Concerts with works by

Edvard Grieg

Grieg's Peer Gynt and Sibelius' Symphony No. 5

The Sunday Morning Concert brings you wonderful and much-loved compositions, performed by top musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. Enjoy the most beautiful music in the morning! You can make your Sunday complete by enjoying a delicious post-concert lunch in restaurant LIER.The Royal Concertgebouw is one of the best concert halls in the world, famous for its exceptional acoustics and varied programme. Attend a concert and have an experience you will never forget. Come and enjoy inspiring music in the beautiful surroundings of the Main Hall or the intimate Recital Hall.

Grieg Piano Concerto

Contemporary music often struggles. The Third Symphony of the Polish composer Górecki initially received criticism. However, excerpts from it became pop hits in the USA and landed on the charts. Yet, its theme is quite serious: Górecki wrote the music and lyrics in reference to World War II and particularly the suffering in concentration camps. In contrast, the piano concerto, which brought international fame to the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, exudes a completely different mood. In it, the young composer had found the colors of his homeland. In the first movement, one can almost hear the freshness and the special light of the North. A showcase piece for Boris Giltburg, who can bring all these colors to life. The concerts on May 10th and 11th are part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and will also be performed in Wrocław. They continue the collaboration between the Dresden Philharmonic and the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra with Mendelssohn, Grieg and Lyatoshynsky

Both virtuoso and poetic – Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s violin concerto is one of the most beautiful works of the Romantic period. The guest performance by the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra features Ukrainian-born Eva Rabchevska, a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2024, as the soloist. Another highlight: Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, which captures a range of moods from tranquil morning calm to wild and grotesque dances and melancholic longing for love. The atmospheric Intermezzo by Ukrainian composer Borys Lyatoshynsky opens the programme.

Früh­lings­sum­men Kinderkonzert 4

To celebrate the beginning of spring, join James Gaffigan, Robin Poell, and the Komische Oper Berlin orchestra on a musical journey through nature's awakening. Listen to the buzzing of bees, sing along, and immerse yourselves in the sounds of spring.

Finale des Bach-Wettbewerbs Leipzig 2025

Karen Su and Ruben Plazier: Franck and Grieg

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Simply Quartet

The Simply Quartet, founded in China, trained in Madrid among other places, and based in Vienna, always aims high. As former ECHO Rising Stars, the ensemble returns to Cologne. The quartet continually seeks deeper musical understanding. The name, inspired by a Shanghai restaurant, reflects their diverse backgrounds.

Festakt anlässlich der Eröffnung der Leipziger Buchmesse 2025 mit

Simply Quartet

Simply Quartet

Orchestre Lamoureux – DANS LE STYLE ANCIEN

Marquee TV: An Alpine Symphony

Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm – spectacular isn’t the word for Strauss’s Alpine Symphony.No composer tells a story quite like Richard Strauss – or paints a picture in more fabulous sounds. So when he set out to depict the majesty of the Bavarian Alps, the results are … well, hear for yourself as Edward Gardner and a specially-enlarged LPO conquer the summit of Strauss’s mighty Alpine Symphony. Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm – spectacular isn’t the word. But first, enjoy the fresh Nordic melodies of Grieg’s famous Piano Concerto, beautifully performed by Steven Osborne.*Please note change in soloist from originally advertised.

Gautier Capuçon et les Capucelli

Gautier Capuçon, a leading figure in the cello world, joins forces with six former laureates of his Classe d’ Excellence, many of whom have become sought-after soloists, together forming a unique ensemble of cellists: the Capucellis.

Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu: Forbidden Fruit

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Vogler Quartett

Individuality finding harmonious expression in an ensemble – this is the quintessence of the Vogler Quartet, which has been pursuing a unique global career with an unchanged line-up since its formation in 1985. With an intelligent approach to chamber music, outstanding playing technique and interpretive sensitivity, Tim Vogler, Frank Reinecke, Stefan Fehlandt and Stephan Forck have created an unmistakable string quartet sound which consistently offers new insights into the genre. The group has had a concert series at the Konzerthaus Berlin since 1993.

Pleistozän

The Arctic is an alien habitat, a magnet for travellers, researchers and adventurers. And in the meantime, the continent has become a symbol of climate change. In the innovative scientific concert entitled »Pleistozän« (Pleistocene – the name of the last great ice age), geographer Dr André Baumeister takes the audience on a great journey through time illustrating the development of this unique habitat. He shows pictures and films, reports on his journeys along the Norwegian coast to the upper Arctic, Spitsbergen and the east coast of Greenland – and brings the beauty and fragility of the Arctic to life. An orchestra plays works to accompany the film, including music by Australian composer Nigel Westlake, who himself ventured onto the eternal ice with his »Antarctica Suite« of 1991.

