To mark Anton Bruckner’s bicentenary in 2024, Christian Thielemann, the Wiener Philharmoniker and Unitel are recording the first Bruckner cycle with a single conductor in the orchestra’s history. “Two premieres: With the Study Symphony and the and the ‘Nullte’, the Wiener Philharmoniker under Christian Thielemann continued their Bruckner cycle in the empty Musikverein. For orchestra and conductor, these were first encounters. The result can already be said to be of great caliber.” Kronen Zeitung. PROGRAM Bruckner: Symphony in F minor, WAB 99 (Study Symphony), Symphony in D minor, WAB 100 (Nullte)
Mozart Week 2021: Cara Sorella Mia – Letters and music
A concert dedicated not only to Mozart as a composer, but to Mozart the universal artist: his letters to his sister Nannerl are an art in themselves and show the wit and humor of this young and lively composer. The letters are read by the famous Austrian actress, Adele Neuhauser and are embedded into the performance of Mozart’s most beautiful sonatas for violin and piano. Played by the young violinist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian on Mozart’s own original violin and at his side playing Mozart’s original piano is Marie Sophie Hauzel. The venue is the Tanzmeistersaal of Mozart’s townhouse in Salzburg. Versions available: Concert & letters only: 68′ / Concert, letters & documentary elements: 77′. PROGRAM Violin Sonata K. 302, Violin Sonata K. 378, Violin Sonata K. 304, Violin Sonata K. 304, Violin Sonata K. 526 + Letters by W. A. Mozart to his sister Maria Anna (read in German)
A Musical Journey through Grafenegg
A special Grafenegg soirée – the festival’s artistic director, pianist Rudolf Buchbinder meets various voice leaders of the Tonkünstler orchestra in the middle of the impressive park for a musical get together. Well-known works by Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Haydn and Beethoven can be heard at various locations on the festival site, for example the Wolkenturm, outside the castle, the auditorium, the garden pavilion and the park’s idyllic biotope.
Bartabas in Salzburg 2017 – Mozart: Requiem
An absolute highlight of Salzburg’s Mozart Week with “highest art of sound and riding“ (Kronenzeitung): the French equine artist and theatrical genius Bartabas presents Mozart’s Requiem. Horses and riders from the formidable Académie Équestre de Versailles join forces with the Musiciens du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski, the Salzburger Bachchor and “an excellent quartet of soloists“ (Kurier), namely Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Julien Behr and Charles Dekeyser, to place the Requiem into a new theatrical context. Restoring the Felsenreitschule’s original purpose – a riding school – and at the same time including ist impressive architecture of arcades into the musical dramaturgy, the production is a breath-taking synthesis of the arts. By meticulously refining the skillfully regulated interactions between humans, animals and music, Bartabas and his horsemen have created a production which is much more than a great show riding choreography: it’s a moving exploration of the interconnectedness of existence. A piece of art with an “exceptional power of attraction” (Schwäbische Zeitung), “a requiem for all senses“ (Kronenzeitung).
Grafenegg: Anniversary Gala 2016: Beethoven No. 9
The Grafenegg Festival celebrates its 10 years’ anniversary! On this occasion, the Tonkünstler Orchestra, under the baton of Yutaka Sado, is joined by 22 alumni of the European Union Youth Orchestra and accompanied by top soloists Klaus Florian Vogt, René Pape, Camilla Nylund and Elena Zhidkova. The jubilee includes this year’s Composer in Residence Christian Jost’s two commissioned works Fanfare and An die Hoffnung as well as Beethoven’s Overture Coriolan. With Beethoven’s 9th Symphony the evening reaches ist climax. Due to the performance of “the excellent bass René Pape, the fabulous soprano Camilla Nylund and the great mezzo-soprano Elena Zhidkova along with the Wiener Singverein, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony turned out to be simply sensational. Jubilation!” (Kurier)
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2016
For the Summer Nights Gala world stars assemble under the night sky on Grafenegg’s “Wolkenturm” (“cloud-tower”) stage, the futuristic stage design that has become a symbol of the Festival. Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and soprano Olga Peretyatko present works by Gounod, Bizet, Verdi, Donizetti and Lehár, pianist Rudolf Buchbinder plays Weber’s Concert Piece in F minor. The gala conclude with a firework display to Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance in front of the beautiful backdrop of the idyllic castle grounds. “A triumph for Peretyatko, Terfel and Buchbinder!” (Kronenzeitung) “A feast of great voices and uppermost piano-art.” (Kurier)
Making of “Die Jahreszeiten”
“Jubilation!” (Kronen Zeitung) in the Great Festival Hall in Salzburg for Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Seasons with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. The conductor tunes his “Wiener” to peak performance and shows as few others can how “to coax the tenderest expressive pianissimo shiver from the violins and violas into the almost inaudible”, enthuses the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Hollywood in Vienna
‘Hollywood in Vienna’ is the world’s first and unique redcarped film music gala concert, celebrating the most renowned film composers of our time. The annual gala combines an orchestral concert of highest musical level with guests from the dream factory and a Hollywood-like staging in the historical setting of the Vienna Concert Hall. Classical symphonic music known from today’s movies reaches a young and new target audience. On the programme works by Bruce Broughton, John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, John Powell, Max Steiner and Nicholas Hooper.
Cinderella’s Dream (Aschenbrödels Traum)
Explore a fresh take on the classic Cinderella story! Inspired by Johann Strauss’s unfinished ballet, Axel Ranisch and Martina Eisenreich dream up a unique operetta that blends the original ballet’s history with a modern twist on the fairy tale. Cinderella’s Dream invites the audience on a magical journey of self-discovery, liberation, creativity, and the power of imagination. Martina Eisenreich’s music captures Johann Strauss’s artistic spirit, weaving in familiar motifs while creating a completely original musical world, which conductor Leslie Suganandarajah brings to life formidably: “The orchestra mastered the genre shifts in Eisenreich’s score, which elegantly combined Strauss, feel-good film music and twelve-tone echoes” (Die Presse). ” An accessible, entertaining, contemporary approach to the world of the Waltz King .” (Der Standard)
Die Fledermaus
On 5 April 1874, at what is now Linke Wienzeile, a world premiere took place that changed the genre of operetta and the history of the Theater an der Wien for good. To mark Johann Strauss’ 200th birthday, artistic director Stefan Herheim surprises with a fresh new production of the “queen of operettas”: Musical references that tie back to the Theater an der Wien, political warnings and precise character work make for a truly unique spin on an old classic. “Alina Wunderlin is a delightful grumpy Adele with coloratura qualities, Hulkar Sabirova throws herself wholeheartedly into the role of Rosalinde and Thomas Blondelle is a pompous, sleazy Eisenstein, just as one could wish for” (APA). Chief conductor Petr Popelka “achieves success with the confident and supple orchestra and the enthusiastic and splendid Schoenberg Choir” (Die Presse). “A brilliant performance by conductor and orchestra!” (FAZ)