Klangwucht – Rachmaninow & Marsalis

A demonstration against the CDU, CSU, and FDP's alliance with fascists is scheduled for Saturday, February 1st, with an expected 3,000 participants. Significant traffic disruptions are anticipated, especially near the Cologne Philharmonic. Concertgoers are advised to plan alternate routes or transportation. The demonstration starts at Heumarkt at 4 pm and ends with a rally at Deutzer Werft around 9 pm. Yunchan Lim will be performing Rachmaninov's challenging second piano concerto, followed by a performance of a classical composition by jazz composer Wynton Marsalis.

Klangwucht – Rachmaninow & Marsalis

Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, known for its emotional depth and technical demands, is tackled by the award-winning 20-year-old pianist Yunchan Lim. Following this, jazz star Wynton Marsalis demonstrates his creative power as a composer within a classical music setting.

Gewandhausorchester, Cristian Măcelaru Dirigent

Liszt composed tone poems about Orpheus, who overcomes death with music, and Prometheus, who inspires humanity with art. Orpheus's music is harmonious, while Prometheus's is dissonant, reflecting his suffering. Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto, sometimes called the "Orpheus Concerto," may be inspired by Orpheus. Leó Weiner, a Liszt admirer, orchestrated Liszt's B minor Sonata for the Liszt centenary in 1956.

Gewandhausorchester, Cristian Măcelaru Dirigent

Liszt composed tone poems about Orpheus, who overcomes death with music, and Prometheus, who inspires humanity with art. Orpheus's music is harmonious, while Prometheus's is dissonant, reflecting his suffering. Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto, sometimes called the "Orpheus Concerto," may be inspired by Orpheus. Leó Weiner, a Liszt admirer, orchestrated Liszt's B minor Sonata for the Liszt centenary in 1956.

Măcelaru, Hadelich · Tchaikovsky, Dvořák

Măcelaru, Hadelich · Tchaikovsky, Dvořák

Orchestre National de France

Cristian Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France bring French flair to the Rhine with Maurice Ravel's Boléro, his piano concerto, and Stravinsky's "The Firebird." The program also features Ravel's jazz-influenced piano concerto, a fitting prelude to Ravel's 150th birthday in 2025.

Orchestre National de France / Beatrice Rana / Christian Măcelaru

There is often talk of underrated works by great composers: masterpieces that are only honoured after the death of their creators. But overrated works? Maurice Ravel considered his Boléro to be such a work. »I have only made one masterpiece, that is the Boléro; unfortunately, it contains no music,« he once said laconically. You can disagree and be pleased that Cristian Măcelaru is presenting the work with his Orchestre National de France in this ProArte concert. And that’s not all: in addition to the famous Boléro, the proven Ravel specialists from Paris are also bringing Ravel’s jazz-influenced piano concerto to Hamburg, interpreted by Beatrice Rana, who has played her way into the hearts of local audiences in recent seasons. A fitting prelude to the Ravel Year 2025, in which the 150th birthday of the composer with the unbeatable sense of orchestral colour will be celebrated.

PhilharmonieLunch

Experience a small break from everyday life at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall – inspiring, touching, authentic. A place full of music, for an unusual lunch break, a break from the city noise or simply a break from everyday life. The Philharmonic Lunch is made possible by KölnMusik together with the WDR Symphony Orchestra and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.

Lebenswege – Buchbinder & Bartók

Rudolf Buchbinder's piano interpretations set pianistic standards, combining tradition and innovation in his readings of classical piano literature for over 60 years. He plays Brahms' first piano concerto, a work full of great tragedy and dramatic power. Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra" is in no way inferior to it in terms of musical drama. In 1940, the Hungarian composer had to emigrate to the USA, where he suffered from artistic neglect and health problems. In his last orchestral work, he spans the arc "from the darkness of the sad lament to the affirmation of life," as he himself writes.

Ewigkeit – Măcelaru & Mahlers Dritte

Cristian Măcelaru and Gustav Mahler's collaboration has become known for unique interpretations, especially of Mahler's Third Symphony. This symphony explores connections between nature and spirituality, the tangible world and the divine. Mahler described symphonies as building a world with available techniques, depicting the emergence of life from inanimate matter, evolving through flowers, animals, humans, and spirits to angels.

Ewigkeit – Măcelaru & Mahlers Dritte

Cristian Măcelaru and Gustav Mahler's collaboration has become known for unique interpretations, especially of Mahler's Third Symphony. This symphony explores connections between nature and spirituality, the tangible world and the divine. Mahler described symphonies as building a world with available techniques, depicting the emergence of life from inanimate matter, evolving through flowers, animals, humans, and spirits to angels.

Klangzauber - Măcelaru & Kanneh-Mason

Mit nur 17 Jahren gewann Sheku Kanneh-Mason 2016 den Wettbewerb BBC Young Musician of the Year und zählt seitdem zu den Shootingstars der internationalen Klassikwelt. Wie gemacht für das virtuos-sinnliche Spiel des jungen Briten ist Schostakowitschs erstes Cellokonzert, hinter dessen tänzerischer Freude sich viele Momente großer emotionaler Tiefe verbergen. Das packende Werk mit seinen schillernden Klangfarben passt wunderbar zu den klingenden Märchen aus Tausendundeiner Nacht von Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakow, in dem die Abenteuer von Sindbad und anderen Helden in einem fulminanten Tongemälde vorüberziehen.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Martin Fröst / Cristian Măcelaru

»Frost exhibited a virtuosity and a musicianship unsurpassed by any clarinettist – perhaps any instrumentalist – in my memory,« is how a critic of The New York Times raved about Martin Fröst. This exceptional clarinettist from Sweden loves to push musical boundaries and try out new forms of performance. One reason why contemporary artists often entrust him to perform their newly written works. The British composer Anna Clyne wrote »Weathered« for Martin Fröst: a much-celebrated work for clarinet and orchestra, which Fröst premiered in the spring of 2023 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Now he performs it for a new audience in Hamburg. Anna Clyne knew exactly who she was writing for: »Weathered« places the highest demands on the individual performing it. So high, in fact, that some critics have speculated that only time would tell whether a second clarinettist would be able to play the work. Trills, glissandi and sharply articulated passages alternate with beautifully melodious moments. Each of the five movements has its own description – a rusted bridge, a broken heart, a wind-worn castle, a majestic forest, and a warming planet. Interpreting the contrasting sections, Fröst uses his instrument to elicit fluttering turns and even mimicking shawm sounds. Christian Măcelaru conducts the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. He is also principal conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre National de France, and also brings a folksong-like work by his fellow countryman, the Romanian Constantin Silvestri, to add to the programme. The real highlight of his conducting though is the Symphony No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninov. In his final symphony, the Russian exile resurrects the great legacy of Romanticism with powerful assurance. Yet Rachmaninov speaks his very own language, leading rapturous melodies through twists and turns that are harmonically astonishing.