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Philharmonie Berlin, Chamber Music Hall (Berlin)
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Senta's dreams are directed towards the sea: will the man who will free her from her restricted life at home come from there? It begins stormily; Wagner's first fully valid opera presents a grandiose, overwhelming vision of the elements already in the overture. The fate of the Flying Dutchman and the woman who is to redeem him takes place in the roar of the waves and the ocean. This "romantic opera" aims to transcend boundaries - between tradition and future music, between land and sea, between convention and revolution. The result is a thrilling drama telling the story of a young woman who refuses to submit, who puts all her stakes on one card in order to transcend her boundaries, even if it costs her her life. Production: Michael Thalheimer Stage: Olaf Altmann Costumes: Michaela Barth Lighting: Stefan Bolliger Dramaturgy: Ralf Waldschmidt Choir: Eberhard Friedrich Premiere on: 23.10.2022
The Orchestre National de France and Philippe Manoury here pay tribute to Pierre Boulez the conductor, teacher and mentor—these deeply valued other facets to the composer whose centenary we are celebrating this year.
Senta's dreams are directed towards the sea: will the man who will free her from her restricted life at home come from there? It begins stormily; Wagner's first fully valid opera presents a grandiose, overwhelming vision of the elements already in the overture. The fate of the Flying Dutchman and the woman who is to redeem him takes place in the roar of the waves and the ocean. This "romantic opera" aims to transcend boundaries - between tradition and future music, between land and sea, between convention and revolution. The result is a thrilling drama telling the story of a young woman who refuses to submit, who puts all her stakes on one card in order to transcend her boundaries, even if it costs her her life. Production: Michael Thalheimer Stage: Olaf Altmann Costumes: Michaela Barth Lighting: Stefan Bolliger Dramaturgy: Ralf Waldschmidt Choir: Eberhard Friedrich Premiere on: 23.10.2022
Senta's dreams are directed towards the sea: will the man who will free her from her restricted life at home come from there? It begins stormily; Wagner's first fully valid opera presents a grandiose, overwhelming vision of the elements already in the overture. The fate of the Flying Dutchman and the woman who is to redeem him takes place in the roar of the waves and the ocean. This "romantic opera" aims to transcend boundaries - between tradition and future music, between land and sea, between convention and revolution. The result is a thrilling drama telling the story of a young woman who refuses to submit, who puts all her stakes on one card in order to transcend her boundaries, even if it costs her her life. Production: Michael Thalheimer Stage: Olaf Altmann Costumes: Michaela Barth Lighting: Stefan Bolliger Dramaturgy: Ralf Waldschmidt Choir: Eberhard Friedrich Premiere on: 23.10.2022
"Der junge Siegfried" (originally titled "The Young Siegfried") tells of Siegfried, son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, raised by the malicious Mime after his parents' deaths. This coming-of-age story sees Siegfried rebelling against Mime, who plans to use him to seize the Nibelung hoard from Fafner. Siegfried, fearless, forges a sword, slays Fafner, claims the hoard, and kills Mime. He defies Wotan, and, upon reaching Brünnhilde, forgets his mission for love. This "scherzo" blends fairytale and comedy while showcasing nature's power.
Senta's dreams are directed towards the sea: will the man who will free her from her restricted life at home come from there? It begins stormily; Wagner's first fully valid opera presents a grandiose, overwhelming vision of the elements already in the overture. The fate of the Flying Dutchman and the woman who is to redeem him takes place in the roar of the waves and the ocean. This "romantic opera" aims to transcend boundaries - between tradition and future music, between land and sea, between convention and revolution. The result is a thrilling drama telling the story of a young woman who refuses to submit, who puts all her stakes on one card in order to transcend her boundaries, even if it costs her her life. Production: Michael Thalheimer Stage: Olaf Altmann Costumes: Michaela Barth Lighting: Stefan Bolliger Dramaturgy: Ralf Waldschmidt Choir: Eberhard Friedrich Premiere on: 23.10.2022
Martha Argerich speaks of Daniil Trifonov with astonishment: “He has everything and more – tenderness, but also a demonic quality. I’ve never heard anything like it.” To round off the year, the star pianist performs Johannes Brahms’ monumentally virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko. After the interval, the powerful and festive prelude from Richard Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg follows. The concert concludes with two lavishly-orchestrated dance works by Richard Strauss of a contrasting nature: the charming waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier and Salome’s Dance, with its exhibitionistic, almost brutal sensuality.
