Playing for Philharmonie
Philharmonie de Paris, Grande salle Pierre Boulez (Paris)
A mesmerising programme celebrating the richness of British music, including Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, directed by Guildhall School alumna Candida Thompson.
An all-British programme of Tippett, Turnage and Vaughan Williams inspired by opera and jazz – including an unmissable world premiere, to celebrate Sir Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday.
“Music is the expression of emotions and feelings. I hold as my ideal a piece in which poetic content is combined with excellence of musical craftmanship. Poetry alone does not determine the musical value of a piece, just as craftmanship alone risks falling into a pitfall of using worn-out formulas. Enduring beauty is only born from a balance of both” Andrzej Panufnik (1952) Silesian String Quartet – 45 years of experience, more than 150 first performances of chamber works, thousands of concerts in the world's most famous concert halls, more than 60 albums, more than 20 nominations, 10 ‘Fryderyk’ statuettes and the most important – the ‘musical Oscar’, i.e., the Gramophone Classical Music Award. The ensemble specialises in the discovery, promotion and recording of Polish music and is famous for its first performances under the guidance of composers. Ditching the traditional hierarchical model of performing music, the ensemble emphasises exchange and collaboration with other musicians. This season, the artists will introduce the work of Sir Andrzej Panufnik on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the only Polish composer to be awarded a title of nobility by Queen Elizabeth II. The programme will be complemented by works by native British artists, i.e., Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Roxanna Panufnik. It includes Britten's composition Phantasy, op. 2, from which this year's entire cycle of the Silesian String Quartet concerts takes its name, i.e., British Phantasy. The piece is a fascinating example of his early work, as Britten was only 19 when he wrote it. Yet, it is already a reflection of both his personal musical experiences and the broader cultural context of England at the time. The composition was an artistic expression of his individuality and, simultaneously, a rebellious gesture against academic constraints. It was composed for a one-movement composition competition organised by Walter Willson Cobbett, a well-known chamber music lover, and draws on English music tradition from the 16th century. The programme will be complemented by Ralph Vaughan Williams' Quintet in D major and a work by Andrzej Panufnik's immensely successful daughter Roxanna, the string quartet Second Home, commissioned for the Festival of Premieres in 2007. Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes
This family concert celebrates the joys of the Christmas season with music by Shostakovich, Barber, Vaughan Williams, and others. It evokes the atmosphere of Christmas markets, gingerbread, roasted almonds, singing, bells, and snowy landscapes.
This family concert celebrates the joys of the Christmas season with music by Shostakovich, Barber, Vaughan Williams, and others. It evokes the atmosphere of Christmas markets, gingerbread, roasted almonds, singing, bells, and snowy landscapes.
Two reflective works from Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar, plus Arnold Bax’s evocative portrait of the Cornish countryside.
Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra perform their own programmes in the Recital Hall as part of the Close-up chamber music series. Each of these concerts is unique and performed only once as part of the series. It’s the very best way to experience the individual qualities of the orchestral musicians! These intimate concerts are organised by the Friends of the Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
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.
Valentin Şerban (fot. P. Andrada), Sào Soulez Larivière (fot. J. Reichardt), Tomasz Daroch (photo: Ł. Rajchert), Andrzej Ciepliński (photo: W. Grzędziński), Gabriel Czopka (photo: G. Mart), Tymoteusz Bies (photo: W. Grzędziński) An aubade is a type of love song performed – as opposed to a serenade – in the morning. George Enescu turned to this genre early in his career, in the twilight of the nineteenth century. In Enescu’s piece, three string instruments take part in delightful and lazy morning banter. Also in a mood of playfulness and life affirmation is the D major Quintet for an unusual mixture of forces, composed at the same time by the slightly older Ralph Vaughan Williams. Filled with sweet, charming melody, this work by the famous English folklore scholar was first performed in the new century and was one of the works closest to his heart. It has been several decades since the works of Ernő Dohnányi, a Hungarian immigrant condemned to long years of oblivion in his homeland, were restored to the repertoire. His first compositional achievements enthralled the ageing Johannes Brahms, and as a pianist he quickly conquered the stages of Vienna, London and Paris. His Sextet in C major, Op. 37, full of symphonic grandeur, was completed while the composer recovered from illness and first performed in 1935. Unlike his famous compatriots with folkloristic inclinations – Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály – whose works he promoted, Dohnányi turned to the tradition of late German romanticism in his Sextet, which also displays his characteristic humour. Event within the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025
According to Theodor Fontane, happiness lies in small things, which could also describe songs. Soprano Sarah Wegener explores this happiness in her Cologne concert. She performs songs like Richard Strauss's "Traum durch die Dämmerung," which questions where happiness lies. Wegener, known for her intense performances, joins pianist Götz Payer in this pursuit of happiness.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
You can simply go to a concert at the Philharmonie, spontaneously, during your lunch break – and with free admission: every Wednesday at 13:00 between September and June. The programme lasts 40 to 50 minutes: chamber music, piano works or a percussion duo – everything from Tchaikovsky to tango. Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Karajan Academy regularly perform, as well as guests from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Berlin music conservatories. As can be expected at a lunch concert, catering is available from 12 noon until shortly before the concert begins.
