Begin 2025 in a musical way with us in the Great Hall - with the Konzerthausorchester, our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz, cello soloist Nicoas Altstaedt and festive and cheerful orchestral pieces from Johann Strauss' rousing Fledermaus Overture to Antonín Dvořák's turbulent “Carnival” and Ottorino Respighi's tone poem “Roman Festivals”.
Start your New Year's Eve fireworks in a musical way with us in the Great Hall - with the Konzerthausorchester, our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz, cello soloist Nicolas Altstaedt and festive and cheerful orchestral pieces from Johann Strauss' rousing Fledermaus Overture to Antonín Dvořák's turbulent “Carnival” and Ottorino Respighi's tone poem “Roman Festivals”.
The baton is the instrument of the star conductor – and can easily go missing: Be it due to damage, as in Toscanini's infamous tantrums – or simply by mistake. This was the case with Joana Mallwitz, who once hurled her baton into the audience. With a pencil, she then continued happily through the score. Whether with or without a baton, the debut of this sympathetic artist is eagerly awaited. At a young age, the score of Schubert's »Unfinished« was her »favourite book« and the initial spark for her career ambitions. She found her studies »heavenly«, became Europe’s youngest female General Music Director at the age of 27 and is now the new Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach. She loves to put together programmes based on dramaturgical considerations and gut feeling – and always explores them with her own personal signature. Her typical, cleverly and lovingly composed blend of recipes between the familiar and the new are like exciting expeditions. For Bamberg, her musical menu includes dance pieces: It starts with the lively momentum of the 1985 work »The Chair-man Dances« by John Adams. Pablo Ferrández is the soloist in Dvořák’s cello concerto, which has to do with the composer’s great childhood love – and Rachmaninov wrote a heartbreaking song of tears with his »Symphonic Dances«. We can truly look forward to Joana Mallwitz’s inquisitive gaze: she is known for her combination of glowing passion and technical precision – and for her willingness to take risks, because: »Music always saves you! That’s why it’s the best thing you can do!«
The baton is the instrument of the star conductor – and can easily go missing. This was the case with Joana Mallwitz, who once hurled her baton into the audience. With a pencil, she then continued happily through the score. Whether with or without a baton, the debut of this sympathetic artist is eagerly awaited. At a young age, the score of Schubert's »Unfinished« was her »favourite book« and the initial spark for her career ambitions. She found her studies »heavenly«, became Europe’s youngest female General Music Director at the age of 27 and is now the new Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach. She loves to put together programmes based on dramaturgical considerations and gut feeling – and always explores them with her own personal signature. Her typical, cleverly and lovingly composed blend of recipes between the familiar and the new are like exciting expeditions. For Bamberg, her musical menu includes dance pieces: It starts with the lively momentum of the 1985 work »The Chair-man Dances« by John Adams. Pablo Ferrández is the soloist in Dvořák’s cello concerto, which has to do with the composer’s great childhood love – and Rachmaninov wrote a heartbreaking song of tears with his »Symphonic Dances«. We can truly look forward to Joana Mallwitz’s inquisitive gaze: she is known for her combination of glowing passion and technical precision – and for her willingness to take risks, because: »Music always saves you! That’s why it’s the best thing you can do!«
The baton is the instrument of the star conductor – and can easily go missing: Be it due to damage, as in Toscanini's infamous tantrums – or simply by mistake. This was the case with Joana Mallwitz, who once hurled her baton into the audience. With a pencil, she then continued happily through the score. Whether with or without a baton, the debut of this sympathetic artist is eagerly awaited. At a young age, the score of Schubert's »Unfinished« was her »favourite book« and the initial spark for her career ambitions. She found her studies »heavenly«, became Europe’s youngest female General Music Director at the age of 27 and is now the new Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach. She loves to put together programmes based on dramaturgical considerations and gut feeling – and always explores them with her own personal signature. Her typical, cleverly and lovingly composed blend of recipes between the familiar and the new are like exciting expeditions. For Bamberg, her musical menu includes dance pieces: It starts with the lively momentum of the 1985 work »The Chair-man Dances« by John Adams. Pablo Ferrández is the soloist in Dvořák’s cello concerto, which has to do with the composer’s great childhood love – and Rachmaninov wrote a heartbreaking song of tears with his »Symphonic Dances«. We can truly look forward to Joana Mallwitz’s inquisitive gaze: she is known for her combination of glowing passion and technical precision – and for her willingness to take risks, because: »Music always saves you! That’s why it’s the best thing you can do!«
Soprano Julia Lezhneva's career was prophesied early on: ‘I must have shouted so suddenly right after giving birth that the doctor almost dropped me and told my mother that I was a born opera singer,’ she says. The Moscow-trained artist clearly has a sense of humour - and is now one of the most sought-after soloists of her generation, from the Salzburg Festival to the Royal Opera House. This is not the first time she has performed with us either. The programme includes ouvertures as well as arias by Mozart and Rossini, and the Konzerthausorchester will continue its seasons-spanning Haydn focus with one of the composer's famous London symphonies under the baton of Joana Mallwitz.
