Andris Nelsons with Bruckner’s Eighth

Andris Nelsons with Bruckner’s Eighth

For Andris Nelsons, chief conductor of the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony is a work with a unique aura: “Bruckner penetrated regions that remained out of reach for other composers,” he says. Performing the symphony is “an existential experience” for him. Nelson’s close connection with this work is reflected in his interpretation. The blossoming and fading of the themes, the swelling and breaking of musical arcs of tension, exert a powerful pull on the listener.

Andris Nelsons with Bruckner’s Eighth

For Andris Nelsons, chief conductor of the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony is a work with a unique aura: “Bruckner penetrated regions that remained out of reach for other composers,” he says. Performing the symphony is “an existential experience” for him. Nelson’s close connection with this work is reflected in his interpretation. The blossoming and fading of the themes, the swelling and breaking of musical arcs of tension, exert a powerful pull on the listener.

Andris Nelsons

Dominant alpha males or sensitive organisers: conductors are very different – and one might think that the profession has been around forever. Compared to many others, however, it is still relatively young: it only emerged in the 19th century. Before that, only one of the players or the composer himself made a few hand gestures from the piano. But during the Romantic period in particular, the ensembles became larger and larger and the scores became more complex. A person was now needed to coordinate everything in order to avoid chaos. Mendelssohn is regarded as the first conductor in today’s understanding of the term, who set the standard as Gewandhauskapellmeister. He was followed by other big names in Leipzig, including Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Kurt Masur and Herbert Blomstedt. Since 2018, Andris Nelsons has been holding the strings together there – but he also loves conducting our orchestra, and we are delighted that he is coming back to Bamberg. Because he is a phenomenon: he lives, breathes and loves music – and celebrates this with an unmistakable trademark of virtually painted lines, conveying strong emotions. The programme he has chosen combines dance works from East and West – after all, music is a wonderful means of building bridges across borders: His Latvian compatriot Arturs Maskats wrote an exciting tango in 2002, while Carlos Simon wrote the colourful »Four Black American Dances« in 2022. There is also a beguiling feast for the ears with Rimsky-Korsakov’s caleidoscope about the storyteller Scheherazade – and Andris Nelsons will certainly conduct again in the same way as he once mentioned in an interview: »Ultimately, you have to follow your heart, that’s where the impulse comes from.«

Andris Nelsons

Dominant alpha males or sensitive organisers: conductors are very different – and one might think that the profession has been around forever. Compared to many others, however, it is still relatively young: it only emerged in the 19th century. Before that, only one of the players or the composer himself made a few hand gestures from the piano. But during the Romantic period in particular, the ensembles became larger and larger and the scores became more complex. A person was now needed to coordinate everything in order to avoid chaos. Mendelssohn is regarded as the first conductor in today’s understanding of the term, who set the standard as Gewandhauskapellmeister. He was followed by other big names in Leipzig, including Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Kurt Masur and Herbert Blomstedt. Since 2018, Andris Nelsons has been holding the strings together there – but he also loves conducting our orchestra, and we are delighted that he is coming back to Bamberg. Because he is a phenomenon: he lives, breathes and loves music – and celebrates this with an unmistakable trademark of virtually painted lines, conveying strong emotions. The programme he has chosen combines dance works from East and West – after all, music is a wonderful means of building bridges across borders: His Latvian compatriot Arturs Maskats wrote an exciting tango in 2002, while Carlos Simon wrote the colourful »Four Black American Dances« in 2022. There is also a beguiling feast for the ears with Rimsky-Korsakov’s caleidoscope about the storyteller Scheherazade – and Andris Nelsons will certainly conduct again in the same way as he once mentioned in an interview: »Ultimately, you have to follow your heart, that’s where the impulse comes from.«

Gewandhausorchester & Andris Nelsons

Gewandhausorchester & Andris Nelsons

Festivalorchester & Andris Nelsons

Gewandhausorchester & Andris Nelsons

Gewandhausorchester, Andris Nelsons Dirigent

Three good reasons to go to a concert: Love for music, emotional escape, and feeling inspired. Three secret reasons: alibi for mother-in-law's birthday, wrong Valentine's Day gift, and cheaper alternative to Beethoven. Three reasons for this concert: sentimental trumpet solos, family preferences (Mendelssohn, Nelsons, Jussen brothers), and the rarity of Mendelssohn's and Mahler's pieces.

Gewandhausorchester, Andris Nelsons Dirigent

Three good reasons to go to a concert: Love for music, emotional escape, and feeling inspired. Three secret reasons: alibi for mother-in-law's birthday, wrong Valentine's Day gift, and cheaper alternative to Beethoven. Three reasons for this concert: sentimental trumpet solos, family preferences (Mendelssohn, Nelsons, Jussen brothers), and the rarity of Mendelssohn's and Mahler's pieces.