Concerts with works by

Bohuslav Martinů

Crossing Generations

Kevin John Edusei presents Zappa, Martinů and a new clarinet concerto with phenomenal Syrian clarinettist Kinan Azmeh. Frank Zappa wove psychedelic new sounds from the underbelly of 1960s pop culture – aiming straight for the sonic G-spot. Bohuslav Martinů – a Czech in exile – looked homeward, and crafted a lush, fantastic dream of a symphony as he travelled from New York to the boulevards of Paris. And the Sri Lankan-born Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne tells his own intensely personal tale of displacement and hope, as Kevin John Edusei conducts his new Clarinet Concerto with the artist for whom it was created – the phenomenal Syrian clarinettist Kinan Azmeh. Please note venue.

Filharmonie Brno / Kružík / Dances, scherzos and the adventures of The Cunning Little Vixen

Music by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů is not appreciated enough today, though in the last century his oeuvre – particularly the 1940s New York period – was artistically celebrated. The dynamic and rapid 1945 scherzo for orchestra Thunderbolt P-47 H. 309 is a good case in point – rooted in the convention of a symphonic poem, it satisfies all the requirements of program music and leaves no doubt as to extramusical contexts. It is difficult not to hear the roar of American fighter aircraft, heralding the Allies’ victory.The master’s neoclassical style was taken up by one of his Moravian compatriots, whom Martinů met in New York in 1947: Jan Novák. Fascinated by his mentor’s clear message and musical discipline, in mid-1950s Novák wrote the Philharomonic Dances, in which he paid tribute to the composing techniques he learned in America and focused on the colour of the sound and formal clarity of the piece. Nevertheless, the Moravian line of composers subscribing to the program idea of composing and clear musical narration was born earlier. One of its leading representatives was Leoš Janáček, extremely well versed in Moravian folk music. His first mature work – the 1891 Lachian Dances – is a postromantic study of Moravian folklore. The Ancient Dance it begins with is based on the region’s endemic melodies, while the Blacksmith provides a sonic description of a blacksmith’s craft. Full of humour, the suite from the 1921 three-act opera The Cunning Little Vixen is, in turn, an expression of the composer’s adoration for nature, broadly understood. Maria Wilczek-KrupaConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes

Britten Sinfonia: 1945 – A Kind of Haunting

80 years after the end of WWII, we hear musical responses from then and now.

»Kleine Trommel ganz groß«

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Daniel Cho / James Conlon

In this concert with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by James Conlon, »the« Czech composer of the 19th century meets »the« Czech composer of the 20th. We are, of course, talking about Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů. With his Seventh Symphony, Dvořák was keen to prove that he was far more than merely a master of local Czech influences. »My symphony should turn out in such a way that it moves the world,« and it has done so ever since its acclaimed premiere in London in the 1880s. »I cannot tell you how much the English honour me! I’m written about everywhere and they say I’m the lion of this year’s music season in London.«

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Daniel Cho / James Conlon

In this concert with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by James Conlon, »the« Czech composer of the 19th century meets »the« Czech composer of the 20th. We are, of course, talking about Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů. With his Seventh Symphony, Dvořák was keen to prove that he was far more than merely a master of local Czech influences. »My symphony should turn out in such a way that it moves the world,« and it has done so ever since its acclaimed premiere in London in the 1880s. »I cannot tell you how much the English honour me! I’m written about everywhere and they say I’m the lion of this year’s music season in London.«

Mariani Klavierquartett

The Mariani Piano Quartet consists of Berliner Philharmoniker member Philipp Bohnen, Gewandhaus violist Barbara Buntrock, hr-Sinfonieorchester cellist Peter-Philipp Staemmler, and pianist Gerhard Vielhaber. They champion rediscovered works like Friedrich Gernsheim's piano quartets, banned by the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage. The program also features Gernsheim's romantic first quartet, Bohuslav Martinů's energetic quartet, and Antonín Dvořák. A 7-minute discussion explores aspects of the program.

Ruth Reinhardt & Vivi Vassileva

Espresso-Konzert mit dem Konzerthausorchester Berlin

At our espresso concerts in the early afternoon, we serve two kinds of caffeine - in cups and, of course, musically: outstanding young musicians present surprise programs that really wake you up - in this case on the podium of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and as a viola soloist!