Albrecht Mayer Berliner Barock Solisten

Igor Levit / Berliner Barock Solisten

When Igor Levit takes his seat at the keyboard, one thing is for sure: you’ll hear the pieces on the programme as never before. The German-Russian pianist makes his very own mark, often as unexpected as it is brilliant, on every work he plays, whisking even veteran repertoire warhorses into the here and now. In this concert Levit is accompanied by the Berliner Barock Solisten in music by two composers who can be described without exaggeration as pinnacles of music history: Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The most famous of the Bach sons made a no less illustrious career for himself than his father, and was admired by fellow composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn. In this cleverly thought-out programme, Levit and the Berlin ensemble create a father-son dialogue along entirely modern lines.

NDR Barock / Dorothee Oberlinger / Hansjörg Albrecht

With Dorothee Oberlinger, the International Bach Festival Hamburg has invited a real shooting star for early music. The recorder player and conductor is one of today’s leading international figures in the field of early music and has been honoured with numerous national and international music awards. She is coming to the International Bachfest Hamburg 2025 with very different works in her luggage.

Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor Hamburg / NDR Barock / Hansjörg Albrecht

Born the son of a violonist, Antonio Vivaldi received violin lessons at an early age. In 1703, at the age of 25, he became a music teacher at the »Ospedale della Pietà«, an orphanage for young girls. There he gave his pupils music lessons every day from an early age. As a result, most of the girls were able to play two or three instruments and were also familiar with solo singing. Vivaldi remained at the school until 1716, where he not only taught, but also composed concertos and oratorios for the weekly performances. The orchestra of the Ospedale soon gained a legendary reputation that extended beyond the country’s borders and attracted numerous travellers to Italy. »The most remarkable music here in Venice is that of the hospitals,« reported the French scholar Charles de Brosses in a letter dated August 1739. »There are four of them, all inhabited by illegitimate daughters or orphan girls, or those whom their parents are unable to bring up. They are brought up at the expense of the state, and are trained to excel in music. They sing like angels and play the violin, flute, organ, oboe, violoncello, in short, no instrument is so big that it would frighten them. They live in seclusion like nuns. About 40 of them take part in every concert. I assure you, there is nothing more attractive than the sight of a pretty young nun, in a white habit and with a bunch of pomegranates behind her ear, conducting an orchestra and beating time with the greatest grace and precision.« The eroticising effect of such women’s concerts can also be seen in the fact that a not inconsiderable number of male concertgoers use these events to look for a bride...

Berliner Barock Solisten/Kapelis – Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos

The Berliner Barock Solisten and pianist Alexandros Kapelis come together for Bach’s six concertos for solo keyboard and orchestra: a tour-de-force not seen on the concert stage in recent memory.

Hansjörg Albrecht

Kirill Petrenko Berliner Philharmoniker

Kirill Petrenko, chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2019/20, directs Mahler's 9th Symphony in Essen. Born in Omsk, Petrenko strives for a unique orchestral sound, evident in his interpretation of Mahler's final completed work, a magical piece bridging Romantic and modern eras.

Berliner Philharmoniker | Kirill Petrenko

While composing his Ninth Symphony, Gustav Mahler declared, "I am thirstier for life than ever." The Berlin Philharmonic, under Kirill Petrenko, explores this tension-filled work. Despite moments of defiance, rawness, and humor, the grand apotheotic breakthroughs of earlier symphonies fade. The sound becomes increasingly gentle, transparent, and finally dissolves into peaceful acceptance.

Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor Hamburg / Hansjörg Albrecht

»Jauchzet, frohlocket« – for many people, Christmas would be unthinkable without this familiar cry of joy. Bach knows like no other how to capture the words of Luke’s Gospel surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ in musical images. Originally, the various cantatas were spread over different days and were performed on the corresponding public holidays. Today, they are usually grouped together to create a large, coherent Christmas picture. With Johann Sebastian Bach’s incomparable music, this third Advent becomes a musical and aesthetic preparation for Christmas.

Dresdner Kapellsolisten / Jan Vogler / Hansjörg Albrecht

Like father, like sons: Johann Sebastian Bach was not the only composer in his family, his sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian were also highly successful. Star cellist Jan Vogler and the renowned Dresdner Kapellsolisten dedicate themselves to their music in the grand opening concert of the Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Fest.

Chamber music with Berliner Philharmoniker soloists

Four soloists from the Berliner Philharmoniker and the pianist Eric Le Sage take us on a foray through the chamber-music repertoire from Viennese Classical to Modern. Along with such famous works as Beethoven’s “Gassenhauer” Piano Trio, there will also be discoveries – for example, the charming Sicilienne, which was long attributed to Mozart's contemporary Maria Theresia von Paradis, and the young Anton Webern’s highly-romantic pieces for cello and piano. The climax of the programme comes with its concluding work, Schoenberg’s visionary Chamber Symphony No. 1.