Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Anne-Sophie Mutter / Manfred Honeck

»It’s a stroke of genius. This music is immortal,« Anne-Sophie Mutter enthused about Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto back in 2009. The star violinist is not alone in this opinion: since its premiere, the captivating work has delighted performers and audiences alike – no wonder, given the abundance of musical beauty it offers. At first, Gustav Mahler could only dream of such a sensational success for his Fifth Symphony: »The Fifth is a cursed work. No one understands it,« he grumbled, disappointed about the lack of understanding that the monumental work was met with everywhere. However, it is also possible that Mahler was simply overtaxing the listening habits of the time. Today, Mahler’s Fifth is his most popular symphony and it is impossible to imagine the repertoire of concert halls around the world without it. And when a world-class orchestra like the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra offers a performance, nothing stands in the way of a great concert evening!

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Yefim Bronfman / Manfred Honeck

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has a distinguished history of promoting new American works. In 1986, for example, it premiered John Adams’s fanfare for orchestra »Short Ride in a Fast Machine«, with which the musicians opened their concert in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall under the direction of long-standing chief conductor Manfred Honeck. For Rachmaninov’s mighty »Concerto for Elephants«, whose piano part allegedly has the most notes per second of all the great piano concertos, the Grammy award winning orchestra will be joined by brilliant American pianist Yefim Bronfman. The programme continues in a late Romantic style after the interval with an orchestral suite from Giacomo Puccini’s last opera »Turandot« – even without vocals, great emotions unfold in an arrangement by Manfred Honeck. The work is juxtaposed with Stravinsky’s music to the ballet »The Firebird«, in which Ivan Tsarevich defeats the evil sorcerer Kastschei with the help of a fantastic bird.

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra visits Konserthuset under the baton of its Chief Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. They are joined by the celebrated Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, internationally acclaimed by both audiences and critics for his beautiful touch and boundless virtuosity.Together, they present Frédéric Chopin's beloved First Piano Concerto. For Chopin, the piano always took centre stage. His nocturnes, études, mazurkas, polonaises, and impromptus have captivated listeners ever since he charmed audiences in the salons of Paris, or at the few concerts he gave during his all-too-short life. The orchestra plays a subordinate role even in the piano concerto – it is the soloist who shines with imaginative passages, beautiful bel canto melodies, and swirling dances.Regarding what would become his final symphony, Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to his brother Anatoly: "I am now completely absorbed in the new work and find it difficult to tear myself away from it. I believe it will be one of my best works. I must finish it as soon as possible." The symphony indeed became one of the great musical masterpieces, filled with profound darkness and exalted beauty.

Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra

The Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading symphony orchestras for young musicians in the Nordic region. It comprises some of the most talented young musicians of today. The soloist who wins the Polstjärnepriset competition will represent Sweden in Eurovision Young Musicians – Europe’s largest competition for young classical musicians, watched by millions of TV viewers across the continent.In recent years, the orchestra has enjoyed a series of successes – including a performance at the 2023 Baltic Sea Festival in Berwaldhallen, conducted by none other than Esa-Pekka Salonen. The Polstjärnepriset is both a soloist competition and a course for young musicians aged 14–18, alternating each year between a Nordic and a Swedish edition. All twenty competitors and sixty course participants in the most recent Nordic edition make up the symphony orchestra. After the competition’s grand final at the Gothenburg Concert Hall, it is now time to present themselves in Stockholm.In addition to solo performances by the winner of the 2025 competition and other finalists, the programme includes Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and music for string orchestra by Béla Bartók and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. The Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra is led by Swedish conductor Andreas van Tol.

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra: An Alpine Symphony

Join Guildhall Symphony Orchestra for an awe-inspiring evening of music in Barbican Hall, conducted by alumnus Roberto González-Monjas.

Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra

Julian Clayton conducts the outstanding young musicians of Junior Guildhall in a programme of 20th-century America-inspired works.

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra plays Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony

The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra’s programme shows us two opposing sides of Robert Schumann. The composer’s Third Symphony, his ”Rhenish“, is vital, rapturous and enthusiastic, and is considered the epitome of the Romantic symphony. His violin concerto, with its dark and melancholic profundity, is completely different. The solo part will be performed by Dmytro Udovychenko, winner of the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition. The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, for which the Berliner Philharmoniker took on patronage in 2023, will open the concert with Svyatoslav Lunyov’s sensual and flowing string piece Tristium.

Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons

Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons

Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons