Classical Concerts at

Herkulessaal

Iván Fischer & Kirill Gerstein

The genesis of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto proved to be an arduous affair. Originally Brahms wanted to write a sonata for two pianos, and then a symphony, until the work finally became what it is today: a classic of its genre – and a masterpiece of the concerto literature. For keyboard virtuoso Kirill Gerstein, it is an “incredibly noble, introspective piece with wonderfully lyrical motifs that subtly lie beneath the surface like watermarks.” It was a defining work for Brahms, who was 25 years old at the time. Conductor Iván Fischer juxtaposes it with Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony: a work that enabled Dvořák to finally step out of the shadow of his friend and patron Brahms, and probably one of his most famous and most popular due to its lively cheerfulness, easy-going optimism, and unbroken joie de vivre.

Iván Fischer & Kirill Gerstein

The genesis of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto proved to be an arduous affair. Originally Brahms wanted to write a sonata for two pianos, and then a symphony, until the work finally became what it is today: a classic of its genre – and a masterpiece of the concerto literature. For keyboard virtuoso Kirill Gerstein, it is an “incredibly noble, introspective piece with wonderfully lyrical motifs that subtly lie beneath the surface like watermarks.” It was a defining work for Brahms, who was 25 years old at the time. Conductor Iván Fischer juxtaposes it with Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony: a work that enabled Dvořák to finally step out of the shadow of his friend and patron Brahms, and probably one of his most famous and most popular due to its lively cheerfulness, easy-going optimism, and unbroken joie de vivre.

Sir Simon Rattle

Today, they are usually heard separately. However, there is much to suggest that Mozart’s last three symphonies form an inner unity, a triad, a world of their own. The number 3 possesses symbolic significance and appears numerous times, for example in the three repeated chords at the beginning and end of the Jupiter Symphony. Particular pitch patterns create coherence. And the fact that the symphonies can be regarded as a self-contained, interrelated triptych is also due to their diversity. Each has its own sound world (with a different set of wind instruments), possesses a distinctive expressive range, and is based on unique musical archetypes. With the last three symphonies, Sir Simon Rattle continues his BRSO Mozart cycle, which began with Idomeneo and is far from over.

Sir Simon Rattle

Today, they are usually heard separately. However, there is much to suggest that Mozart’s last three symphonies form an inner unity, a triad, a world of their own. The number 3 possesses symbolic significance and appears numerous times, for example in the three repeated chords at the beginning and end of the Jupiter Symphony. Particular pitch patterns create coherence. And the fact that the symphonies can be regarded as a self-contained, interrelated triptych is also due to their diversity. Each has its own sound world (with a different set of wind instruments), possesses a distinctive expressive range, and is based on unique musical archetypes. With the last three symphonies, Sir Simon Rattle continues his BRSO Mozart cycle, which began with Idomeneo and is far from over.

Sir Simon Rattle

No hell, no Last Judgement, no wrath, no fear, no dread. Not even Jesus’ name is mentioned in this Requiem, which Brahms simply called “German.” Brahms dispenses with religious exaltation and, in a letter to Clara Schumann, refers to one of the pinnacles of his musical output as “the work of a human being.” And Brahms underlines its deeply human message through the use of words from the Sermon on the Mount in the opening measures: “Blessed are those who mourn / for they shall be comforted.” The work is intended for those seeking hope and light. While it may be a Mass for the dead, Brahms does not dedicate it to the deceased but rather to those who are left behind. Providing a fitting complement is Turnage’s Remembering, which was written after the untimely death of a musician friend’s son from cancer.

Sir Simon Rattle

No hell, no Last Judgement, no wrath, no fear, no dread. Not even Jesus’ name is mentioned in this Requiem, which Brahms simply called “German.” Brahms dispenses with religious exaltation and, in a letter to Clara Schumann, refers to one of the pinnacles of his musical output as “the work of a human being.” And Brahms underlines its deeply human message through the use of words from the Sermon on the Mount in the opening measures: “Blessed are those who mourn / for they shall be comforted.” The work is intended for those seeking hope and light. While it may be a Mass for the dead, Brahms does not dedicate it to the deceased but rather to those who are left behind. Providing a fitting complement is Turnage’s Remembering, which was written after the untimely death of a musician friend’s son from cancer.

