“A Beethoven symphony cycle is a kind of Mount Everest for all of us to climb” Sir Simon Rattle said about his first cycle of all nine symphonies with his Berliner Philharmoniker. The expectations were incredibly high, not only due to the work itself, which is known to be extremely demanding, but also due to the existing legendary recordings of the Beethoven symphonies with Rattle’s predecessors like Herbert von Karajan and latest Claudio Abbado. The concerts in which the Berliner Philharmoniker and their maestro present the symphonies at the Philharmonie are overwhelming indeed. “This is the greatest performance of the Beethoven symphonies as a cycle that I have ever seen and heard” (BBC Music Magazine). “Impressive“ (The New York Times).
In dulci jubilo – Alison Balsom & The Balsom Ensemble
The trumpets’ carolling sound and the festive baroque repertoire associated with it are the key ingredients for this most atmospheric of Christmas concerts. Award-winning British musician Alison Balsom explores dazzling original compositions by Bach, Bendinelli, Biber, Zamboni, and Handel. The trumpet’s lyrical voice is also present in her transcriptions and arrangements of songs by Dowland and Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto grosso in G minor, known commonly as the “Christmas Concerto”. The Balsom Ensemble, accompanying the “Queen of trumpet” (Hamburger Abendblatt), consists of “splendid musicians of historical performance practice” (Die Welt), all hand-picked by Balsom.
New Year’s Eve Concert 2016 from Dresden
The festive gala concerts at the Semperoper Dresden count among the most splendid classical music events and constitute a highlight programme of German television. Once again, Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden grant big entertainment presenting a “romantic feast” (Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten) for which no expense has been spared. It contains cheerful melodies outside the standard symphonic repertoire, among them violin-miniatures by Fritz Kreisler, Tchaikovsky’s fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet and the overture of Rossinis’s Guillaume Tell. The concert’s centrepiece is Max Bruch’s radiant Violin Concerto No. 1, played by soloist Nikolaj Znaider “with high virtuosity, but in a delicate and sensitive manner, with endless soul and emotion.”
Living with Beethoven – The Nine Symphonies with the BPO and Sir Simon Rattle
“A Beethoven symphony cycle is a kind of Mount Everest for all of us to climb” Sir Simon Rattle said about his first full cycle of all nine symphonies with his Berliner Philharmoniker. In this documentary Sir Simon Rattle presents us his approach to the cycle with extended explanations on the piano, we see him rehearsing with the orchestra resulting in the first – by audience and press equally enthusiastically – celebrated performances in Berlin. Next to the one hand documentation how the new Beethoven cycle originated, we the films tries to give answers to what is the motivation and fascination for a conductor as well as for an orchestra musicians to “climb” this musical monument? What makes those symphonies true milestones and unique masterpieces, with impact even on our lives! What was Beethoven’s message… ?
Simon Rattle conducts Poulenc, Koechlin, Kurtág and Ravel
What all the works in this concert have in common is an unmistakable French freedom of form and sound, whether in Poulenc’s twelve-part vocal work or the large-scale but always transparent, almost pointillist orchestral compositions. There are no rules to be followed, but rather a freedom of expression that only results from the “uncertainty of the moment”. The critics are delighted: “an arresting evening” (Financal Times) PROGRAM Francis Poulenc: Figure humaine; Charles Koechlin: Les Bandar-log; György Kurtág: Petite Musique solennelle en hommage à Pierre Boulez 90; Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
Helmuth Rilling: The Weimar Bach Cantata Academy – More than just Music
For this edition of the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, which forms part of the Thuringia Bach Festival, the great Bach interpreter and promoter, Helmuth Rilling, invited young musicians from across the world to come to Germany to study and perform Bach’s cantatas in their authentic location in Weimar. 63 musicians from 18 countries were chosen from countless applicants who evolved in the shortest time into an excellent choir and orchestra with immense enthusiasm and great musical talent. This documentation by director Tilo Krause shows impressions of the Academy in the historic Bach places in Muehlhausen, Arnstadt and Eisenach.
Helmuth Rilling: The Weimar Bach Cantata Academy – Lecture and Concert I
For this edition of the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, which forms part of the Thuringia Bach Festival, the great Bach interpreter and promoter, Helmuth Rilling, invited young musicians from across the world to come to Germany to study and perform Bach’s cantatas in their authentic location in Weimar. 63 musicians from 18 countries were chosen from countless applicants who evolved in the shortest time into an excellent choir and orchestra with immense enthusiasm and great musical talent. This documentation by director Tilo Krause shows impressions of the Academy as well as of concerts in the historic Bach places in Muehlhausen, Arnstadt and Eisenach. With the Bach Cantata Academy Ensemble and selected soloists Helmuth Rilling performs and explains two cantatas in lecture concerts – an intensive course on the cantatas with one of the leading specialists of our time. PROGRAM Bach: Cantata “Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir”, BWV 131
Helmuth Rilling: The Weimar Bach Cantata Academy – Lecture and Concert II
For this edition of the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, which forms part of the Thuringia Bach Festival, the great Bach interpreter and promoter, Helmuth Rilling, invited young musicians from across the world to come to Germany to study and perform Bach’s cantatas in their authentic location in Weimar. 63 musicians from 18 countries were chosen from countless applicants who evolved in the shortest time into an excellent choir and orchestra with immense enthusiasm and great musical talent. This documentation by director Tilo Krause shows impressions of the Academy as well as of concerts in the historic Bach places in Muehlhausen, Arnstadt and Eisenach. With the Bach Cantata Academy Ensemble and selected soloists Helmuth Rilling performs and explains two cantatas in lecture concerts – an intensive course on the cantatas with one of the leading specialists of our time. PROGRAM Bach: Cantata “Christ lag in Todesbanden”, BWV 4
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester – Let’s do it
In their new concert recording Max Raabe & Palast Orchester show how they impress their audience with such varying titles as “Millions Of Kisses And Millions Of Smiles”, “Wenn ich Liebe brauch` dann geh ich zur Pauline” and “Cubanacan”. It was long known to Max Raabe that the songs from the 20s and 30s have an inherent magic, regardless of the country of origin, shown by the wide selection of works in English. The crucial factor is how the music is presented and on that, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester are unrivalled. Alongside the musical perfection, this evening from the Admiralspalast in Berlin displays all facets of an intelligently choreographed concert. Whether through “Stormy Weather” or “Dort tanzt Lulu”, the hot Latin rhythms of “Heartaches” or “Du hast mich nie geliebt” in waltz, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester are enchanting with music from both sides of the Atlantic.
Baden-Baden Opera Gala
“An extraordinary evening full of emotions!” that is how the press called “the concert event of the year”: Anja Harteros, Ekaterina Gubanova, Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel, four singers in a league of their own presented an extraordinary summit of classical music superstars. The star-studded cast took the audience on a long journey, exploring some of the most remarkable and popular operas and combining all the features of this supreme musical genre in a single concert: beauty, magical sound, tragedy, and overflowing passion.