The Konzerthausorchester invites families to the Great Hall on Sundays at 11.00 - croissants and hot chocolate included! A musician always leads through the program. They reveal secrets from everyday life in the orchestra and invite you to join in. Meanwhile, younger siblings between the ages of 3 and 6 are very welcome at the “Musical childcare”.
Soprano Julia Lezhneva's career was prophesied early on: ‘I must have shouted so suddenly right after giving birth that the doctor almost dropped me and told my mother that I was a born opera singer,’ she says. The Moscow-trained artist clearly has a sense of humour - and is now one of the most sought-after soloists of her generation, from the Salzburg Festival to the Royal Opera House. This is not the first time she has performed with us either. The programme includes ouvertures as well as arias by Mozart and Rossini, and the Konzerthausorchester will continue its seasons-spanning Haydn focus with one of the composer's famous London symphonies under the baton of Joana Mallwitz.
‘The expedition concerts are all about the pure joy of listening. We approach the great masterpieces of classical music from different directions, listen to the details, combine background stories and anecdotes with musical discoveries and take the audience on this journey,’ says Joana Mallwitz, describing the format. She first shares her enthusiasm at the piano, then switches to conducting the Konzerthausorchester. The entire work is then performed together - in this case Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from 1807/08, the first four notes of which are among the most famous beginnings of works in music history. Its universe, according to a popular interpretation, is the individual and his/her fate. This is why it unofficially bears the German nickname ‘Fate Symphony’, which was not given to it by Beethoven. The composer struggled with his early onset of deafness. He found the strength not to despair in composing and also wanted to uplift his fellow human beings in distress: ‘Anyone who knows my music cannot become completely despondent.’
Our chief conductor was inspired to put together an unusual programme for this concert evening by a major concern: ‘I always want to open the audience's ears. We are playing John Cage's ‘4'33’, i.e. four and a half minutes of composed silence, attacca with Ligeti's ‘Atmosphères’ and a large Bach arrangement. I want to get away from our expectations of this music, which probably have nothing at all to do with how people heard it in Bach's time or how we could be moved by it if we leave out all the filters. I want to make it possible to experience the silence, to hear the vibrations of the universe in Ligeti, and then suddenly order comes into the universe with Bach and the C minor Fantasy.’ Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony from 1807/08 begins with four notes that are among the most famous beginnings of works in music history. Its universe, according to a popular interpretation, is the individual and his fate. This is why it unofficially bears the German nickname ‘Fate Symphony’, which was not given to it by Beethoven. The composer struggled with his early onset of deafness. He found the strength not to despair in composing and also wanted to uplift fellow human beings in distress: ‘Anyone who knows my music cannot become completely despondent.’