Andrew Manze, Lukas Sternath

»My career feels a bit like the history of conducting: from a standing violinist to concertmaster and eventually with just a baton in my hand.« Andrew Manze was a celebrated baroque violinist in the early music scene for a long time, then decided in favour of the conductor’s podium – and is now also passionately immersing himself in the great romantic scores. He fell in love with music and his current profession at an early age: as a child, he simply plucked a branch from his parents’ garden and swung it to symphonies from the radio. Today, our guest conductor is known as a creative free spirit and exudes a lot of British charm. We are pleased that he is once again conducting one of his favourite programmes with us: Grieg wrote his famous piano concerto in 1868 as a newlywed – a very vivacious piece with memorable melodies and typical Norwegian rhythms, for which we welcome the young artist Lukas Sternath as soloist. There is also the colourful and compelling work »Transit Underground« by Swedish composer Tobias Broström, born in 1978. We will conclude with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, which he began in the middle of the First World War. It nevertheless carries a largely optimistic tone in a sea full of superb soundscapes – including the »swan theme«, sounding like film music. It will be a thrilling musical experience with Andrew Manze, because his overflowing joy in the compositions is inspiring and his impulses spark new ways of playing – and when everything works together in harmony, he is happy: »For me, the act of making music is everything. I love the magic when musicians come together, think about music and then something fantastic emerges.«

Grieg Piano Concerto

Contemporary music often struggles. The Third Symphony of the Polish composer Górecki initially received criticism. However, excerpts from it became pop hits in the USA and landed on the charts. Yet, its theme is quite serious: Górecki wrote the music and lyrics in reference to World War II and particularly the suffering in concentration camps. In contrast, the piano concerto, which brought international fame to the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, exudes a completely different mood. In it, the young composer had found the colors of his homeland. In the first movement, one can almost hear the freshness and the special light of the North. A showcase piece for Boris Giltburg, who can bring all these colors to life. The concerts on May 10th and 11th are part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and will also be performed in Wrocław. They continue the collaboration between the Dresden Philharmonic and the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

Andrew Manze, Lukas Sternath

»My career feels a bit like the history of conducting: from a standing violinist to concertmaster and eventually with just a baton in my hand.« Andrew Manze was a celebrated baroque violinist in the early music scene for a long time, then decided in favour of the conductor’s podium – and is now also passionately immersing himself in the great romantic scores. He fell in love with music and his current profession at an early age: as a child, he simply plucked a branch from his parents’ garden and swung it to symphonies from the radio. Today, our guest conductor is known as a creative free spirit and exudes a lot of British charm. We are pleased that he is once again conducting one of his favourite programmes with us: Grieg wrote his famous piano concerto in 1868 as a newlywed – a very vivacious piece with memorable melodies and typical Norwegian rhythms, for which we welcome the young artist Lukas Sternath as soloist. There is also the colourful and compelling work »Transit Underground« by Swedish composer Tobias Broström, born in 1978. We will conclude with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, which he began in the middle of the First World War. It nevertheless carries a largely optimistic tone in a sea full of superb soundscapes – including the »swan theme«, sounding like film music. It will be a thrilling musical experience with Andrew Manze, because his overflowing joy in the compositions is inspiring and his impulses spark new ways of playing – and when everything works together in harmony, he is happy: »For me, the act of making music is everything. I love the magic when musicians come together, think about music and then something fantastic emerges.«

The Simply Quartet plays Mozart, Grieg, Clarke and Marsalis

Finding coherence in the complex – that is the Simply Quartet's recipe for success. After winning several international competitions, including the Carl Nielsen Competition in Copenhagen and the Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna, the young ensemble is one of the rising stars of the quartet scene. For their debut in our quartet series, the four musicians will perform classics of the genre such as Mozart's “Hunting Quartet” and Grieg's Opus 27, as well as Wynton Marsalis’ jazzy Creole Contradanzas and American composer Rebecca Clarke’s thought-provoking Poem.

