One of Dresden’s most important concert halls was reopened with a concert performed by Festspielorchester Dresden after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus for the hall’s reconstruction. Following this reconstruction, the landmarked Kulturpalast, located in the heart of Dresden, offers optimal spatial and acoustic conditions for the first time in its nearly 150-year history. The concert of the Festspielorchester Dresden under the direction of Ivor Bolton featured works by Weber, Beethoven, and Schumann; the soloists were Nicola Benedetti, Alexander Melnikov, and Jan Vogler.
Opus 19 – Jan Vogler & Hélène Grimaud
A year since the Covid-19 pandemic halted live musical performances, world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler drives across the United States – from New York City to California – to visit his friend and frequent collaborator, the prodigious pianist Hélène Grimaud. Desiring to make music again, the duo plans to perform a piece, which they have never played together. With his Stradivarius cello along for the ride, Vogler finds inspiration in the diverse natural beauty of America. He stops to play pieces by Bach in an Indiana forest, snow covered mountains in Colorado and the desert of Utah. The experience causes Vogler to reflect on his career, and approach to music. Grimaud, meanwhile, caring for her horses, also articulates her feelings on performing and her craft. When Vogler arrives in California, the duo plays Rachmanioff’s Cello and Piano Sonata, Op. 19, in one marvelous, emotional take.