Christmas Recital Regina Albrink

Piano Recital

Grigory Sokolov, photo: Mary Slepkova / DG Grigory Sokolov has worked hard to secure privileges that few contemporary musicians can boast. He gives practically no interviews, rarely visits the recording studio, has performed solo for a number of years and compiles his own recital programmes, without particularly hurrying to announce them. He first sat at a piano at the age of five, almost 70 years ago. Ever since he has been reluctant to part with his beloved instrument, especially during his lengthy performances, giving endless encores (at times as long as a separate recital). Paradoxically, he is a rare example of an artist who communicates with the outside world almost exclusively through his performances, which force reviewers into extraordinary, at times quite humorous, verbal gymnastics in search of the right concepts to describe the artistry of his playing and the aura he creates around him. A voluminous anthology of surprising metaphors might be compiled from the texts on Sokolov’s playing, which may suggest that it is impossible to capture the personality of this remarkable pianist, let alone his interpretations, in words. Bartłomiej Gembicki

Recital fran­çais

The first chamber concert of the new season, "Recital français," features rare brass and brass/piano works from the French musical tradition. Members of the Essen Philharmonic will perform chamber music by composers such as Théo Charlier, Eugène Brozza, Camille Saint-Saëns, and organist Alexandre Guilmant.

Wibi Soerjadi Christmas Gala

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Hadelich / Piemontesi / Masters' Recital

Stars up close! Today, Augustin Hadelich is a world-leading violinist who conquers the world's stages and performs with the best orchestras, including the NOSPR. He returns with a chamber programme, in duo with the versatile piano virtuoso Francesco Piemontesi. Their concert, which will be dominated by French music, is designed in a modern way. There is no shortage of the canon of violin music, represented by Franck's striking, emotional, late Romantic sonata and Debussy's subtle, intimate sonata. They are accompanied by a third, wonderfully melodic sonata by Francis Poulenc. Both predecessors will shine through, as Poulenc's sounds focus their qualities like a lens because our perception changes with the context. Old French music (by de Grigny and Rameau) will indicate the roots of the work of the masters from the Seine banks mentioned above. György Kurtág's handful of short musical gestures, meanwhile, will allow us to pause for a moment to take a fresh look at what we already know. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration (intermission included): approximately 90 minutes

Pearls in Baroque: Christmas Gala Concert

Singing Christmas – Symphonic Christmas time

At this concert, the RSB is supported by two choirs from the Händelgymnasium. The audience is also cordially invited to sing along to the classics of the Christmas season: from festive and contemplative to classical and upbeat. You can look forward to a musical Advent with well-known and new Christmas compositions.To prepare for the sing-along concert, you can download the sheet music for the sing-along piece and listen to recordings here.Recordings with vocals:Il est né Ding-Dong Bells We wish you a merry christmas Stille Nacht In dulci jubiloPlayback:Il est né Ding-Dong Bells We wish you a merry christmas Stille Nacht In dulci jubiloEnjoy practicing!

Piano recital with Marie-Ange Nguci

The French-Albanian pianist Marie-Ange Nguci has positioned herself as one of the most exciting young soloists on the world's major stages. The term 'unique' is worn out, but it's difficult to find better words to describe her. Nguci was admitted to the conservatory in Paris at the age of 13 and graduated three years later with top marks. Since then, she has studied both pedagogy and musical analysis in Paris, as well as conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.In recent years, she has made her debut on virtually all of the world's major stages: Musikverein in Vienna, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Tonhalle in Zurich, the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris. The list could go on. With the concert together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 (Thursday, November 21) and this recital, she makes her long-awaited debut at Konserthuset Stockholm.We hear her in musically exciting and technically demanding pieces such as Scriabin's fifth piano sonata, which alternates between floating impressionism and explosive chords, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit with its cascading soundscapes, and Prokofiev's intense sixth piano sonata.Schumann's Kreisleriana, subtitled Fantasies for Pianoforte, oscillates between feverish nervousness and darkly veiled contemplations. He wrote them for his beloved wife Clara but nevertheless dedicated them to Frédéric Chopin, whom he considered to be a genius.

