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PG02:24:002021HD

Riccardo Frizza conducts the Orchestra Gli Originali and the Coro Donizetti Opera in a performance of Geatano Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore (‘The Elixer of Love’, 1832). L’elisir d’amore is perhaps the most famous work in Donizetti’s extensive repertoire. It tells the story of the poor peasant Nemorino who is in love with the beautiful landowner Adina. After hearing about the legend of Tristan and Isolde, the desperate Nemorino wonders if a love potion would help him to gain Adina’s love. He seeks help of the travelling quack Dr. Dulcamara, from whom he purchases a bottle of magic elixir. Directed by Frederic Wake-Walker, this 2021 production is unique as it features the complete, original score as reconstructed by Alberto Zedda based on Donizetti’s autographs. In addition, the orchestra plays on historical instruments to recreate the sound of Donizetti’s orchestra. Among the soloists are Caterina Sala (Adina), Javier Camarena (Nemorino), Florian Sempey (Belcore), Roberto Frontali (Dulcamara), Anaïs Mejías (Giannetta), and Manuel Ferreira (Master of ceremonies). This performance was part of the Donizetti Opera Festival, recorded at Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, Italy, in 2021.

G01:48:001996HD

Designed by the German architect Werner March, Berlin's Waldbühne is an amphitheater that seats over 22,000 people. It was built between 1934 and 1936 for the Summer Olympics of 1936. Since WWII, the Waldbühne has been used for a variety of events, including boxing matches, film screenings, and classical and rock concerts. Annually, the Berlin Philharmonic performs a stunning open concert. In this broadcast of the 1996 edition, Claudio Abbado conducts the orchestra and invites bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, tenor Sergei Larin, and soprano Angela Gheorghiu to sing Verdi arias. This program also features Giuseppe Verdi's Overture Nabucco, duet Et lui (from Don Carlos), Fire chorus Fuoco di gioia, Jago's Credo, Gia nella notte (from Otello), Triumphal March, and chorus Gloria all' Egitto from Aida. You can also discover Vincenzo Bellini's Eccomi from I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

G00:22:002021HD

Azerbaijan-born artist Seljan Nasibli moved to England at an early age, where she was encouraged to take up music. Although Nasibli chose to sing jazz, her Oxford teachers heard an operatic tendency in her voice and advised to train classically. Nasibli completed her studies at The Royal College of Music, where she graduated with a master's degree in Vocal Performance. In this episode of Stingray Originals, Nasibli performs three of Giacomo Puccini's most beautiful arias: 'Signore, ascolta!' and 'Tu, che di gel sei cinta' from the opera Turandot, and 'Quando m'en vo' (Musetta's Waltz) from the opera La bohème.

G00:37:002007HD

The 2007 Europa-Konzert takes place in Berlin, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Under the theme "The Year 1882", the acclaimed orchestra is lead by conductor Sir Simon Rattle as it interprets Brahms’ “Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra”, his Fourth Symphony and Wagners’ “Prelude to Act I” from Parsifal - the piece that marked the orchestra's first recorded work of September 1913 under the baton of Alfred Hertz. The soloists are Lisa Batiashvili (violin) and Truls Mørk (cello), established as sought-after young virtuosos and appearing regularly with leading orchestras and in recitals throughout the world. The “Kraftwerk und Kabelwerk Oberspree (power and cable factory)”, the remarkable venue of this concert, is one of the most impressive historical industrial building from the late 19th century in Berlin. As its impressive presence is infused with Brahms and Wagner, there is an air of total commitment, only enhanced further by the unusual surroundings. The collaboration of Lisa Batiashvili and Truls Mørk ensures a moving performance of Brahms’s last orchestral work, his Double Concerto. Following this, Rattle and the orchestra continue to demonstrate their outstanding musicianship, delivering Wagner's amazingly fresh and dynamic Fourth Symphony.

