The world-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov joins the MSO to perform the fiendishly difficult Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky. Full of soaring melodies, melancholy and virtuosity, this work has rightfully claimed its place amongst the great violin concertos of all time. Scheherazade tells the story of a slave girl having to amuse the gruesome sultan by telling him a new story every night. Several of these come together in Rimsky-Korsakov’s colourful oriental fantasy; a highlight in the Russian orchestral repertoire and the ideal work for an ensemble of virtuosos like the MSO. Allow the MSO to transport you into the world of a thousand-and-one nights.
MSO: East Meets West – A Chinese New Year’s Celebration
Join the MSO and maestro Lü Jia with a stellar cast of guest artists to celebrate the Chinese New Year in a colourful and joyous one-night-only event showcasing Melbourne’s diverse culture. One of China’s most celebrated violinists, Lu Siqing, performs with the MSO for the first time since 2014 as soloist in one of China’s most famous orchestral works, the lush and romantic Butterfly Lovers’ concerto. Written by composers Chen Gang and He Zhahao in 1959, it is the perfect inclusion in this concert. Revel in the textured sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, new works and world-class musicians in the heart of Melbourne, a city with a rich Chinese-Australian history, worthy of celebration. MSO’s annual Chinese New Year celebration has become a highlight on the concert calendar, celebrating the city’s cultural diversity.
MSO: Season Opening Gala
Join us for a concert with two universally admired guest artists – Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire, described by The Guardian as ‘a master of (his) craft’, and Australian heldentenor and Grammy Award nominee, Stuart Skelton. The celebratory program includes: Beethoven’s majestic “Emperor” Piano Concerto; Carl Vine’s Symphony No. 1 “Microsymphony” (a work encompassing the dramatic features of a symphony compressed into just 12 minutes); and highlights from Fidelio, Die Walküre, Otello and Götterdämmerung sung by Stuart Skelton, who was awarded the International Opera Awards Male Singer of the Year.
The Odeonsplatz Concert: Gergiev & Florez
Munich’s Odeonsplatz Concert is one of the open-air highlights of the year. The magnificent Residenz Palace on one side and the serene, towering Theatinerkirche on the other provide the ideal backdrop for exceptional performances of classical music. In this setting, Juan Diego Flórez presents an impressive aria programme, for which “he is celebrated like a popstar” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) by the Munich public. The Münchner Philharmoniker shine with their maestro Valery Gergiev at the helm. Arias by Mozart, Donizetti, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi; Rimskij-Korsakow: Scheherazade
András Schiff – Lecture/Concert: Bach Partitas for Solo Piano
Sir András Schiff has spent many years probing the inexhaustible riches of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. At Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin he continues his series of
lectures & concerts with a presentation of Bach’s six partitas for solo piano. Available are Schiff’s complete performance (A055510070000 / 145′) of the partitas as well as his lecture – held in German (A055509760000 / 120′) and in English (A055509750000 / 115′) that includes musical examples at the piano.
Elbphiharmonie: Hengelbrock conducts Mozart and Mahler
After one of the last guest performances by piano philosopher Piotr Anderszewski with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, one impressed critic wrote: »Even the most discerning of Mozart connoisseurs were stunned.« Anderszewski can now be seen performing Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto in c minor at the Elbphilharmonie. The second half of the concert features Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, about which Mahler himself once said: »The Fifth is a cursed work. No one understands it.« PROGRAM Mozart: Piano Concert No. 24, KV 491; Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Piotr Anderszewski and the Piano
Piotr Anderszewski is not only one of the best pianists of our time, he is also a great doubter, a perfectionist, who has to cope with the fact that as a musician he does not always find the perfect instrument at the venue. All around the concert in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, in which Piotr Anderszewski plays Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Thomas Hengelbrock, we experience him in the intensive confrontation with his instrument, the piano. “It is a complicated
relationship. Sometimes I think it would be better if the instrument didn’t exist at all,” says Piotr Anderszewski. “I would prefer to transmit music telepathically – without physical sounds.”
Festive Advent Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden 2018
The Festive Advent Concert has become a much loved tradition in Dresden and one of German TV’s biggest classical music success stories. In 2018, conductor Lorenzo Viotti, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Staatsopernchor join forces with soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and violinist Daniel Hope to present a programme ranging from Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major to excerpts from Rossini’s “Petite messe solennelle” and sacral works by Mendelssohn and Reger.
BPO: Dudamel conducts Bernstein & Mahler
Gustav Mahler described his Fifth Symphony as a “cursed work” that “no-one understands”. While the extreme variety of expression actually overwhelmed the audience at the time, the symphony enjoys the highest popularity today, especially thanks to ist gossamer-like Adagietto movement. Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, also conducts Leonard Bernstein’s cheeky occasional piece, Divertimento, which – here in Europe at least – is far too rarely heard. PROGRAM Mahler: Symphony No. 5; Bernstein: Divertimento for Orchestra
BR: Festive Gala with Lang Lang and Mariss Jansons
Feel like taking a world tour? Let Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks take you to Europe, America and Asia in their festive gala programme. They are joined by super star Lang Lang, who performs the dreamy Andante from Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C major as well as an excerpt from the Yellow River Concerto, a popular piece from his native China. To end the concert maestro Jansons unleashes a musical firework display with an Hungarian Dance by Brahms and Rumanian folk music by Ligeti.