Our chief conductor was inspired to put together an unusual programme for this concert evening by a major concern: ‘I always want to open the audience's ears. We are playing John Cage's ‘4'33’, i.e. four and a half minutes of composed silence, attacca with Ligeti's ‘Atmosphères’ and a large Bach arrangement. I want to get away from our expectations of this music, which probably have nothing at all to do with how people heard it in Bach's time or how we could be moved by it if we leave out all the filters. I want to make it possible to experience the silence, to hear the vibrations of the universe in Ligeti, and then suddenly order comes into the universe with Bach and the C minor Fantasy.’ Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony from 1807/08 begins with four notes that are among the most famous beginnings of works in music history. Its universe, according to a popular interpretation, is the individual and his fate. This is why it unofficially bears the German nickname ‘Fate Symphony’, which was not given to it by Beethoven. The composer struggled with his early onset of deafness. He found the strength not to despair in composing and also wanted to uplift fellow human beings in distress: ‘Anyone who knows my music cannot become completely despondent.’
The one-hour short concerts ‘8Zehn30’ on Thursdays from 18:30 at the Konzerthaus Berlin are always short and sweet: let go of everyday life and simply immerse yourself in 60 minutes of music without a break - regardless of whether the end of the working day is already in sight or another evening shift has to be put in. The orchestra musicians of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin accompany their audience through a short(er) concert evening - from the personal introduction to the after-concert drinks at the bar in the Beethoven Hall.Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony from 1807/08 begins with four notes that are among the most famous beginnings of works in music history. Its universe, according to a popular interpretation, is the individual and his fate. This is why it unofficially bears the German nickname ‘Fate Symphony’, which was not given to it by Beethoven. The composer struggled with his early onset of deafness. He found the strength not to despair in composing and also wanted to uplift his fellow human beings in distress: ‘Anyone who knows my music cannot become completely despondent.’
The music of the composer Charles Ives, who was influenced by transcendentalism, reflects the fact that he saw life and spirituality under the sign of endless questions - “The Unanswered Question” from 1906/07 already bears his attitude in its title and resolves it musically. Lera Auerbach's Symphony No. 6 was commissioned for the 70th anniversary of the International Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem in 2024. Auerbach dedicates her work entitled “Vessels of Light” to the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who saved thousands of Jewish people by issuing visas during the Second World War, including the father-in-law of cello soloist Kristina Reiko Cooper. The Kabbalistic tale of the “breaking of the vessels” at the creation of the world, the appreciative art of Japanese Kintsugi, which uses lacquer and gold powder to save broken porcelain or ceramics, and the quiet words of the biblical Psalm 121 are woven by the composer into a tapestry of words and music.
“We tell ourselves stories through good music,” our chief conductor Joana Mallwitz is convinced. And that's why this season there will once again be two Night Sessions, which she has developed with and for the Konzerthaus Berlin. The concerts with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, which begin at 9.30 pm on Saturdays, always revolve around a theme that she presents in an unusual stage setting and to which a guest contributes a different perspective on the topic. In this series, the unifying element is the right feeling for the right moment - without perfect timing, there can be no perfect interplay to captivate the audience. This is just as true for a symphony orchestra as it is for an actor: our guest is the well-known theater, film and television actor Matthias Brandt, who played the Munich detective Hanns von Meuffels in the ARD crime series “Polizeiruf 110”. Born in 1961 and the youngest son of the German Chancellor from 1969 to 1974, Willy Brandt, and his wife Rut, the artist grew up in Bonn right in the political centre of old Western Germany. A few years ago, he published a collection of prose miniatures about his childhood under the title “Raumpatrouille” (Space Patrol).
‘The expedition concerts are all about the pure joy of listening. We approach the great masterpieces of classical music from different directions, listen to the details, combine background stories and anecdotes with musical discoveries and take the audience on this journey,’ says Joana Mallwitz, describing the format. She first shares her enthusiasm at the piano, then switches to conducting the Konzerthausorchester. The entire work is then performed together - in this case, Bela Bartók's brilliantly orchestrated Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, in whose five movements the composer combines Western musical tradition with Hungarian folk music.