05:13
IVC 2021 - Semi-finals: Ives, Brahms a. o.
G00:46:002021HD
Bass-baritone Matthias Hoffmann (Austria, 1991) and pianist Lisa Ochsendorf (Germany, 1991) perform ‘A. Very pleasant’ from Charles Ives’s song ‘Memories’; ‘Nachtwanderer’ from Hans Erich Pfitzner’s Fünf Lieder, Op. 7; ‘Nachts’ from Hans Sommer’s Zehn Lieder, Op. 9; ‘Da unten im Tale’ from Johannes Brahms’s Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO. 33; Henri Duparc’s Chanson triste; Bart Visman’s Vermeer's gold; ‘La maîtresse volage’ from Francis Poulenc’s Chansons gaillardes, FP 42; Franz Schubert’s Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, Op. 24, No. 1, D. 583; ‘Na smert’ chizhika’ (On the death of a linnet) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Twelve Romances, Op. 21; and ‘Sprich, Scheherazade’ from Moritz Eggert’s Neue Dichter Lieben, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

G00:35:001990HD

In a Salzburg Festival performance, the Mozarteum Orchestra and pianist Mitsuko Uchida, under the baton of Jeffrey Tate, play Piano Concerto No. 9, K 271. This piece was nicknamed “Jeunehomme” but was composed for Victoire Jeramy, the daughter of Mozart’s friend, dancer and choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre.

G00:29:002016HD

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in the 2016 edition of the Europakonzert. This time, it takes place at the beautiful Baroque church of Røros, a Norwegian mining town whose intact picturesque old town makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The talented Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang is the star soloist in Mendelssohn’s songful Violin Concerto, Op. 64, which she plays with warmth, elegance and effortless virtuosity.

G01:34:002000HD

During the years when Bach was in the service of the courts of Prince Leopold in Köthen, he had his own orchestra and was contracted to compose a great deal of instrumental music. This gave him an opportunity to try new techniques and to develop his own instrumental style. The six Brandenburg Concertos belongs to these masterpieces which he composed for a small ensemble . The joyously infectious performance of these masterpieces by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra demonstrates both the pleasure and the highest professional standard that can be reached with period instruments. Their decision to perform without a conductor is therefore quite deliberate, reviving a tradition practised right back in the 18th century.

G00:23:002021HD

Tenor Ilja Aksionov (Lithuania, 1996) and pianist Gustas Raudonius (Lithuania, 1996) perform Bart Visman’s Het goud van Vermeer; ‘As I lay in the early sun’ from Gerald Finzi’s Oh fair to see, Op. 13b; Henri Duparc’s Extase; Claude Debussy’s Paysage sentimental, L. 55; ‘Mausfallensprüchlein’ from Hugo Wolf’s Sechs Lieder; ‘Krysolov’ (The pied piper) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Six Romances, Op. 38; Franz Schubert’s Rastlose Liebe, Op. 5, No. 1, D. 138; and Alphons Diepenbrock’s De klare dag, RC 4, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

G00:25:00HD

This documentary by Mark Perna shows the training and professional growth actions for opera singers, the promotion and enhancement of the cultural offer of the city and province of Modena and the maintenance and development of the Modenese musical tradition in the field of opera.

G00:37:002006HD

Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda (1975) performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5, KV. 283. Prosseda is particularly noted for his performances of newly discovered works by Mendelssohn and has recorded a nine-CD series for Decca of the piano works of Mendelssohn. Since 2012, Prosseda also gives lecture-concerts with the robot pianist TeoTronico, as educational or family concerts, to demonstrate differences between a literal production of music and human interpretation.

G00:49:002018HD

The career of Guillaume Dufay – figurehead of Burgundian polyphony – begins in Italy. He seems to have particularly strong ties with Florence and her finest artists. Graindelavoix draws inspiration from this chapter in Dufay’s career in order to breathe new life into his dance-like oeuvre. Dufay’s pièce de résistance is of course included: Nuper rosarum flores, the motet used for the dedication of the cathedral of Florence.

G01:08:002003HD

Claudio Abbado was one of the world's finest and most-respected conductors. He held the post of musical director with La Scala in Milan from 1968 to 1986, with the Vienna Opera from 1986 to 1991, and the Berlin Philharmonic from 1989 to 2002. He was strong advocate of the development of young musical talent, and was instrumental in the foundation of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. He also founded the new Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Filmmaker Paul Smaczny has followed his career over the years, regularly filming and interviewing him. In this profile, Abbado talks about his life and work, his conception of music, and his favourite compositions. Discover never-before-seen interviews combined with images of the conductor during rehearsals and concerts, interviews with friends and colleagues, and archival material. The result: a complete portrait under a new and unexpected light.

