Icelandic music by Bjarnason, Sigurðsson and Salonen

Philharmonic chamber music String quartets and quintets by Korngold, Rihm and Bruckner

The String Quintet in F major is the only major chamber music work by Anton Bruckner, whose 200th birthday will be celebrated in 2024. The Philharmonic String Quartet and Amihai Grosz, principal violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, present the piece in this concert. The evening will open with Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Second String Quartet, which has a distinctive Viennese lilt. A constant in this season’s Philharmonic Chamber Music concerts is the music of our composer in residence Wolfgang Rihm. Here you can hear his dark, finely-spun Grave, written in memory of violist Thomas Kakuska.

Philharmonic chamber music Piano quartets by Mozart and Beethoven with Kit Armstrong

“It is the best thing I have written in my life”, declared Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1784 of his piano quintet. Many of his most famous works had not yet been written, but the quintet remains a Mozartian jewel, with its melodic beauty and charming dialogues between the instruments. It is no wonder that the young Ludwig van Beethoven was inspired by Mozart’s example to write an equally enchanting quintet. Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker play both works with pianist Kit Armstrong. Contemporary counterpoints are provided in the form of wind quintets by Hans Werner Henze and Wolfgang Rihm.

Atlas Ensemble plays new music by Joel Bons

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!

Simone Young conducts Bruckner and Rihm

When Simone Young conducts Bruckner, she prefers to perform the original versions of his symphonies: “Perhaps they are not as perfect as the later versions,” she explains. “But they have a modernity that the later ones lack.” In this concert, she presents the original version of the Second Symphony from 1872, and combines it with Wolfgang Rihm’s one-act opera Das Gehege. This dark and enigmatic piece depicts a woman who, on the eve of German reunification, frees an eagle from captivity, tries to seduce it, and ultimately kills it.

Simone Young conducts Bruckner and Rihm

When Simone Young conducts Bruckner, she prefers to perform the original versions of his symphonies: “Perhaps they are not as perfect as the later versions,” she explains. “But they have a modernity that the later ones lack.” In this concert, she presents the original version of the Second Symphony from 1872, and combines it with Wolfgang Rihm’s one-act opera Das Gehege. This dark and enigmatic piece depicts a woman who, on the eve of German reunification, frees an eagle from captivity, tries to seduce it, and ultimately kills it.

Simone Young conducts Bruckner and Rihm

When Simone Young conducts Bruckner, she prefers to perform the original versions of his symphonies: “Perhaps they are not as perfect as the later versions,” she explains. “But they have a modernity that the later ones lack.” In this concert, she presents the original version of the Second Symphony from 1872, and combines it with Wolfgang Rihm’s one-act opera Das Gehege. This dark and enigmatic piece depicts a woman who, on the eve of German reunification, frees an eagle from captivity, tries to seduce it, and ultimately kills it.

Works by Dvořák, Wagner and Brahms

Works by Schreker, Lutosławski and Strauss

Honegger’s “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher” with Alan Gilbert and Marion Cotillard

The accused is a national heroine, the trial a farce. In Arthur Honegger’s oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, Joan of Arc looks back on her life, her visions, and her successes during a show trial in which she is sentenced to be burned at the stake. The work is a powerful drama and at the same time a revealing parable of corruption and the abuse of power. Honegger combines different musical styles here, from chorale to jazz-inflected music-hall sounds, to create a captivating sound painting. The conductor of the evening is Alan Gilbert. Actress and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard will perform as the narrator.

Honegger’s “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher” with Alan Gilbert and Marion Cotillard

The accused is a national heroine, the trial a farce. In Arthur Honegger’s oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, Joan of Arc looks back on her life, her visions, and her successes during a show trial in which she is sentenced to be burned at the stake. The work is a powerful drama and at the same time a revealing parable of corruption and the abuse of power. Honegger combines different musical styles here, from chorale to jazz-inflected music-hall sounds, to create a captivating sound painting. The conductor of the evening is Alan Gilbert. Actress and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard will perform as the narrator.