What does the faun do in the afternoon? He plays the flute! And in such a dreamy and colourful way that you would never have expected the shaggy hybrid of human and billy goat. He owes this image correction to Claude Debussy - and the flautists one of their most beautiful orchestral solos. The pianistic brilliance and perfect interplay of our former Artists in Residence Lucas and Arthur Jussen impressed Joey Roukens so much that he began to write a double concerto for the brothers, ‘in which the two soloists sound not so much as two separate soloists, but as one super pianist on one super grand piano, so to speak. This means that there are many unison passages: Both pianos play exactly the same notes. In any case, the unison is an element that appears frequently in my work, perhaps a legacy of the ‘Dutch musical tradition’.’ According to the Amsterdam-based composer, he was also influenced by Italian baroque toccatas. The brilliantly orchestrated Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, in whose five movements Bela Bartók combines Western musical tradition with Hungarian folk music, completes a varied concert evening as the main work, which takes the Konzerthausorchester under the direction of Joana Mallwitz from Impressionism through classical modernism to the 21st century.
What does the faun do in the afternoon? He plays the flute! And in such a dreamy and colourful way that you would never have expected the shaggy hybrid of human and billy goat. He owes this image correction to Claude Debussy - and the flautists one of their most beautiful orchestral solos. The pianistic brilliance and perfect interplay of our former Artists in Residence Lucas and Arthur Jussen impressed Joey Roukens so much that he began to write a double concerto for the brothers, ‘in which the two soloists sound not so much as two separate soloists, but as one super pianist on one super grand piano, so to speak. This means that there are many unison passages: Both pianos play exactly the same notes. In any case, the unison is an element that appears frequently in my work, perhaps a legacy of the ‘Dutch musical tradition’.’ According to the Amsterdam-based composer, he was also influenced by Italian baroque toccatas. The brilliantly orchestrated Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, in whose five movements Bela Bartók combines Western musical tradition with Hungarian folk music, completes a varied concert evening as the main work, which takes the Konzerthausorchester under the direction of Joana Mallwitz from Impressionism through classical modernism to the 21st century.
The one-hour short concerts '8Zehn30' on Thursdays from 18:30 at the Konzerthaus Berlin are always short and sweet: let go of everyday life and simply immerse yourself in 60 minutes of music without a break - regardless of whether the end of the working day is already in sight or another evening shift has to be put in. The orchestra musicians of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin accompany their audience through a short(er) concert evening - from the personal introduction to the after-concert drinks at the bar in the Beethoven Hall. The pieces of the evening: Debussy's „Faune“ and Bela Bartók's brilliantly orchestrated Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, in whose five movements the composer combines Western musical tradition with Hungarian folk music.
For the second time in a row, the Konzerthausorchester and chief conductor Joana Mallwitz will be guests at the Musikfest. The solo parts in both works on the programme will be sung by the French-Cypriot soprano Sarah Aristidou, who has made a name for herself particularly in the field of contemporary music. In 1971, composer Luigi Nono met with artists and politicians in Chile, including Luciano Cruz Aguayo, one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Left. Back in Italy, he learnt of the young man's accidental death. Nono then composed a kind of ‘secular requiem’ for the activist, which was intended not only to convey grief but also the motivation to continue his social struggle. To this end, the composer set a memorial poem by Julio Huasi to Luciano, which was also given the title ‘Como una ola de fuerza y luz’ (Like a wave of strength and light). Among Mahler's symphonies, No. 4 is comparatively straightforward in terms of instrumentation and length. There is ‘much laughter’ in it, the composer assured us in a letter after its completion in 1901. However, the feeling that hilarity and horror exist side by side and that the idyll is not to be trusted creeps in as soon as the retuned solo violin plays in the second movement. And if you listen very carefully to the text of the ambiguous Wunderhorn song ‘Das himmlische Leben’, you will learn that, at least for the ox and lamb, heaven in the land of milk and honey is not full of violins, as a German saying goes.
