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
Andris Nelsons’ Inaugural Concert – Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
A new era in Leipzig has just begun: Andris Nelsons started his tenure as the 21st Gewandhaus conductor. The inaugural concert combined the world premiere of Relief, a new piece by composer Steffen Schleiermacher, with one of the most important premieres in the history of the orchestra. In March 1842, the Gewandhausorchester performed the famous Scottish Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy under the direction of the composer himself for the first time. In choosing this repertoire, Andris Nelsons pays tribute to the grand history of the city of Leipzig and its Gewandhausorchester. Alban Berg’s violin concerto, performed by Latvian Baiba Skride, works as a link between the decades. After Andris Nelsons’ first concert as the 21st Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, the Financial Times states: “the new partnership brims with artistic promise.” PROGRAM Schleiermacher: Relief for Orchestra; Berg: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Symphony No.3
Nelsons conducts Bruckner and Widman
The Gewandhaus season 2017/18 celebrates two momentous occasions: the investiture of Andris Nelsons to the position of the 21st Gewandhauskapellmeister and the 275th anniversary of the Gewandhausorchester’s founding. This festive concert with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and a World Premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Partita promises to become one of the emotional highlights of the festival. PROGRAM Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Widman: Partita
Nelsons conducts Mozart and Tchaikovsky
This concert is devoted to Andris Nelsons’ assumption of the position of Gewandhauskapellmeister. It marks the beginning of the highly promising Tchaikovsky cycle by Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester. Andris Nelsons: “Being appointed as the next Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester is a completely overwhelming honour. This extraordinary orchestra and its wonderful musicians are unique in so many respects, and particularly in their creation of an exceptional sound world based on outstanding tradition that is, at its heart, inspirational.” PROGRAM Mozart: Symphony K. 550; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6
Kraftwerk – Pop Art
The amazing story of how a group of reclusive Rhineland experimentalists became one of the most influential pop groups of all time. The documentary features three exclusive live tracks filmed, at their Tate Modern shows in London (Feb 2013), interwoven with expert analysis, archive footage of the group, newsreel of the era and newly-shot cinematic evocations of their obsessions – motion, cycling, travel, globalism, communication, automation and the harmonious coexistence of man, nature and technology.
Carmina Burana
They are one of the most famous and most frequently performed works of classical music: Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. The Latin title refers to a collection of songs from Benediktbeuern dating from the 11th and 12th centuries with texts written in Middle Latin, Old French and Middle High German. Orff chose 24 of these songs, their topics ranging widely from the volatility of happiness and prosperity to the fleeting nature of life, from the joy of the return of spring to the pleasures and dangers of drunkenness, gluttony, gambling, and lust. At the Palau de la Música in València, the Orquestra de València, one of the great Spanish symphony orchestras, together with one of Spain’s oldest choirs, Orféon Pamplones, perform this epic work under the musical direction of Alexander Liebreich. They are joined by the excellent soloists Sara Blanch, Joaquín Asiáin and André Baleiro, creating a memorable musical evening.
Concierto de Aranjuez
A perfect summer evening in the spectacular Palau de la Música València where the Orquesta de Valencia performs Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”, under the direction of chief conductor Alexander Liebreich. The soloist on the classical guitar is the internationally acclaimed and multi-award-winning Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic – one of the most impressive classical guitarists of our time. The Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo was always closely associated with València – it is the city where he grew up, studied, and later married. Since its foundation 80 years ago, the Orquesta de València has also identified with the heritage of Valencian culture, its composers, and the music of its homeland. The half-hour concert is a synthesis of the most diverse elements of Spanish music. It was quickly regarded abroad as the flagship of Spanish culture – and Joaquín Rodrigo as its ambassador. Interwoven with the concert recording, the documentary part of the program takes us to the Royal Gardens in Aranjuez, where Rodrigo was inspired to write his “Concierto de Aranjuez”. In interviews with conductor Alexander Liebreich, soloist Ana Vidovic and Cecilia Rodrigo, the composer’s daughter, we learn about the genesis of the work, how it was received and what the musicians associate with it.
Messa di Gloria
The ‘Messa a quattro voci’, better known as the ‘Messa di Gloria’, is a youthful work by Giacomo Puccini for orchestra and choir as well as solo tenor and baritone. It was the Italian composer’s final project at the Istituto Musicale Pacini in Lucca and was premiered there on 12 August 1880.
The majestic Romanesque church of San Biagio in Bellinzona, the capital of the canton of Ticino and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an appropriate setting for this milestone in classical music. The performance with original texts and instrumentation by Puccini offers the perfect opportunity to discover the Italian composer’s diverse compositional talent outside the world of opera.
Premieres Revisited – Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Potsdam
This episode marks the start of a captivating series: compositions at their world premiere venues. Mendelssohn composed his famous Sommernachtstraum (Midsummer Night’s Dream) as a teenager, but was not able to incorporate it into the accompaniment to Shakespeare’s fantastic comedy until 16 years later. The incidental music was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and is performed in this special performance at the Theater des Neuen Palais in Potsdam, exactly where the premiere took place in October 1843. Alongside the Kammerakademie Potsdam and its chief conductor Antonello Manacorda, soloists Jeanine De Bique and Christiane Karg, who also appear in Berlioz’s exquisite Les nuits d’été, a work created just two years before Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Premieres Revisited – Sibelius in Helsinki
Another episode of the “Premieres Revisited” series follows the steps of Jean Sibelius in the Finnish capital. The Symphony n. 5, one of the composer’s must beloved works, was commissioned by the Finnish government and premiered on December 8, 1915, on the occasion of the composer’s 50th birthday. It was much revised thereafter, and the final version was presented in 1919. Under its Chief Conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra performs again the Fifth together with the symphonic poem The Oceanides, both compositions that evoke elements of the Nordic world, such as the flying swans of the symphony’s finale.