Symphonic Concert

Marianna Bednarska, photo: Venera Red / Kolberg Percussion When a writer commissions a composer to write music for a play, they must expect that the latter’s name will be henceforth associated with the title of the work. Just as it would be difficult to name from memory the authors of the words to all our favourite operatic arias, in the case of the drama Peer Gynt, many of us first think of Edvard Grieg, the composer of the brilliant music, rather than the playwright Henrik Ibsen. Over time, Grieg divided selected fragments of his music for the play into two suites that migrated out into the wide world, successfully detaching themselves from their theatrical original. Exercises, studies and passages are, on the one hand, the bane of most musicians and, on the other, useful practice. Overheard by American composer Kevin Puts as he passed an auditorium, the simple harmonic progressions used by a pianist to play himself in may have influenced the shape of his warm-sounding Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, written towards the end of the last century. Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1, written a century earlier, stems from the tradition of Romantic programme music, although the composer himself denied that it was accompanied by extra-musical content. Somewhat in spite of the composer’s claims, researchers have arrived at the work’s precisely thought-out (though ultimately abandoned) programme, to be titled Musical Dialogue, drawing on such inspirations as poetry by Heine and probably also a Shakespeare play.

Symphonic Concert

Marianna Bednarska, photo: Venera Red / Kolberg Percussion When a writer commissions a composer to write music for a play, they must expect that the latter’s name will be henceforth associated with the title of the work. Just as it would be difficult to name from memory the authors of the words to all our favourite operatic arias, in the case of the drama Peer Gynt, many of us first think of Edvard Grieg, the composer of the brilliant music, rather than the playwright Henrik Ibsen. Over time, Grieg divided selected fragments of his music for the play into two suites that migrated out into the wide world, successfully detaching themselves from their theatrical original. Exercises, studies and passages are, on the one hand, the bane of most musicians and, on the other, useful practice. Overheard by American composer Kevin Puts as he passed an auditorium, the simple harmonic progressions used by a pianist to play himself in may have influenced the shape of his warm-sounding Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, written towards the end of the last century. Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1, written a century earlier, stems from the tradition of Romantic programme music, although the composer himself denied that it was accompanied by extra-musical content. Somewhat in spite of the composer’s claims, researchers have arrived at the work’s precisely thought-out (though ultimately abandoned) programme, to be titled Musical Dialogue, drawing on such inspirations as poetry by Heine and probably also a Shakespeare play.

Chamber Music Concert

Quintessence, photo: Wojciech Grzędziński Before the Polish Composers Union commissioned Michał Spisak to write his Quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, he had left his homeland to hone his talent under the tutelage of the famous Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Who knows to what extent the opportunity to become acquainted with French chamber music of the first decades of the twentieth century influenced the character of this piece, full of elegance, airiness and attractive – due in large part to the forces – colour? ‘No, young man, not at all like that. More rhythm. It’s a folk dance’ – that is how Edvard Grieg supposedly admonished the young Maurice Ravel as he played one of the ageing composer’s dances. Among Grieg’s numerous arrangements of native melodies, the Four Norwegian Dances, Op. 35, originally composed for two pianos and later reworked – not only by the composer – for various forces, gained great popularity. Paul Hindemith’s modernist Kammermusik cycle, the eight pieces of which are aptly described as ‘modern Brandenburg concertos’, was intended for various combinations of instruments. Drawing on the material of the first piece, Hindemith subsequently composed a smaller work for wind quintet, termed Kleine Kammermusik. György Ligeti’s cycle of six miniatures (bagatelles) for wind quintet was first performed without the last piece (dominated by the interval of a second) in Budapest in 1953 because, as the composer himself supposedly commented, ‘totalitarianism doesn’t like dissonance’.

Klaus Mäkelä Claude Debussy Igor Stravinsky Christian Sinding Edvard Grieg

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) write the tone poem Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, in English, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, in 1894, inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem The Afternoon of a Faun. The work would become one of his most famous and a milestone in music history.In 1909, the impresario Serge de Diaghilev founded the ballet company Ballets Russes. In the years before, Diaghilev had created great interest in Russian culture in Paris, and the ballet company became a sensation. The young Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was central to the success.In his fire ballet, The Firebird, offered sounds and rhythms the audience had never heard the likes of. It was a huge success at the premiere in 1910 and a breakthrough for the composer. The action is a combination of different stories from Russian folk poetry. Debussy also wrote music for the 1912 ballet Jeux (Games) for Ballets Russes. The action is set on a tennis court, and when the ball disappears in the twilight, a young man and two young women follow. The games continue outside of the court, with hide-and-seek, fights and embrace.Christian Sinding (1856–1941) got his big international breakthrough with the piano piece Frühlingsrauschen in 1897. Danse Orientale is from a collection of piano pieces from the year before, and the orchestral version, arranged by the brit Charlie Piper in 2010, is performed at this concert.Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) released in total 66 piano works under the title Lyric Pieces. Conductor Anton Seidl orchestrated four of the pieces in the fifth volume from 1891, and Grieg revised them before his death - including the terrific piece March of the Trolls.

