Hanns Eisler believed that “if you wish to possess the future you must first conquer the past”. And so it is with his “Ernste Gesänge” (Serious Songs), which are not only concerned with memory, but also with the hope of future happiness. 50 years after the Dresden premiere, Christian Thielemann and Thomas Hampson perform this final work by Eisler at the Season Opening Concert 2013/2014 of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Not untypically for Bruckner, his Fifth Symphony is a confrontation with the past, in this case resulting in a “polyphonal masterpiece”. —– PROGRAM: Hans Eisler: Ernste Gesänge for Baritone and String Orchestra / Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, WAB 105
Wolf, Songs for Soprano and Orchestra & Bruckner, Symphony No. 7
When conductor Christian Thielemann, master interpreter of the romantic repertoire, and Renée Fleming, late-romantic specialist par excellence, weave their talents into the orchestral tapestry unfolded by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, one of the oldest and most revered orchestras in the world, they create, as put by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, “romantic music as magic for the ears”. For this special concert, the first concert of Christian Thielemann as the principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, they chose the orchestral songs by the Austrian composer HUGO WOLF and ANTON BRUCKNER’s Symphony No. 7.
Thielemann conducts Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
By performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Christian Thielemann, the new chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, fulfilled a long-cherished wish: he always wanted to conduct this work and in Dresden he found the ideal conditions. At the same time he brought it back on the schedule of the Staatskappelle after a pause of over 20 years. The Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 by Johann Sebastian Bach was written for the Christmas season of 1734 in Leipzig. Christian Thielemann leads the Staatskapelle Dresden along with a roster of top soloists: Sibylla Rubens (Soprano), Christa Mayer (Alto), Daniel Behle Tenor) and Florian Boesch (Bass).
Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 in c minor
Christian Thielemann’s Bruckner “is so mighty, and with such a depth of sound … that one would have to be hard-hearted not to be touched by this heartfelt music” wrote the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel after this concert featuring Anton Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony performed by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The recording of this symphony shall start a cycle of Bruckner’s complete symphonies with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under their principal conductor Christian Thielemann that is to be produced over the course of several years – a living monument of musical architecture.