American Night with Jonathon Heyward

Night Session

‘We tell ourselves stories through good music,’ our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz is convinced. And that's why there are once again two Night Sessions this season, which she has newly developed with and for the Konzerthaus Berlin. The concerts with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, which start at 9.30 pm on Fridays, always revolve around a theme that she presents in an unusual stage setting and to which a guest panellist contributes a different perspective on the common topic.

NOSPR / Klauza / Nizioł / The American Dream

The (co)creators of the works to be presented in this concert share an American connection. Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, written for the organ, was arranged for an orchestra by the exquisite conductor Leopold Stokowski, who spent most of his life in the United States, leading such ensembles as the famous Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1940, it was with them that he recorded the soundtrack for Walt Disney’s Fantasia, which has since become a legend, having prepared the symphonic version of the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor for this purpose in particular (he was awarded an honorary Oscar for his achievements). Allegedly – due to the similarity of their surnames – he was often mistaken with Zygmunt Stojowski, who left Europe for the States at the beginning of the 20th century and remained there until his death in 1946. On the other side of the pond, the latter was chair of the piano department at the New York Institute of Musical Art, also teaching at the Von Ende School of Music. The Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, is an early composition of his, created at the end of the 19th century. Unusually expressive, it is imbued with the Romantic spirit, its violin part glimmering with brilliant virtuosity. Henryk Wars – known in the States as Henry Vars – is predominantly recognised in his homeland as a pioneer of Polish jazz, composer of film music, and author of such smash hits as Miłość ci wszystko wybaczy, Umówiłem się z nią na dziewiątą and Zimny drań. His outstanding symphonic pieces were only discovered in the late 1990s. Among those, there was the exquisite Symphony No. 1 (1949), which blends the late-Romantic sense of drama, flawless instrumentation and a cinematic scope.Agnieszka Nowok-ZychConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 90 minutes

Night Session I: TIMING

“We tell ourselves stories through good music,” our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz is convinced. And that's why this season there will once again be two Night Sessions, which she has developed with and for the Konzerthaus Berlin. The concerts with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, which begin at 9.30 pm on Saturdays, always revolve around a theme that she presents in an unusual stage setting and to which a guest contributes a different perspective on the topic. In this series, the unifying element is the right feeling for the right moment - without perfect timing, there can be no perfect interplay to captivate the audience. This is just as true for a symphony orchestra as it is for an actor: our guest is the well-known theater, film and television actor Matthias Brandt, who played the Munich detective Hanns von Meuffels in the ARD crime series “Polizeiruf 110”. Born in 1961 and the youngest son of the German Chancellor from 1969 to 1974, Willy Brandt, and his wife Rut, the artist grew up in Bonn right in the political centre of old Western Germany. A few years ago, he published a collection of prose miniatures about his childhood under the title “Raumpatrouille” (Space Patrol).

Summer in Lesmona – Bremen Friday night

Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic “Italian night” with Stefano Bollani

When Stefano Bollani interprets the hit song “O sole mio”, all languor and indulgence disappears. Instead, you hear light-footed, astonishing imagination. Now the pianist, who is at home in both jazz and classical music, celebrates the music of his homeland for an entire Italian night. There will be well-known melodies, virtuosic improvisation, and imaginative arrangements with plenty of humour. Stefano Bollani is joined by clarinettist Gabriele Mirabassi, guitarist Matteo Mancuso, trumpeter Luca Aquino and singer Valentina Cenni.

American Dreams: Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 and Bernstein's Candide

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.

NOSPR / Boreyko / Tchumburidze / Serenading night and love

Giya Kancheli’s music arouses controversy in the world of contemporary music. Lyrical, sometimes even sentimental, immersed in the spirituality of Eastern Christianity, it remained a separate phenomenon against the background of the music composed in the countries of the former Soviet Union right before the fall of the empire and afterwards. From a Western-music-oriented perspective, its characteristic nostalgia remains unintelligible for many. The title of Chiaroscuro refers to the renaissance-baroque artistic technique of working with bold contrasts between light and dark. In Kancheli’s violin concerto, the contrasts seem to be outlining visible shapes, only sonic ones, clearly. Whether we remain on the surface of that music or let it harmonise with our emotions remains much more personal of a matter than it is in the case of the Western conventions that are closer to us.Zygmunt Krauze’s Serenade also carries with it a nostalgic charge, yet reined in with greater moderation. While listening to it, we can hear echoes of earlier popular music and an idealised elegance included within the composer’s individual language, which in turn is still ringing with echoes unism, on which Krauze would build his separateness in the early 70s. The reference to the genre of serenade, associated with night and love, is reflected in the composer’s dedication: „A ma femme Isabelle.” The personal tone of the concert will be completed with Bedřich Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E minor in an expressive orchestration by the legendary conductor George Szell, which brings the work’s title, “From My Life”, closer to the surface.Adam SuprynowiczConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 110 minutes

From Paris with Love

A Mozart symphony, a clarinet concerto by Parisian Jean Françaix with soloist Jochen Tschabrun, and Gershwin's jazzy postcard greetings from Paris. Perfect ingredients for a Quick & Classy season opener. Enjoy Mozart's subtle wit, experience French charm, and dive into a musical contest between old and new worlds. 70 minutes, no break, followed by a Meet & Greet.

Summer Concert with Wagner

Helena Munktell’s romantic Suite for large orchestra is a piece that the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra has never before performed in its entirety. The music was composed in 1895, and like the now often performed Bränningar, this suite was premiered in Monte Carlo in the late 19th century.Next, we hear the young Swedish soprano Jessica Elevant tackle Wagner's Wesendonck Songs – music filled with burning longing and celestial beauty. Jessica Elevant has recently gained attention for her participation in Daniel Nelson's opera Pride and Prejudice at the Norrlandsoperan. This marks her debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.Another debutant is Sergej Bolkhovets – as a conductor, that is. He has previously been a violin soloist with the orchestra. He leads the orchestra in Shostakovich's first symphony. Already in this symphony, Shostakovich demonstrates his phenomenal ability to handle the orchestra. It's personal music with humorous twists and great finesse. A remarkable symphonic debut by a 19-year-old composer.