KATRĪNA PAULA FELSBERGA, JULIUS DRAKE & BURGHART KLAUSSNER

RODERICK WILLIAMS, JULIUS DRAKE & TOBY JONES

One of the greatest poets of all time, William Shakespeare is at the center of the season’s first Lied und Lyrik program. Roderick Williams and Julius Drake trace the Bard’s musical heritage in English, German, and French settings from three centuries, with Toby Jones returning to read Shakespeare’s original texts.

Anna Prohaska and Julius Drake: Paradise Lost

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!

Wiebke Lehmkuhl | Andreas Willwohl | Julius Drake

Singer Wiebke Lehmkuhl, violist Andreas Willwohl, and pianist Julius Drake explore the repertoire of songs with viola, from Brahms to Britten. Lehmkuhl, known for her velvety timbre and exceptional low register, focuses on lieder alongside Willwohl and renowned British accompanist Drake.

Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake: Schubert and the Schumanns

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!

Mahler Festival: Fleur Barron, Laurence Kilsby and Julius Drake in Mahler songs

The Recital Hall is dedicated to Mahler's most beautiful songs during the Mahler Festival. Perhaps today's most important Lieder accompanist, pianist Julius Drake, flanks his favourite vocalists. Today, you hear British mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, praised by critics for her charisma and clarity. You will also hear young tenor Laurence Kilsby, the 2022 winner of the Wigmore Hall's International Song Competition.Mahler's moving Kindertotenlieder are set to texts by Friedrich Rückert. This song cycle deals with coping with the death of two of the poet's children. Some years after its completion, Mahler himself lost his daughter. Julius Drake had already regularly performed the Kindertotenlieder with Fleur Barron. 'Fleur has such an extraordinary voice,' he said in Preludium.' A mezzo, but when she sings, you can hear a contra-alt, very special.' Drake also chose several pieces from Des Knaben Wunderhorn for this recital. For these works, Mahler based himself on old German folk song texts. Mahler drew from the same textbook before. Today, Barron and tenor Laurence Kilsby perform the Lieder und Gesänge, a song cycle Mahler wrote in his twenties.

Mahler Festival: Mahler songs with Julius Drake, Catriona Morison and James Newby

This first Recital Hall concert of the Mahler Festival focuses on Mahler's most beautiful songs. Today's most important Lieder accompanist, pianist Julius Drake, flanks vocalists he admires. Scottish mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison is praised for her refined yet full voice. 'A real star,' according to the Times. You will also hear baritone James Newby, winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award. He recently released the acclaimed album Fallen to Dust.Julius Drake chose a series of songs full of drama and poetry for Morison and Newby. That poetry sometimes comes from Mahler himself, as today in Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. 'When my dearest marries' is the name of one of the songs. The lady in question did not marry Mahler, who experienced this as a 'glowing knife' in his heart. He processed all his frustration and sorrow in this stirring song cycle. In the five lyrical Rückert-Lieder, he shows a happier side.

Mahler Festival: Mahler's song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn accompanied by Julius Drake

During the Mahler Festival, the Recital Hall is dedicated to Mahler's most beautiful songs. Perhaps today's most important Lieder accompanist, pianist Julius Drake, flanks vocalists he admires. Today, these are mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor and bass-baritone Jusung Gabriel Park.In Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Mahler chose his favourite texts from the very old German collection of the same name. He composed twelve sometimes fairy-tale-like songs. Love, faith, heroic deeds... everything floats by. They are sung by Scottish Beth Taylor and South Korean Jusung Gabriel Park. The latter is making his Amsterdam debut. Drake chooses to have some songs sung by the soloists together. 'Even though they are not necessarily written as such, there are often clearly two characters speaking,' he said in Preludium. 'And as a duet they work really beautifully.'

Julius Asal / Piano Recital

Menahem Pressler was deeply impressed by Julius Asal’s piano playing, describing the sound as uniquely sonorous. He wondered how Asal achieved this and felt the instrument shared a secret with him.

Sebastian Breuninger, Julius Bekesch, Chaim Steller & Chirstian Giger