Marek Janowski

“All good music must have a sense of direction,” Marek Janowski once said. This is what he considers “the most important guiding principle for all composers.” The composer who posed the greatest challenge throughout Janowski’s life was Beethoven. The maestro initially navigates a classical terrain in Beethoven’s First Symphony, while Bruckner’s Third Symphony contains harmonic disturbances and jarring rhythms, as well as quotes from Wagner. In the opening, marked “Misterioso,” the distinctive trumpet theme emerges from the gently undulating strings. The work’s originality certainly comes to the fore in the finale, when a polka (played by the strings) is boldly layered over a chorale (played by the winds). This demands restrained ecstasy from the musicians of the BRSO – and the experienced Beethoven and Bruckner interpreter Janowski provides the best guidance.

Marek Janowski

“All good music must have a sense of direction,” Marek Janowski once said. This is what he considers “the most important guiding principle for all composers.” The composer who posed the greatest challenge throughout Janowski’s life was Beethoven. The maestro initially navigates a classical terrain in Beethoven’s First Symphony, while Bruckner’s Third Symphony contains harmonic disturbances and jarring rhythms, as well as quotes from Wagner. In the opening, marked “Misterioso,” the distinctive trumpet theme emerges from the gently undulating strings. The work’s originality certainly comes to the fore in the finale, when a polka (played by the strings) is boldly layered over a chorale (played by the winds). This demands restrained ecstasy from the musicians of the BRSO – and the experienced Beethoven and Bruckner interpreter Janowski provides the best guidance.

Daniel Harding

“I only program music I love, because otherwise what’s the point?” Fleur Barron recently told The Times, which praised the Singaporean-British mezzo-soprano as “a knockout performer.” The young, exciting, and passionate singer (whose mentor, incidentally, is Barbara Hannigan) will make her debut with the BRSO in Mahler’s Lied von der Erde. She will be joined by tenor Andrew Staples, who has performed many times with the BRSO, as well as guest conductor Daniel Harding. Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony – written in honor of Martin Luther – has not been performed by the BRSO in a long time. The composer would have actually liked to burn the work, whose first movement he described as a “fat, bristly animal.” Fortunately, his intention was never realized.

Daniel Harding

“I only program music I love, because otherwise what’s the point?” Fleur Barron recently told The Times, which praised the Singaporean-British mezzo-soprano as “a knockout performer.” The young, exciting, and passionate singer (whose mentor, incidentally, is Barbara Hannigan) will make her debut with the BRSO in Mahler’s Lied von der Erde. She will be joined by tenor Andrew Staples, who has performed many times with the BRSO, as well as guest conductor Daniel Harding. Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony – written in honor of Martin Luther – has not been performed by the BRSO in a long time. The composer would have actually liked to burn the work, whose first movement he described as a “fat, bristly animal.” Fortunately, his intention was never realized.

Sir Simon Rattle

Boulez, Berio, and Lachenmann: all three are celebrating anniversaries in 2025, and all three have contributed landmark works to modern music. Three of these exceptional works will be presented by Sir Simon Rattle, the Bavarian Radio Chorus, and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in this concert. First on the program will be Cummings ist der Dichter – a work in which Boulez convincingly accentuates the phonetic and semantic dimension of the words in an extremely refined and breathtakingly colorful manner. Laborintus II combines the anarchic charm of the 1960s with a quasi-baroque opulence. In his tuba concerto Harmonica, Helmut Lachenmann explores the sonic boundaries between eruption and silence. Stefan Tischler, principal tuba of the BRSO, will be the soloist.

