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Tango Suite for 2 Guitars (1984) by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) consists of three movements: Allegro, libero; Andante rubato, melancolico; and Allegro.
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Tango Suite for 2 Guitars (1984) by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) consists of three movements: Allegro, libero; Andante rubato, melancolico; and Allegro.
What's even more beautiful than a cello? Ten cellos! Chamber music is one of the great joys of life for our orchestra musicians. Here, seven members of our cello group and our orchestra academy come together with their colleague Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who is our current artist in residence, for a musically diverse programme.
An evening-long meditation on life and the hereafter, devised by Sakari Oramo and featuring the UK premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s astonishing final masterpiece Hush.
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.
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.
In tribute to Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in June 2023, and in honour of their long collaboration with her, the soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain celebrate her enormous contributions within the contemporary constellation.
For Gustav Mahler, escaping the world often meant living only for love and art. Sometimes, however, his otherworldly sounds also gently speak of death. The traditional Staatskapelle Berlin under Susanna Mälkki now dedicates itself to them. In the "Song of the Earth", joy in life and farewell to life find a colorful expression. Mälkki prefaces Mahler's moving late work with Kaija Saariaho's trumpet concerto "Hush", her poignant farewell to the world. Verneri Pohjola now interprets it.
In this programme the Staatskapelle Berlin under Susanna Mälkki present music that is conscious of death while attempting to grasp the value of life. Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde was written immediately after the death of his daughter. Hush is the final work of composer Kaija Saariaho, that could only be premiered after her death in 2023 – yet movingly resonates with life.
Two years after his brilliant debut at Musikfest Berlin with the Royal Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, shooting star Klaus Mäkelä will perform a programme with the Oslo Philharmonic in 2024 that includes the much played and frequently misunderstood Fifth Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich – and a dialogue with birds.
The hr-Sinfonieorchester has been associated with the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt since its beginnings. At the 51st Darmstadt Summer Courses, it will present exceptional works to course participants from many countries as part of the final concert. Conducted by Pierre Bleuse, the program includes Morton Feldman's "String Quartet and Orchestra" with the Fabrik Quartett, and the world premiere of a new work for turntables and orchestra by Mariam Rezaei and Matthew Shlomowitz.