Concerts with works by

Mieczysław Weinberg

Mozart and Glazunov

Mieczysław Weinberg's Sinfonietta No. 1 is a work full of lightness and accessibility. However, behind the optimistic sound lies a disturbing story. Composed in 1948, the piece was created in the midst of Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign. Officially celebrated as "bright and optimistic," it met political expectations without betraying Weinberg's progressive composition style. With hints of Jewish folk music, clever variations, and a touch of Shostakovich, it remains a fascinating balancing act between conformity and artistic freedom. Mozart's Piano Concerto KV 466 appears as a contrast, but in its key of D minor, it is also a work full of dramatic depth. Mozart wrote it during a time of personal upheaval and suffering. In a quasi-reconciliatory manner, the concert concludes with Glazunov's "The Seasons," bringing nature to life in vibrant orchestral colors.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Led by Candida Thompson, Amsterdam Sinfonietta brings together 23 gifted chamber musicians, embodying ensemble-playing at the highest level. Nostalgia for Italy runs through this evening: „The sun shines in all its splendour… at last, I feel a magical change within me,“ Tchaikovsky wrote while visiting the Italian city of Florence. „Souvenir de Florence“ is a tribute to the city he adored, music brimming over with love and joy. The young pianist Bruce Liu, who won first prize at the Chopin Competition in 2021, makes his debut with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, performing works by Chopin – his second piano concerto and the virtuosic Polonaise brillante – both in versions for piano and string orchestra.

Bruce Liu

Bruce Liu, a Paris-born Canadian with Chinese roots, is one of the best interpreters of Chopin. His Chopin sounds like a language of its own—universally understood and individually touching. Fluent in Mandarin, French, and English, music remains his best means of expression, captivating music lovers since winning the 2021 Chopin Competition.

Bruce Liu / Amsterdam Sinfonietta / Candida Thompson

Mandarin, French, English? For Bruce Liu, it’s just a question for the other person – the Paris-born Canadian with Chinese roots is equally fluent in all three languages. But his best means of expression is undoubtedly music. Since winning first place at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2021, the young pianist has been attracting crowds of new listeners with his subtle and unpretentious playing. Deutsche Grammophon hired him straight away as an exclusive artist and the doors of the great classical temples suddenly opened for the piano student, who has since surpassed the great promise that comes with such a competition win. His Chopin sounds like a language of its own – universally understandable and individually moving at the same time!

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.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Håkan Hardenberger / Jonathon Heyward

Instead of Gustav Holst’s »Planets«, this concert will feature Sergei Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony. Subscribers and ticket purchasers will be informed of the change by email.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta / Candida Thompson / Bruce Liu

Dear Guests,We would like to inform you that the starting time of the concert has been changed from 18:00 to 19:30. This is a moment everyone has been waiting for – Bruce Liu returns to NOSPR!In 2021, several days after his spectacular triumph in the 18th Chopin Competition, Bruce Liu gained 1,800 new fans as soon as he stepped onto the NOSPR stage (more people did not manage to enter the hall, even though, as we can remember, they tried!). Nevertheless, if we take into account the 300,000 online broadcast viewers, we can say that the concert sealed the Canadian pianist’s superstar status.Back then, Bruce Liu performed the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-minor, with which he had won the competition. This time, we are going to hear the second one of Chopin’s concertos – the one in the key of F-minor. Both in the Concerto and in the Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major, the latter to open the evening, he will be accompanied by theAmsterdam Sinfonietta, led by Candida Thompson. You might also remember these artists from NOSPR posters: in 2020, the ensemble and its leader were to accompany the Jussen brothers, but their performance was cancelled due to the pandemic.In the April concert, the Dutch orchestra will also present Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and Mieczysław Weinberg’s deeply moving Aria. It will be a truly unique evening!Szymon MaliszewskiConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 120 minutes

Ein Fest für Neues

Sie ist eine der derzeit angesagtesten Frauen in der klassischen Musikszene: Lera Auerbach. Die Werke der in den USA lebenden Komponistin, Dirigentin, Pianistin und Autorin haben weltweit eine große Fangemeinde. Auerbachs spannende Musik zeichnet sich durch eine große stilistische Freiheit aus und lässt sich nur schwer in irgendwelche Schubladen pressen. Adam’s Lament, das beim 10. Philharmonischen Konzert uraufgeführt wird, ist ein Kompositionsauftrag der Philharmonischen Gesellschaft Bremen. Mit Mieczysław Weinbergs Trompetenkonzert gibt die junge, schon mehrfach preisgekrönte Trompeterin Selina Ott ihr Debüt bei den Bremer Philharmonikern. Ott gehört mittlerweile zu den unbestrittenen Stars ihrer Profession. Mit dem Weinberg-Konzert spielt sie ein höchst reizvolles Werk des Schostakowitsch-Freundes, das von diesem immer wieder als regelrechte „Symphonie für Trompete und Orchester“ gepriesen wurde. Danach steht die Schicksalssymphonie auf dem Programm, allerdings nicht jene von Beethoven, sondern die von Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky, bezeichnenderweise auch seine Fünfte. Wenn das kein Omen ist ... Die Konzerteinführung beginnt 30 Minuten vor dem Konzert im „Kleinen Saal" der Glocke.

