›Into the Countryside‹

Into the Distance

26 years old, and just married to a woman who is an avowed Fennoman (a Finland enthusiast), young Jean Sibelius starts composing his first tone poem. Rather than following a specific musical road map, his En saga is more of a fairy tale of mystic landscapes. It shows vast surfaces of sound, subdued melancholy, and here and there, cheerful trolls pop up for a perky little dance. Incidentally, the first sketches to this piece were made in Austria, where Sibelius, the composer with the Swedish accent, spent his time in Viennese coffee houses, reading the Finnish national epic, the Kalewala. »I never felt more Finnish than in Vienna, Italy and Paris.« In Kaija Saariaho’s case, the musical approach to the five poems by her compatriot Pentti Saarikoski had little to do with Finnish national romanticism but more with the urge to explore the art of composing. Saariaho, who passed away in 2023, had originally set the work for soprano and piano, and the Gürzenich Orchestra now examines the orchestral version. In the very first poem, The Face of Nature, the composer’s musical language builds bridges to Jean Sibelius, while Sumun läpi – Through the mist – explores impenetrable, mysterious worlds of sound. The soloist in this performance is a longtime artistic companion of Saariaho, the singer Anu Komsi. Whoever tries to spot British sounding melodies in Dvořák’s »English« symphony, his 8th, will most certainly be disappointed. The Czech composer merely switched to a British publisher for this buoyant work, hence the misleading title. The symphony is bold, and vigorously joyful. It has an introspective beginning, but after less than a minute, the atmosphere takes a turn for the jubilant, culminating in a finale with festive, beaming fanfares. Antonín Dvořák is on the fast lane to success: »You want to know what I do? My head is full – if only one could write everything down immediately! […] The ease exceeds all expectations and the melodies just keep coming.

Into the Distance

26 years old, and just married to a woman who is an avowed Fennoman (a Finland enthusiast), young Jean Sibelius starts composing his first tone poem. Rather than following a specific musical road map, his En saga is more of a fairy tale of mystic landscapes. It shows vast surfaces of sound, subdued melancholy, and here and there, cheerful trolls pop up for a perky little dance. Incidentally, the first sketches to this piece were made in Austria, where Sibelius, the composer with the Swedish accent, spent his time in Viennese coffee houses, reading the Finnish national epic, the Kalewala. »I never felt more Finnish than in Vienna, Italy and Paris.« In Kaija Saariaho’s case, the musical approach to the five poems by her compatriot Pentti Saarikoski had little to do with Finnish national romanticism but more with the urge to explore the art of composing. Saariaho, who passed away in 2023, had originally set the work for soprano and piano, and the Gürzenich Orchestra now examines the orchestral version. In the very first poem, The Face of Nature, the composer’s musical language builds bridges to Jean Sibelius, while Sumun läpi – Through the mist – explores impenetrable, mysterious worlds of sound. The soloist in this performance is a longtime artistic companion of Saariaho, the singer Anu Komsi. Whoever tries to spot British sounding melodies in Dvořák’s »English« symphony, his 8th, will most certainly be disappointed. The Czech composer merely switched to a British publisher for this buoyant work, hence the misleading title. The symphony is bold, and vigorously joyful. It has an introspective beginning, but after less than a minute, the atmosphere takes a turn for the jubilant, culminating in a finale with festive, beaming fanfares. Antonín Dvořák is on the fast lane to success: »You want to know what I do? My head is full – if only one could write everything down immediately! […] The ease exceeds all expectations and the melodies just keep coming.

»Into the Open« - Musikfestival

Into the New Year with Beethoven's Ninth

BR-KLASSIK is a German public radio station that broadcasts classical music, jazz, and other cultural programs. It is part of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the public broadcaster of Bavaria.

Into the New Year with Beethoven's Ninth

BR-KLASSIK is a German public radio station that broadcasts classical music, jazz, and other cultural programs. It is part of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the public broadcaster of Bavaria.

Maria Warenberg: Into the Night

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

New Music Orchestra / Journeys into the unknown

The contemporary music concert cycle presented by the OMN Ensemble is a chance to immerse oneself in a world of new sounds and compositions. Established in 1996, for nearly three decades the Ensemble has been presenting contemporary works, always following its mission of exploring and promoting those of particular significance for Polish and global musical culture. Their experimental performances lead audiences through the complexity, diversity, ambiguity and polyphonicity of contemporary music. Every year, tens of thousands of new pieces of music are composed. Among those, one can find very good and excellent works, or even works of pure genius. The OMN Ensemble, working first under the baton of its founder, Aleksander Lasoń, and since 2006 under the artistic directorship of the conductor Szymon Bywalec, constantly turns even the most challenging scores into performances. Every concert becomes a journey into the unknown, filled with risk and discovery of new modes of collaboration and creation. These explorations open for the listener a path to a deeper understanding of contemporary music. Alexandra KozowiczConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes

Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej / Minimal music / Journeys into the unknown

The contemporary music concert cycle presented by the OMN Ensemble is a chance to immerse oneself in a world of new sounds and compositions. Established in 1996, for nearly three decades the Ensemble has been presenting contemporary works, always following its mission of exploring and promoting those of particular significance for Polish and global musical culture. Their experimental performances lead audiences through the complexity, diversity, ambiguity and polyphonicity of contemporary music. Every year, tens of thousands of new pieces of music are composed. Among those, one can find very good and excellent works, or even works of pure genius. The OMN Ensemble, working first under the baton of its founder, Aleksander Lasoń, and since 2006 under the artistic directorship of the conductor Szymon Bywalec, constantly turns even the most challenging scores into performances. Every concert becomes a journey into the unknown, filled with risk and discovery of new modes of collaboration and creation. These explorations open for the listener a path to a deeper understanding of contemporary music. Alexandra KozowiczConcert duration: approximately 80 minutes

Be like the Bird

Be like the Bird