Nordic Christmas

Weihnachten ist eine Zeit, in der man Ruhe findet und zuhört. Um zu hören, was im Leben wichtig ist. Weihnachten ist voller Traditionen, die Menschen über Altersgrenzen hinweg verbinden und die Gegenwart mit der Vergangenheit verknüpfen. Die Sängerin Helene Blum und der Geiger Harald Haugaard holen die besondere Atmosphäre des nordischen Winters in den Konzertsaal. Ihr Programm „Nordic Christmas“ feiert mit authentischen und liebevoll ausgewählten Stücken und Geschichten diese verheißungsvolle Zeit. Gekonnt erzählen das dänische Musikerpaar und seine wechselnden Gäste von den kleinen Momenten, und zwischen den Noten sieht das Publikum die Spuren im Schnee, hört die Kobolde kichern, Rentiere klappern. Die Zeit scheint still zu stehen - bis der nächste Trommelwirbel ertönt und ein munterer Tanz beginnt... Helene Blum und Harald Haugaard gehören zu den gefragtesten dänischen Namen des Modern Nordic Folk. Ihr ausgeprägtes Gespür für berührende Melodien, ihre Vielseitigkeit und musikalische Tiefe zeigen sie in eigenen Kompositionen und mit zeitgemäßen Arrangements traditioneller Stücke. Schwindlig schnelle Rhythmen oder zart schwebende Klänge, beides findet scheinbar mühelos zueinander. Haugaards virtuoses Violinspiel und der elegante Sound der Band umhüllen den hellen, klaren Gesang von Helene Blum dabei wunderbar stimmig. In diesem Jahr sind zwei schwedische Musiker zu Gast auf der Tour. Die Geigerin Lena Jonsson gibt ihr Debüt bei Blum & Haugaard. Sie ist eine der bedeutendsten Geigerinnen der schwedischen Folkmusik und tourt mit ihrem u.a. mit dem schwedischen Grammy ausgezeichneten „Lena Jonsson Trio“ durch die Welt. Mattias Pérez ist ein wahrer Zauberer auf der 12-saitigen Gitarre und vervollständigt zusammen mit der Cellistin Kirstine Elise Pedersen und dem Schlagzeuger Sune Rahbek, die beide aus Dänemark stammen und Mitglieder der Blum & Haugaard Band sind, das Nordic Christmas Ensemble 2024. Weihnachten und Advent sind voller Musik, die die Menschen in der Botschaft des Friedens auf Erden vereint, und alle sind herzlich zur Nordischen Weihnachten 2024 eingeladen.

Christmas Oratorio

Experience Johann Sebastian Bach's magnificent Christmas Oratorio! To the thunder of timpani and jubilant trumpets, it is proclaimed in the magnificent opening that Jesus is born.It's easy to be misled by the title Christmas Oratorio, as if it were a single work intended to be performed at one occasion, Christmas Eve. That's far from the case. In fact, the Christmas Oratorio consists of six different parts, intended to be performed at as many occasions around Christmas. Today, as in this concert, it's customary to perform the first three parts, which were first performed together at a concert in Leipzig, in the days around Christmas 1735.Delving into Bach's music is to venture into an unfathomable and fascinating musical universe. We constantly discover new things, and it never ends. Spend a few hours with Bach's Christmas Oratorio. It's a magnificent experience.The Italian baroque specialist and conductor Luca Guglielmi leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, and the four soloists. Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, formed in 1945, ranks among the top international professional ensembles. Since 2003, the choir has had a close collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Christmas Oratorio

Experience Johann Sebastian Bach's magnificent Christmas Oratorio! To the thunder of timpani and jubilant trumpets, it is proclaimed in the magnificent opening that Jesus is born.It's easy to be misled by the title Christmas Oratorio, as if it were a single work intended to be performed at one occasion, Christmas Eve. That's far from the case. In fact, the Christmas Oratorio consists of six different parts, intended to be performed at as many occasions around Christmas. Today, as in this concert, it's customary to perform the first three parts, which were first performed together at a concert in Leipzig, in the days around Christmas 1735.Delving into Bach's music is to venture into an unfathomable and fascinating musical universe. We constantly discover new things, and it never ends. Spend a few hours with Bach's Christmas Oratorio. It's a magnificent experience.The Italian baroque specialist and conductor Luca Guglielmi leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, and the four soloists. Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, formed in 1945, ranks among the top international professional ensembles. Since 2003, the choir has had a close collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.