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller | Daniel Ottensamer | Juliane Ruf

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, a young and successful soprano, emphasizes the importance of song selection in her recitals. She appreciates the intimate atmosphere of Lieder, performing without the distractions of costumes or sets. In Cologne, she will perform with her long-time piano partner, Juliane Ruf, and clarinetist Daniel Ottensamer.

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller. Daniel Ottensamer. Juliane Ruf Aus allen Himmelsrichtungen

Much has happened since Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and her piano partner first collaborated at the 2011 Heidelberg Spring Music Festival, which developed into a highly successful song duo. The Mannheim-born soprano's brilliant career has taken her to the world's best opera houses, and she is also a regular soloist with top international orchestras. This exquisite program, spanning four languages, showcases Müller's love and intelligence for her Lieder evenings. Daniel Ottensamer, solo clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic, joins as a virtuoso guest.

NOSPR / Berglund / In the Hall of the Mountain King

With song, he delved into the abyss, To the bottom of the world’s beginning– Kalevala, ed. Elias Lönnrot Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius are not only prominent representatives of late Romanticism, but also captivating storytellers and guides among the myths and tales of the Northern nations. In their works, legends emerging from the darkness of the past are painted with vivid colours and become filled with a modern emotionality. Slightly older of the two, Edvard Grieg, born to a family of Scottish descent in the Norwegian town of Bergen, studied in Germany and maintained contacts with numerous Danish artists. His Suite in Olden Style “From Holberg’s Time” is also one of Danish origin – the piece was commissioned to celebrate Ludvig Holberg’s, a writer dubbed “Molier of the North”, birth anniversary. The work balances between free stylistic inspiration and a tribute to Baroque forms. Nevertheless, in music written to scenes from Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, the wigged key yields to distinct emotions enchanted in the music.The first of two suites contains some of the most suggestive themes in Romanticism, with which Grieg awakens mountain monsters, trolls and kobolds within the orchestra (In the Hall of the Mountain King) and evokes Arabic and African motives, very popular at the time. (Anitra’s Dance, Morning). The Lemminkäinen Suite is a piece inspired by the Kalevala, a Finnish epic built from a compilation of folk songs of the North. Thanks to Sibelius’ imagination, the fantastical, dense and gripping poetic narrative is transformed into a nearly impressionist fresco, the death of a mythical trifler becoming just as moving as the dramatic fates of characters in Thomas Mann’s novels.Krzysztof SiwońConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes

6. Akademisches Konzert

Yoav Levanon & Emmanuel Tjeknavorian: Grieg's Piano Concerto & Brahms

The SummerConcerts powered by VriendenLoterij presents two months of wonderful concerts, from classical to jazz and from pop to film music. Top musicians from the Netherlands and around the world bring you all your favourite classical pieces, as well as video game music and hits from Broadway musicals.We also present a host of young talent in our summer concerts, including youth orchestras from Greece, Australia and Cuba, and top young classical soloists. After many of the concerts, we offer a meet-and-greet with the artists in an informal setting, or an afterparty with DJ in the Entrance Hall. In one of the world’s finest concert halls, there’s something for everyone this summer at The Concertgebouw!

Arctic Philharmonic: The Arctic Suite

The SummerConcerts powered by VriendenLoterij presents two months of wonderful concerts, from classical to jazz and from pop to film music. Top musicians from the Netherlands and around the world bring you all your favourite classical pieces, as well as video game music and hits from Broadway musicals.We also present a host of young talent in our summer concerts, including youth orchestras from Greece, Australia and Cuba, and top young classical soloists. After many of the concerts, we offer a meet-and-greet with the artists in an informal setting, or an afterparty with DJ in the Entrance Hall. In one of the world’s finest concert halls, there’s something for everyone this summer at The Concertgebouw!

Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra / İlyun Bürkev / Cem Mansur

Istanbul-born pianist İlyun Bürkev is only 16 years old and already a real star in her home country. She is now studying at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and has won numerous prizes at international competitions, most recently at »Jeune Chopin« in Switzerland. Together with the most important youth orchestra from her home town, the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, she will perform Edvard Grieg’s sonorous and captivating piano concerto at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. The orchestra has already performed with greats such as Murray Perahia and Alice Sara Ott and plays in major concert halls such as the Vienna and Berlin Konzerthaus – »technically absolutely convincing«, according to the Tagesspiegel. In addition to Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony and Benjamin Britten’s »Four Sea Interludes«, which are infused with English East Coast sea spray, the young Istanbul orchestra will also be performing a work by Turkish composer Cem Esen. In keeping with the title »Sarcasm«, the musicians poke fun at themselves and the traditional rules – all in the midst of a finely orchestrated and dazzlingly colourful riot of sound that is simply great fun!

CD Release Concert