This concert shows the magic that happens when a master of his craft meets the most masterfully crafted instrument: On the occasion of his 80th birthday, world-famous organist Ton Koopman plays the pipe organ at the Salamanca Hall in Gifu, Japan for an exclusive recording. The largest work of Tsuji Hiroshi, a pioneering organ builder in Japan, the instrument incorporates the features of the organ at the Salamanca Cathedral in Spain and is unique for its blend of Spanish and German styles. Giving thought to the unending flow of time, Koopman draws out the appeal of the organ to its fullest, playing Spanish Batalha, Frescobaldi, Buxtehude, and Bach.
Filippo Gorini in Japan
Experience the enchanting fusion of classical music and traditional Japanese culture as acclaimed Italian pianist Filippo Gorini performs a captivating recital featuring works by Franz Schubert at the serene Hokokuji Temple. Filippo Gorini, a rising star in the classical music world, has been captivating audiences worldwide since winning the First Prize and Audience Prize at the Telekom-Beethoven Competition in Bonn in 2015. PROGRAM Kurtag: A Ligatura for Màrta; Schubert: Sonata No. 21; Bach/Petri: Schafe können sicher weiden, BWV 208, No. 9
Kirill Gerstein & Mao Fujita in Recital
Experience an extraordinary evening of piano artistry as acclaimed pianist Kirill Gerstein appears with his brilliant protégé Mao Fujita at the Ark Hall, Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Centre. This special concert offers a rare glimpse into the powerful artistic bond between master and student. A recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award and professor at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler Hochschule, Gerstein is internationally celebrated for his imaginative interpretations and distinctive blend of classical and jazz influences. Mao Fujita, silver medalist at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation. Schubert: Variations Op. 46; Schumann: Andante and Variations Op. 46; Ravel: La Valse; Busoni: Duettino concertante based on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances Op. 45; Debussy: Lindaraja; Rachmaninoff: Waltz for 4 Hands Op.11, No.4
Christian Thielemann – A portrait
This film by Bengt Wennehorst is a portrait of one of the absolute foremost and sought-after conductors of our time. With his own words, charm and humour, Christian Thielemann tells of his childhood and youth in the outskirts of Berlin, how he played the piano as a five-year-old and how, just as early on, he got to accompany his music-loving parents to concerts and opera performances once or twice a week. Extensive video material provides insights into his intensive rehearsal work and documents acclaimed concert and opera performances of his career. The portrait includes interviews with artists such as actress and director Katharina Thalbach, opera singers Anja Kampe and Renée Fleming and Albena Danailova, concert master of the Wiener Philharmoniker.
Silla
Handel’s opera Silla is probably the most enigmatic and unknown of all his operas. The production at the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, however, is not only a rare occasion, but also the world premiere of the full-stage version. Tadashi Miroku’s production is inspired by traditional Kabuki theatre, known for its highly stylised performances and often glamorous costumes and make-up. Fabio Biondi conducts “his” Europa Galante, an internationally renowned and award-winning ensemble for baroque music, performing together with a magnificent cast of singers representing the world of early music, such as Vivica Genaux and Roberta Invernizzi. “More than a common orchestra, Europa Galante looks like a guitar or multi-register harp struck by Biondi’s master hand”. (Amadeus)
Lahav Shani conducts the 80 Years of Liberation – May 8 Concert
On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, known as Liberation Day in Germany, conductor Lahav Shani unites musicians from the Israel Philharmonic and the Münchner Philharmoniker for “a highly emotional performance” (Münchner Merkur) in the Isarphilharmonie. The two orchestras start their first ever collaboration with the deeply moving Prayer, a piece by 97-yearold Israeli composer Tzvi Avni, who travelled to Munich to witness this historic occasion. Then, the musicians come together to shape Mahler’s monumental Sixth Symphony. Shani’s Mahler is “robust, dark, rough, seeking depth” and manages to “achieve the ultimate in tragic expression here – horror and emotion give way to catharsis, to spiritual cleansing” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). PROGRAM: Avni: Prayer; Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Odeonsplatz Concert 2025: Lahav Shani & Lisa Batiashvili
For 25 years, the Odeonsplatz Concert has been an open-air highlight of the classical music summer, attracting over 16,000 viewers each year. In balmy summer temperatures, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its designated chief conductor Lahav Shani, delivered a radiant performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with star soloist Lisa Batiashvili, whose interpretation held the audience spellbound. The evening culminated in a powerful rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, filling the stage with sweeping orchestral colour. “Powerful and magical” (Münchner Merkur) PROGRAM Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major; Massenet: Meditation from Thaïs; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45; Dvorak : Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8
Staatskapelle Berlin – Christian Thielemann & Erin Morley
With the performance of all of Richard Strauss’s orchestral songs and all of Franz Liszt’s symphonic poems, Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin are dedicating themselves to a rarely performed but artistically significant repertoire. The response to the first concert in this new series has been promising: “A moment of happiness that one would like to hold on to” (Die Presse). “Morley took the audience by storm” (Das Opernmagazin)
Odeonsplatz Concert 2025: Franz-Welser Möst & Daniil Trifonov
For 25 years, the Odeonsplatz Concert has been an open-air highlight of the classical music summer, attracting over 16,000 viewers each year. Star pianist Daniil Trifonov opened the evening with a thrilling performance of Prokofievís Third Piano Concerto, accompanied by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst. In the second half, Welser-Möst delighted the audience with the irresistible melodies from Richard Strauss’s Rosenkalavier. “Trifonov remains the ideal choice for Prokofiev” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto, No. 3; R. Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier (arranged by Franz Welser-Möst); J. Strauss: Unter Donner und Blitz
Festive Advent Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden 2025
It is the traditional start to the pre-Christmas season for classical music lovers throughout Germany: on the eve of the First Advent, the Frauenkirche shines in its baroque splendour and offers a magnificent experience with the Sächsische Staatskapelle, the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor and the Kreuzchor Dresden. Conductor Nicholas Collon takes the podium for this year’s concert, joined by the dazzling soprano Elsa Dreisig, star tenor Benjamin Bernheim, and virtuoso violinist Daniel Hope. Together, they present a festive programme of Mozart, Berlioz, Bach, Gounod, and more.