Does the cello have so many fans because it is most similar to the human voice? At least that's what cellists like to say about their instrument, which became the new star in string heaven during the Romantic period. Since the Baroque era, the violin had been the undisputed queen, with the cello relegated to the continuo with the double bass. Antonín Dvořák also had to make friends with the cello, which was sometimes derided as a “sorrow box” due to its pronounced melancholic qualities. As a guest in the USA, he finally wrote a great dance-like concerto for the instrument, which became a favorite piece from his pen around the world, rich in melody and virtuoso. The family concert title “Hello Cello!” is a greeting with which we and our audience aged 8 and over welcome artist in residence Sheku Kanneh-Mason, his wonderful instrument and the Dvořák concert. And an exclamation of surprised admiration: Hello - what this cello can do!
Joana Mallwitz leads the Konzerthausorchester Berlin into her second season as Chief Conductor with a programme of dance music, which for her is ‘perfect’ for the opening of the season. What's more, our new Artist in Residence Sheku Kanneh-Mason is making his first appearance - with Antonín Dvorak's Cello Concerto, which ‘adds a particularly festive element thanks to its familiarity and elegance,’ says our chief conductor. ‘Apart from that, it goes very well with John Adams’ ‘The Chairman Dances’ and Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances: We have three composers from three eras who went to America and dealt with issues of exile, flight and home. While abroad, they incorporated musical elements from their homeland into their works.’ We are very much looking forward to starting a 2024/25 season with you that is as full of musical energy and excitement as this opening!
Joana Mallwitz leads the Konzerthausorchester Berlin into her second season as Chief Conductor with a programme of dance music, which for her is ‘perfect’ for the opening of the season. What's more, our new Artist in Residence Sheku Kanneh-Mason is making his first appearance - with Antonín Dvorak's Cello Concerto, which ‘adds a particularly festive element thanks to its familiarity and elegance,’ says our chief conductor. ‘Apart from that, it goes very well with John Adams’ ‘The Chairman Dances’ and Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances: We have three composers from three eras who went to America and dealt with issues of exile, flight and home. While abroad, they incorporated musical elements from their homeland into their works.’ We are very much looking forward to starting a 2024/25 season with you that is as full of musical energy and excitement as this opening!
At least since 2020, when she gave her rousingly acclaimed début at the Salzburg Festival in Così fan tutte, Joana Mallwitz has figured in the top echelon of international conductors. She entered the festival’s history as the first woman to conduct a new opera production, and became a darling of the audience with her at once engaged and effortless artistry. Since 2018 she has also enriched the music life of Nuremberg as the city’s general music director and impassioned musical communicator, and in 2023/24 she will become the principal conductor of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra. For her eagerly awaited BRSO début she has chosen classic repertoire items that demand utmost precision and a fresh approach. On one of her riveting video tours we can already follow her through the rhythmic complexities of Beethoven’s Seventh. As soloist, the BRSO greets the Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, a welcome guest of the orchestra since 2012.
At least since 2020, when she gave her rousingly acclaimed début at the Salzburg Festival in Così fan tutte, Joana Mallwitz has figured in the top echelon of international conductors. She entered the festival’s history as the first woman to conduct a new opera production, and became a darling of the audience with her at once engaged and effortless artistry. Since 2018 she has also enriched the music life of Nuremberg as the city’s general music director and impassioned musical communicator, and in 2023/24 she will become the principal conductor of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra. For her eagerly awaited BRSO début she has chosen classic repertoire items that demand utmost precision and a fresh approach. On one of her riveting video tours we can already follow her through the rhythmic complexities of Beethoven’s Seventh. As soloist, the BRSO greets the Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, a welcome guest of the orchestra since 2012.
At least since 2020, when she gave her rousingly acclaimed début at the Salzburg Festival in Così fan tutte, Joana Mallwitz has figured in the top echelon of international conductors. She entered the festival’s history as the first woman to conduct a new opera production, and became a darling of the audience with her at once engaged and effortless artistry. Since 2018 she has also enriched the music life of Nuremberg as the city’s general music director and impassioned musical communicator, and in 2023/24 she will become the principal conductor of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra. For her eagerly awaited BRSO début she has chosen classic repertoire items that demand utmost precision and a fresh approach. On one of her riveting video tours we can already follow her through the rhythmic complexities of Beethoven’s Seventh. As soloist, the BRSO greets the Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, a welcome guest of the orchestra since 2012.
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