G00:49:002021HD

Conductor Eduard Topchjan leads the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37. Russian-born pianist Maya Oganyan (*2005) makes her solo debut with the orchestra. Beethoven composed this concerto in 1800 and played the piano part himself at the piece’s premiere in 1803. Like two of his other major works –Symphony No. 5 and Piano Sonata No. 8 ‘Pathétique’ – this piano concerto is written in the key of C minor, which contributes to the work’s stormy character. As an encore, Oganyan performs Der Bote (‘The Messenger’) by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. This performance was recorded at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2021.

G00:41:002007HD

In time for his 65th birthday in 2007, pianist Daniel Barenboim rounded off a cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven piano concertos. Recorded live at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this recording reflects both a very individual and unusual reading of Beethoven’s music and Barenboim's life-long dedication to the composer. Beethoven’s masterpieces have been a key part of Barenboim’s repertoire throughout his career. Simultaneously conducting and playing the piano, Barenboim leads the Staatskapelle Berlin in a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37. Like two other major works of the composer – Symphony No. 5 and Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathétique" –, this piano concerto is written in the key of C minor, which contributes to the work’s stormy character.

G00:26:002021HD

Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Chayka-Rubinstein (Germany, 1998) and pianist Maria Yulin (Israel, 1988) perform ‘Colloque sentimental’ from Claude Debussy’s Fêtes galantes II; ‘Die Geister am Mummelsee’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder; ‘Bei dir allein’ from Franz Schubert’s Vier Refrainlieder, D. 866; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; ‘La fleur qui va sur l'eau’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Trois melodies, Op. 85; ‘Dance of the moon in Santiago’ from George Crumb’s Sun and Shadow (Spanish Songbook II); and ‘Den’ li tsarit?’ (Does the day reign?) from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Seven Romances, Op. 47, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

14A03:11:002021HD

Renato Palumbo conducts the Orchestra and Choirs of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny). Verdi and his librettist Francesco Maria Piave based the work on a Spanish musical drama by Angel de Saavedra, ‘Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino’. Composed for the imperial Russian opera in St. Petersburg, La forza premiered there in 1862. Verdi later revised the work, with the definitive version debuting at La Scala in Milan in 1869—the version most often performed today. La forza del destino tells the tragic story of nobleman Don Alvaro and Leonora, whose love is forbidden by Leonora’s father, the Marquis of Calatrava. When the lovers attempt to elope, a fatal accident leads to the Marquis’s death, setting off a relentless chain of events shaped by destiny. Among the soloists are Marcelo Álvarez, María José Siri, Simone Piazolla, Michele Pertusi, Enrico Marabelli, and Nino Surguladze. This production was recorded at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, Belgium, in 2021.

G01:29:002017HD

After a successful inaugural recital in 2016, pianist Misha Fomin returns to the stage in the intimate hall of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam on November 11, 2017. Celebrated by the local and international press for his natural virtuosity, the rich texture of his play and his great musical intelligence, Fomin interprets Fantasia, op. 17 by Schumann, Piano Sonata No. 30, op. 109 of Beethoven, as well as works by Tchaikovsky, including the plays "May", "June" and "October" from the Seasons, op. 37b, and a Liszt transcription of the "Polonaise", taken from the opera Eugene Onegin.

G00:18:001996HD

The beautiful Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg formed the background for the 1996 edition of the annual Europakonzert of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In honour of the Russian hosts, the concert opened with highlights from Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet', followed by the Cavatina from Rachmaninoff's opera 'Aleko'. After the intermission, Kolja Blacher featured in the two 'Violin Romances' by Beethoven, followed by a performance of his 'Seventh Symphony'. The orchestra is led by maestro Claudio Abbado.