“Music is the expression of emotions and feelings. I hold as my ideal a piece in which poetic content is combined with excellence of musical craftmanship. Poetry alone does not determine the musical value of a piece, just as craftmanship alone risks falling into a pitfall of using worn-out formulas. Enduring beauty is only born from a balance of both” Andrzej Panufnik (1952) Silesian String Quartet – 45 years of experience, more than 150 first performances of chamber works, thousands of concerts in the world's most famous concert halls, more than 60 albums, more than 20 nominations, 10 ‘Fryderyk’ statuettes and the most important – the ‘musical Oscar’, i.e., the Gramophone Classical Music Award. The ensemble specialises in the discovery, promotion and recording of Polish music and is famous for its first performances under the guidance of composers. Ditching the traditional hierarchical model of performing music, the ensemble emphasises exchange and collaboration with other musicians. This season, the artists will introduce the work of Sir Andrzej Panufnik on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the only Polish composer to be awarded a title of nobility by Queen Elizabeth II. The programme will be complemented by works by native British artists, i.e., Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar. It includes one of the most beautiful chamber works of the 20th century – Edward Elgar's Piano Quintet in A Minor. Imbued with mystery, the piece was inspired by the charming yet somewhat murky atmosphere of the woods surrounding the cottage at Flexham Park in Sussex, near Brinkwells, where Elgar created his compositions. The impact of this setting is perceptible in the music, which impresses with its richness of expression and power of sound. The late Romantic style of the piece adds to its unique character, full of deep, dark tone, enhancing the impression of mystery and longing. [Alexandra Kozowicz]Concert duration (intermission included): approximately 120 minutes
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!
Old meets new and the familiar meets the strange and fairytale-like in the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra’s 2nd Academy Concert, when the propulsive, youthful freshness of the just-turned-seventeen Mozart meets the relatively unknown Romantic sound of Hamburg-born Ferdinand David. Things take an atmospheric turn with Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose music is a resounding reflection of his origins and homeland in England. Just like Edvard Grieg’s »Peer Gynt« from Norway.
The Landesjugendorchester Hamburg (LJO Hamburg) is a select orchestra of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and has been an integral part of the young music scene for over 55 years. The patron of the ensemble is the First Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher. In its summer concert, the LJO Hamburg will perform for the first time with guest conductor Bar Avni.
Ballrooms have had a great time in Berlin. Without the plush dance halls, the Golden Twenties would probably not have become the cult brand that it is today, and which even had an impact on the founding years of radio. The RSB opens up two of Berlin’s lovingly maintained ballrooms for selected chamber concerts: the Ballhaus Wedding and the Ballhaus Neukölln, today’s “Heimathafen”.Both mark stations on an imaginary line between the orchestra’s two radio houses during its 100-year history: the Haus des Rundfunks in Charlottenburg and the Funkhaus Nalepastraße in Oberschöneweide.
Star trumpeter Alison Balsom deliberately reduced her concert workload in recent years in order to concentrate on the projects close to her heart. So it was a stroke of luck that the British musician couldn’t say no when one of today’s top orchestras asked her if she would play the solo part in the trumpet concerto that Wynton Marsalis composed in 2022. The American Wynton Marsalis is one of the few artists to make a name for himself both in jazz and in classical music as a top trumpeter, not to mention his commitment to jazz in the cultural world and his support for the rights of African American musicians. After the interval, the London Symphony Orchestra transplants us to Britain with the Fifth Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams: written in the dark war years up to 1943, this is a score of truly luminous beauty.