Filters
This "Happy Hour" concert by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, led by Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck, offers a lively mix of polkas and Viennese waltzes for those who missed the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert. Soprano Magdalena Lucjan adds to the festivities, portraying Adele from Johann Strauss's "Die Fledermaus".
The WDR Symphony Orchestra's "Happy Hour - Classical at Seven" series offers sixty minutes of top-class classical music. This concert, conducted by Roderick Cox, features Samuel Barber's first symphony, a dark, "Nordic" work compared to Sibelius. Sibelius's fifth symphony, inspired by the Finnish landscape and circling swans, will also be performed.
Conductor Roderick Cox achieved his breakthrough in 2018 with the "Sir Georg Solti Award." He used this recognition not only for international guest conducting but also to establish a support project for young musicians of color. In Cologne, the maestro builds a musical bridge between his American homeland and Europe, presenting Samuel Barber's first symphony, inspired by the composer's time in Rome, alongside Sibelius's popular Fifth Symphony.
Nicolaus A. Huber will celebrate his 85th birthday on December 15, 2024. The NOW! Festival sends him birthday greetings in advance. Huber, a native of Lower Bavaria, left a huge mark on Essen as a composition professor at the Folkwang University from 1974 to 2004. His former student, Gordon Kampe, composed a commissioned work for two voices and orchestra. Johannes Maria Staud's new percussion concerto and two Huber classics will be performed. In 2017, he composed "...der arabischen 4", and with "laissez vibrer", he composed the first solo for 18 tubular bells, reminiscent of his childhood.
The Mouse goes to a concert with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, exploring the life and music of Edvard Grieg. This concert blends live music, humorous and factual stories, videos, and puzzles. Educational materials for teachers and school classes attending the 11:00 am concert are available online.