On Invitation: Wrocław Philharmonic

Ein Fest für Neues

Sie ist eine der derzeit angesagtesten Frauen in der klassischen Musikszene: Lera Auerbach. Die Werke der in den USA lebenden Komponistin, Dirigentin, Pianistin und Autorin haben weltweit eine große Fangemeinde. Auerbachs spannende Musik zeichnet sich durch eine große stilistische Freiheit aus und lässt sich nur schwer in irgendwelche Schubladen pressen. Adam’s Lament, das beim 10. Philharmonischen Konzert uraufgeführt wird, ist ein Kompositionsauftrag der Philharmonischen Gesellschaft Bremen. Mit Mieczysław Weinbergs Trompetenkonzert gibt die junge, schon mehrfach preisgekrönte Trompeterin Selina Ott ihr Debüt bei den Bremer Philharmonikern. Ott gehört mittlerweile zu den unbestrittenen Stars ihrer Profession. Mit dem Weinberg-Konzert spielt sie ein höchst reizvolles Werk des Schostakowitsch-Freundes, das von diesem immer wieder als regelrechte „Symphonie für Trompete und Orchester“ gepriesen wurde. Danach steht die Schicksalssymphonie auf dem Programm, allerdings nicht jene von Beethoven, sondern die von Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky, bezeichnenderweise auch seine Fünfte. Wenn das kein Omen ist ... Die Konzerteinführung beginnt 30 Minuten vor dem Konzert im „Kleinen Saal" der Glocke.

Polish Music Scene

FudalaRot Duo, photo: from the ensemble's archive Fryderyk Chopin composed the Grand Duo concertant in E major for cello and piano in collaboration with an acquaintance of his, the French cellist Auguste Franchomme, at the turn of 1832 and 1833. This instrumental duo, extremely popular in its day, represents the virtuoso-sentimental style brillant and is a paraphrase of themes from Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera Robert le diable. Karol Szymanowski’s Sonata in D minor, Op. 9 for violin and piano was written in Berlin in 1904. It is regarded as one of the first works of his early creative period, in which the characteristics of his individual style were fully revealed. In contrast, Roxana’s Song, from the opera King Roger, completed 20 years later, is an ecstatic vocalisation of a distinctly oriental character. Grave for cello and piano was composed by Witold Lutosławski in 1981, in memory of musicologist Stefan Jarociński. In this piece, he used motifs from Claude Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande. Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63 for cello and piano was composed in 1959 at the request of the famous Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who was a friend of the composer. This three-movement work, representing the neoclassical style, is characterised by a wealth of melodic invention and expressive means. The Polish Music Scene is a programme of music organised by the National Institute of Music and Dance in collaboration with the Warsaw Philharmonic and financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We present Polish artists and Polish compositions – particularly works not often performed. We wish to promote the performance of Polish music, inspire musicians to turn to this repertoire and generate interest among audiences in Polish musical output as broadly understood. The programme is open to instrumentalists and singers, soloists and chamber ensembles. The programmes featuring Polish music, selected via a competition, will be performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic and at other concert venues around Poland.

Trio Con Brio Copenhagen

The Trio Con Brio Copenhagen, consisting of two Korean sisters and a Danish pianist, celebrates its 25th anniversary with a new piece by Louise Alenius. They also champion the music of Mieczysław Weinberg, a Polish Jew who escaped the Holocaust and lived in exile in Russia. His piano trio reflects war and persecution. Schubert's second piano trio, while rich, also has dark undertones, processing a Swedish folk song about fading hope in its second movement. A 7-minute discussion will highlight aspects of the program.

Guest performance

Guest performance

Mozart and Glazunov

Mieczysław Weinberg's Sinfonietta No. 1 is a work full of lightness and accessibility. However, behind the optimistic sound lies a disturbing story. Composed in 1948, the piece was created in the midst of Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign. Officially celebrated as "bright and optimistic," it met political expectations without betraying Weinberg's progressive composition style. With hints of Jewish folk music, clever variations, and a touch of Shostakovich, it remains a fascinating balancing act between conformity and artistic freedom. Mozart's Piano Concerto KV 466 appears as a contrast, but in its key of D minor, it is also a work full of dramatic depth. Mozart wrote it during a time of personal upheaval and suffering. In a quasi-reconciliatory manner, the concert concludes with Glazunov's "The Seasons," bringing nature to life in vibrant orchestral colors.