Beethoven was only fifteen when he began the sketches of his Piano Concerto in B flat major, op. 19. Schubert wrote his third symphony, op. 200, at eighteen, and Bizet his first symphony at seventeen. It is not surprising that in all three cases one senses how closely these composers approached their great models at a young age [...]
"Réveil des oiseaux" represents at the same time a virtuoso piano concerto, for which we have at our disposal Pierre-Laurent Aimard, a master pianist who was influenced by his encounter with Messiaen as a child. The work is based on faithful transcriptions of birdsongs, which Messiaen revered as divine messages. These enigmatic sounds, which have been present on our planet long before [...]
Three masterpieces of "absolute music" that tell no "programme" and yet appear highly exciting and emotional: in them pain, conflict, grief as well as the longing for reconciliation are expressed. Each work represents a cosmos of its own, particularly evident in the case of Friedrich Cerha, who spreads out a soundscape on over 300 percussion instruments. The energetic young exceptional virtuoso Vivi Vassileva [...]
Three masterpieces of "absolute music" that tell no "programme" and yet appear highly exciting and emotional: in them pain, conflict, grief as well as the longing for reconciliation are expressed. Each work represents its own cosmos, especially evident in Cerha's case, who spreads out a soundscape on over 300 percussion instruments. The energetic young exceptional virtuoso Vivi Vassileva is [...]
Compositions of tragic topicality. A concert in times of war. The Berlin University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, together with the Berlin Chamber Choir of the Arts and mezzo-soprano Marina Prudenskaya under the baton of Steven Sloane, will set an example for peace on November 20 at the Berlin Philharmonie. Valentin Silvestrov's Prayer for Ukraine, Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, [...]
"You can hardly play the violin more expressively, more uncompromisingly than Gringolts," writes Harald Eggebrecht in the Süddeutsche Zeitung about this exceptional musician. At the age of 16, Ilya Gringolts already won the renowned Paganini Competition. Since then he has put his virtuosity at the service of subtle interpretations. Together with the Camerata Bern, he presents a programme from the end of the 17th [...]
The MDR Symphony Orchestra has a new principal conductor: American Dennis Russell Davies, who enjoys an excellent reputation as a Haydn and Bruckner conductor. In addition, as an advocate of contemporary music, he has worked with major composers such as John Cage, Philip Glass and Hans Werner Henze. Modernism is also a focus at his Leipzig venue. Ergo, the joint [...]
Dennis Russell Davies is considered a leading conductor of American music. In this concert, together with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and a total of nearly 200 performers, he presents three very personal works by composers who have left their mark on 20th-century U.S. music. Decoration Day marks the day in the U.S. when the fallen are remembered and their graves decorated [...]
"The Gaechinger Cantorey is ... an experience. In the Great Hall there was a special highlight" wrote Marcus Stäbler in the Hamburger Abendblatt about the Elbphilharmonie debut a year ago: "The performers conjure, and the Great Hall conjures with them... Hans-Christoph Rademann models the mood changes of the Mass vividly and grippingly. With the 36 singers of his wide-awake choir, [...]
Although Henri Dutilleux was a contemporary and a colleague of avant-garde composer Pierre Boulez, he always found the latter’s style too dogmatic. Dutilleux was drawn to the »scent« of music and the wealth of colour that he had in common with his fellow Frenchman Debussy. With his Second Symphony of 1959, Dutilleux wrote a work vaguely reminiscent of 18th century music. [...]