James Gaffigan & Janine Jansen

The tone colors of the strings in William Grant Still’s Mother and Child evoke the lovely flower meadows and the cradling one associates with the tender bonds between mother and child. Dvořák’s American Suite: raw, promising, yearning, impetuous, exciting – a musical depiction of the New World. Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) begins with a sighing, exquisitely flowing solo violin line, and with the addition of strings, harp, and percussion, turns into an unconventional, raging mix of styles with a “hint of jazz” at the end. The solo part is entrusted to the exceptional violinist Janine Jansen. Gershwin’s portrait of the French rush hour in An American in Paris concludes the concert. James Gaffigan will be conducting the BRSO for the third time in this very special program, which also promises to be incredibly exciting.

James Gaffigan & Janine Jansen

The tone colors of the strings in William Grant Still’s Mother and Child evoke the lovely flower meadows and the cradling one associates with the tender bonds between mother and child. Dvořák’s American Suite: raw, promising, yearning, impetuous, exciting – a musical depiction of the New World. Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) begins with a sighing, exquisitely flowing solo violin line, and with the addition of strings, harp, and percussion, turns into an unconventional, raging mix of styles with a “hint of jazz” at the end. The solo part is entrusted to the exceptional violinist Janine Jansen. Gershwin’s portrait of the French rush hour in An American in Paris concludes the concert. James Gaffigan will be conducting the BRSO for the third time in this very special program, which also promises to be incredibly exciting.

Manfred Honeck & Paul Lewis

Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor belongs to one of the programmes that have been consistently rescheduled due to the pandemic; fortunately, it can finally take place as it had originally been planned in the spring of 2020 with Paul Lewis as the soloist. The work is an unabashedly Romantic piece in which the young composer portrays the bright, expansive, and playful colors of his homeland in an almost impressionistic way. As one of the most sophisticated pianists of his generation, Britain’s Paul Lewis will render this musical portrait with consummate skill. In conductor Manfred Honeck’s conception, Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet will be brought to life with a more expressive, or, to be precise, more Dadaist character: rhythmically concise, ecstatically pulsating – a playful new territory for the BRSO musicians. And, indeed, every concert that includes the Eroica is bound to be one of the highlights of an orchestral season.

Manfred Honeck & Paul Lewis

Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor belongs to one of the programmes that have been consistently rescheduled due to the pandemic; fortunately, it can finally take place as it had originally been planned in the spring of 2020 with Paul Lewis as the soloist. The work is an unabashedly Romantic piece in which the young composer portrays the bright, expansive, and playful colors of his homeland in an almost impressionistic way. As one of the most sophisticated pianists of his generation, Britain’s Paul Lewis will render this musical portrait with consummate skill. In conductor Manfred Honeck’s conception, Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet will be brought to life with a more expressive, or, to be precise, more Dadaist character: rhythmically concise, ecstatically pulsating – a playful new territory for the BRSO musicians. And, indeed, every concert that includes the Eroica is bound to be one of the highlights of an orchestral season.

Portrait Pascal Dusapin

Adventurous, inquisitive, independent, and principled in his approach – Pascal Dusapin has retained these qualities to this day, which explains why he is one of the most important composers of his generation. For his artfully crafted cycle of seven “orchestral solos,” he pondered for almost two decades the “question of the pure line” – which, according to the composer, is attained only in the sixth solo, entitled Reverso. Uncut concludes the collection of seven solos, and, with its iridescent prisms of color, is inspired by the legacy of Messiaen and Boulez. Conductor Ariane Matiakh will also include the Scenes from Penthesilea on the programme – a dramatic suite with three central roles interpreted by one singer, who in this concert will be the wonderful Christel Loetzsch. Another highlight is Dusapin’s Violin Concerto, characterized by sophisticated timbral changes, and performed by Renaud Capuçon.

Karina Canellakis & Alice Sara Ott

Karina Canellakis & Alice Sara Ott

Matthias Hermann

Alan Gilbert & Alisa Weilerstein