Concerts with works by

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Amazonia

The Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado has repeatedly explored the fascinating world of the Amazon and captured its beauty and threats in images. Now he has enriched this photographic project with a musical encounter: Together with conductor Simone Menezes, he combines his images with the sounds composed by his compatriot Heitor Villa-Lobos in 1958 as a tribute to the Amazon. Simone Menezes arranged Villa-Lobos' opulent "Floresta do Amazonas" for orchestra and soprano, and Salgado matched each musical sequence with the appropriate photograph. "A perfect connection, almost as if Villa-Lobos' music was written for Salgado's photos," describes Simone Menezes the result. The Dresden Philharmonic, under the direction of Simone Menezes, performs Villa-Lobos' powerful Rainforest Suite, while following Salgado's precise dramaturgy, the corresponding photographic works are shown on the large screen.

Amazônia – Schulkonzert

Sean Shibe, guitar

There is nothing boring about Sean Shibe. The Scottish guitarist had demonstrated early on in his career that he not only has extremely agile fingers, but also a keen sense of programme combinations. He makes old and brand-new music, electronic and acoustic, loud and soft come together. The supposed showpieces on the classical guitar are of little interest to him; he prefers searching for particular, even unknown pieces, makes his own arrangements or commissions new works. As a result, he had already attracted attention as a »Rising Star« at the Elbphilharmonie in January 2024 – he now returns with a new genre-busting programme. Centuries old, Scottish lute pieces encounter Spanish and Latin American guitar music of the 20th century here: while Alberto Ginastera only wrote the one, but all the more splendid, guitar sonata, Heitor Villa-Lobos played guitar himself and as a result dedicated several pieces to the instrument, which now rank among the favourites of many guitarists. After the interval, Sean Shibe switches to electric guitar and turns up his volume control slightly further again: besides music by the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen, you can hear »Lad« by Julia Wolfe. Originally composed for entirely new (!) bagpipes, Sean Shibe has already created his own version for his album »softLOUD«, which brings early Scottish lute music full circle.

Lunch concert

You can simply go to a concert at the Philharmonie, spontaneously, during your lunch break – and with free admission: every Wednesday at 13:00 between September and June. The programme lasts 40 to 50 minutes: chamber music, piano works or a percussion duo – everything from Tchaikovsky to tango. Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Karajan Academy regularly perform, as well as guests from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Berlin music conservatories. As can be expected at a lunch concert, catering is available from 12 noon until shortly before the concert begins.

Amériques

Led by conductor Bianca Maretti, the amateur orchestra (Orchestre des amateurs), accompanied and prepared by professional musicians, pays tribute to music of the Americas.

Amazônia – Schulkonzert

Amazônia – Sonderkonzert

Cello x 12