Martha Argerich speaks of Daniil Trifonov with astonishment: “He has everything and more – tenderness, but also a demonic quality. I’ve never heard anything like it.” To round off the year, the star pianist performs Johannes Brahms’ monumentally virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko. After the interval, the powerful and festive prelude from Richard Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg follows. The concert concludes with two lavishly-orchestrated dance works by Richard Strauss of a contrasting nature: the charming waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier and Salome’s Dance, with its exhibitionistic, almost brutal sensuality.
Martha Argerich speaks of Daniil Trifonov with astonishment: “He has everything and more – tenderness, but also a demonic quality. I’ve never heard anything like it.” To round off the year, the star pianist performs Johannes Brahms’ monumentally virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko. After the interval, the powerful and festive prelude from Richard Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg follows. The concert concludes with two lavishly-orchestrated dance works by Richard Strauss of a contrasting nature: the charming waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier and Salome’s Dance, with its exhibitionistic, almost brutal sensuality.
The chief conductor has traditionally led the orchestra in the Christmas Matinee – and now its future chief conductor, Klaus Mäkelä, assumes that role, leading the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a programme based on the theme of love. Wagner surprised his wife Cosima with the Siegfried-Idyll on Christmas Day, 1870. Marital love also inspired Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, which he dedicated to the Concertgebouw Orchestra: the lifeblood of this autobiographical work is a lovely violin solo representing the hero’s life partner.Unsuk Chin’s subito con forza is a declaration of love for the music of Beethoven. It was with this same work that Klaus Mäkelä opened the programme he conducted on his Concertgebouw Orchestra debut in September 2020, when sparks between maestro and orchestra first flew. The performance took place during the coronavirus pandemic in the presence of a small audience. Now it’s time to perform the work again and to share their mutual affection with the entire world, thanks to radio and television.
For Augustin Hadelich, Mozart's music tells stories. He believes Mozart composed instrumental music with dramatic arcs and storylines. Hadelich will perform two violin concertos, showcasing these musical narratives. Beethoven's Eighth Symphony was initially conceived as a solo concerto, adding another intriguing story to the concert.
A mysterious stranger who only reveals his true identity after some time. Two different personalities between whom an exciting scene unfolds: for Augustin Hadelich, Mozart’s music is stories. »He was a composer who always thought dramatically, in story arcs; he wrote operas – and much of his instrumental music is composed in precisely this kind of language.« In Hadelich’s ProArte concert, audiences can experience twice how these instrumental stories sound live – with Mozart’s Second and Fifth Violin Concertos. The orchestral part is in the hands of the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, which has Mozart’s music written into its DNA, so to speak. Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, originally conceived as a »symphonic fantasy«, also tells a story.
If The Master-Singers of Nuremberg were stripped of their stage design and historical setting, they could constitute a metaphor of perfect order in the musical (though not only) world: the winner of the competition for the most beautiful song and its best performance would be the best and the most talented participant and the ambitious mediocre one would suffer a well-deserved defeat. In such a world, the following question would become an abstract and groundless one: why have Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s Three Dances, Op. 34, not found their rightful place in the concert repertoire? Why is this work – chronologically placed halfway between Symphony No. 2 and No. 3, surprising, brilliant, written with a particular flair for timbre and expression – performed so rarely? Nonetheless, in real life, Walter’s love song does not shine in a blaze of glory at first, while the talentless Beckmesser will still trumpet his clerkish shallowness before he finally loses.Usually, however, it is the greatness of vision that wins. Such was the Wagnerian vision, which changed the course of history. Without his orchestral language, Bruckner’s, Mahler’s and Richard Strauss’ oeuvres would certainly be different from those we know today.In his Gesamtkunstwerk, Wagner lent an increasingly greater weight to the orchestra. The instrumental layer ceases to be merely a helpful scaffolding for the vocal show, beginning to explain and add to the drama happening onstage. The furthest he ever ventured away from the academic thinking about form was in the prelude to the Lohengrin (1848). In the prelude to the 1862 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Wagner decided to build a classically structured score. In a sophisticated manner, he brings together motifs taken from the operatic plot, referencing its heroes and crucial moments, simultaneously creating a score of unusual brilliance and elan, a concert masterpiece.Even though Bruckner admired Wagner, the path his symphonies open up for us is one leading to a radically different sphere of artistic expression – a sphere marked by patience and humility, but also by self-destructive uncertainty. In this Brucknerian world, The Sixth is truly exceptional. The least frequently performed, it does not belong to any period – while being the only one never amended by the composer, it also separates the “early” part of his symphonic universe from the “late” works. Amidst contrasting moods and motifs, the meandering harmonies, complicated rhythms and an orchestration fueled by an unrestrained imagination lead from darkness to light.Andrzej SułekConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 100 minutes
Young Mozart once exclaimed about the wonderful effect of clarinets. The hr-Sinfonieorchester has six of them, all showcased in this chamber music program. Spanning centuries and styles, they will be played in every imaginable combination, like a shimmering kaleidoscope. A special highlight, not just for chamber music fans. Concert duration: approx. 110 minutes including intermission.