G00:10:002021HD

On the occasion of her 80th birthday, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich explored repertoire for piano and violin in this wonderful concert, recorded at Château de Chantilly, France. The ‘Grande Dame’ of the piano is joined by various renowned artists, including pianists Evgeny Kissin, Theodosia Ntokou, and Cristina Marton-Argerich, and violinist Maxim Vengerov. On the program are Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concertino for two pianos, Op. 94; Frédéric Chopin’s Impromptu No. 3, Op. 51, Polonaise No. 6, Op. 53 “Heroic”, and Waltz No. 6, Op. 64 No. 1; Camille Saint-Saëns’s Polonaise for two pianos, Op. 77; César Franck’s Sonata for violin and piano in A major; and Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesleid and Schön Rosmarin. This performance was recorded on June 12, 2021.

G00:56:002012HD

The compelling documentary How to Get Out of the Cage (2012) by award-winning filmmaker Frank Scheffer presents an intimate portrait of John Cage (1912-1992), one of 20th century's most important composers. From 1982 to 1992, Scheffer worked with Cage on numerous occasions, which resulted in unique archives of historical audio-visual material, including interviews, musical performances, and images of locations related to the composer’s life and work. In all Scheffer’s works related to Cage, he used the old Chinese method of chance operations based on the Yi Jing – as often used by Cage himself in his compositions. Instead of using chance operations, Scheffer edited the film in the usual way that is based on choice.

G00:54:002020HD

Conductor Herbert Blomstedt and the Gewandhausorchester take us on a musical journey to the Czech Republic in this 2020 concert from Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. The program includes Symphony in D major, Op. 23, by Bohemian composer Jan Václav Hugo Voríšek. Although the composition – Voríšek’s only symphony – was never performed during the composer’s lifetime, it has become one of his most-performed works today.

G01:04:002007HD

Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 can be seen as a farewell to life. Even as Bruckner began working on it in 1887, his health had begun to fail. He expressed the hope that "God will grant me enough time to complete it," and worked on it assiduously over the next years. But by late 1894 he had completed only the first three movements. When he died on 11 October 1896, he left six different versions of the finale, all of them incomplete. Despite its incompleteness, the work is monumental and evokes the grandeur of a majestic cathedral. The details of this architectural colossus are worked out with astonishing transparency by Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra. The orchestra’s powerfully contoured and sharply profiled interpretation was recorded live in late October 2007 at the magnificent "Golden Hall" of Vienna's fabled Musikverein where the work was given its premiere.

G01:24:002021HD

Maestro Myung-Whun Chung leads the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, along with two vocal soloists, in this impressive performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, ‘Resurrection’. Soprano Christiane Karg and alto Claudia Huckle are the soloists. Written between 1888 and 1894, this five-movement symphony is scored for a large orchestra, chorus, and soprano and alto soloists. Mahler explores themes of life, death, and resurrection throughout the symphony. Its first movement resembles a funeral march, while the second, a graceful Ländler, creates a stark contrast with the somber character of the first. The third movement is a Scherzo based on Mahler’s musical setting of ‘Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt’ from the collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn. The composer also used another Wunderhorn poem, ‘Urlicht’ (Primal Light), for the fourth movement, incorporating both text and music, sung by the alto. The chorus makes its entrance in the second part of the fifth and final movement with the ‘Resurrection’ chorale. This performance was recorded at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, in 2021.

G00:28:002021HD

After recording all 32 Ludwig van Beethoven piano sonatas to celebrate the composer's 250th birth anniversary, celebrated Italian pianist Riccardo Schwartz decided to record solo piano works by Robert Schumann. In this performance, Schwartz presents Schumann’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22. The composer completed the work in 1838. Of Schumann’s three piano sonatas, Piano Sonata No. 2 is performed and recorded most frequently. It opens with an energetic first movement, followed by a beautiful, slow Andantino based on Schumann’s song ‘Im Herbste’ (1828). The third movement is a short Scherzo. At the request of his future spouse, Clara, the composer replaced the original finale by a less demanding movement. Acclaimed pianist Riccardo Schwartz (1986) has performed as a soloist with many world-renowned conductors, including Gustav Kuhn and Yuri Temirkanov. His acclaimed performances include recitals and concertos for piano and orchestra in many prestigious concert halls.