). Together with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Christian Thielemann, it’s “a combination that one cannot imagine can be surpassed today” (Kurier) PRORAM Brahms: Symphony No. 3, Piano Concerto No. 2
RCO: Pappano conducts Beethoven & Schumann
Igor Levit returns to the Concertgebouworkest to perform Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto under the direction of Sir Antonio Pappano. The outstanding Russian–German pianist made his Concertgebouworkest debut in April 2018. Levit’s performance was ‘self-assured and challenging’, wrote De Volkskrant of his performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto ones again provides an opportunity for another exciting partnership. PROGRAM Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3; Schumann: Symphony No. 2