This programme is unusually diverse even for the musicians of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Yet the musical worlds of Ligeti, Wagner, and Webern, which merge more or less seamlessly in this concert, are not as far apart as one might think. And in the second half there is Bruckner’s auratic Ninth Symphony, a true monolith. “It seems that the Ninth is a limit. If one wishes to go beyond it, one must leave this world. Those who wrote a Ninth were already too close to the hereafter” – this was Schönberg’s prophetic statement regarding Mahler, who died without ever having heard his Ninth Symphony. Bruckner is also said to have been afraid of this fatal number: “I don’t want to start on my Ninth at all, I don’t dare.” He died while working on the fourth movement.
IM KREIS . . . ... seiner Schüler Webern und Berg begeht Schönberg bei uns sein Jubeljahr. An der Geburtstagstafel ist für drei weitere Gäste eingedeckt: Bach, bei dem alles beginnt und endet, Brahms the Progressive, und Wagner, der sich selbst eingeladen hat und das Vorspiel zum antitonalitären Zirkel mitbringt. Die runde Tafelmusik beginnt mit Weberns Gesellenstück von 1908 und dem allerletzten Berg-Werk vom anderen Ende der zweiten Wiener Schulzeit 1936. IM DUNKEL Souverän gebietet der 25-jährige Webern dem gewaltigen spätromantischen Orchester und beschwört zugleich mit dem barocken Satzprinzip der Passacaglia den zeitlosen Geist Bachs. Jedes Detail des farb- und formenreichen Satzes leitet Webern aus einem stetig kreisenden Hauptund einem Gegenthema her. Fast zeitgleich komponierte sein knapp zehn Jahre älterer Lehrer das Monodram Erwartung. Zur Uraufführung gelangte Schönbergs schneller Wurf jedoch erst vor 100 Jahren: Zemlinsky leitete 1924 in Prag die Premiere. Der Schauplatz – eine Mondnacht im Wald – scheint durch und durch romantisch. Doch das Dunkel ist zugleich Seelenraum einer Frau auf der Suche nach ihrem Geliebten, hinund hergerissen zwischen Ungewissheit, Hoffnung, Angst, Einsamkeit und Grauen. IM HIMMEL Wir bleiben halt unverbesserliche Romantiker! Auch mein neues Violinkonzert bestätigt es wieder, resümiert Berg also mit gutem Grund gegen Ende seines Lebens. Das einmalige Konzept des Werkes stand längst, als ihn die Nachricht vom Tod der 18-jährigen, an Kinderlähmung leidenden Manon Gropius ereilte, Tochter Alma Mahler-Werfels aus der Ehe mit Walter Gropius. Im letzten Abschnitt verschmilzt die genial gebaute Zwölftonreihe mit dem Beginn des Sterbechorals Es ist genug!, den Berg aus Bachs Leipziger Kantate O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort! BWV 60 herbeizitiert – nicht ahnend, dass er neben Manon auch sich selbst aus dem Leben verabschiedete.
This programme is unusually diverse even for the musicians of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Yet the musical worlds of Ligeti, Wagner, and Webern, which merge more or less seamlessly in this concert, are not as far apart as one might think. And in the second half there is Bruckner’s auratic Ninth Symphony, a true monolith. “It seems that the Ninth is a limit. If one wishes to go beyond it, one must leave this world. Those who wrote a Ninth were already too close to the hereafter” – this was Schönberg’s prophetic statement regarding Mahler, who died without ever having heard his Ninth Symphony. Bruckner is also said to have been afraid of this fatal number: “I don’t want to start on my Ninth at all, I don’t dare.” He died while working on the fourth movement.