Schedule

Israeli-born conductor Daniel Oren leads the Orchestra of the Arena di Verona in a magnificent interpretation of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco. Verdi’s third opera – but first great popular success – was created at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1842, in the epicentre of the “Risorgimento” and the capital of Italian nationalism, at a time where the supporters of Italian independence from Austrian occupation were starting to make their voices heard. The "Chorus of the Hebrew slaves", pivotal point in the third act where the Jews, exiled from Babylone by Nabuchodonosor, mourn their country, "So Beautiful and Lost", immediately resonated with the Italian nationalists and has ever since been a symbol of Italian national identity. Daniel Oren, a true connoisseur of Verdi’s musical language as well as a regular guest at the Arena di Verona, conducts with great panache this "lyrical epic" that holds such a special place in the heart of all Italians. This interpretation was recorded 2017 and stars George Gagnidze, Susanna Branchini, Nino Surguladze, Rubens Pelizzari, Stanislav Trofimov and more.

In 1996, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 60th anniversary with a gala led by maestros Zubin Mehta and Daniel Barenboim. This musical event features world-renowned soloists, including veteran violinist Isaac Stern, up-and-coming musicians Maxim Vengerov and Gil Shaham, as well as Pinchas Zukerman, Shlomo Mintz, and Itzhak Perlman. The evening begins with a moving speech about the early days of the orchestra. The evening's program continues with Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043, Brahms's Symphony No. 2, Halvorsen's Violin, Violoncello and Viola Pass, Mozart's Serenade No. 6, K. 239., Vivaldi's Concerto in B minor for four violins and orchestra, and Weber's Oberon overture.

This concert is the result of the collaboration between the Giuseppe Nicolini Conservatory of Piacenza and the Giuseppe Verdi of Milan as part of the project "MIlanoPIACEnza ... suonare insieme.” On the program are works by the Dutch conductor and composer Johan de Meij. “Echoes of San Marco” is a tribute to the Venetian Renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrieli (1555-1612). Echoes of San Marco opens with a quote from Gabrieli’s “Canzon Septimi Toni” from the “Sacre Sinfoniae”, and is just like the original work composed for two choirs of brass instruments. “Fellini” is composed for solo saxophone and orchestra and is a tribute to Italian film director Federico Fellini (1920-1993). De Meij composed the work for saxophone player Hans de Jong, who during this concert is dressed as a melancholic clown to intensify the dreamy and imaginary worlds present in Fellini’s films. This concert is recorded at the Sala dei Teatini of the Teatri di Piacenza in 2018. Directed by Pietro Tagliaferri.

Pianist Anthony Ratinov (USA, 1997) joins the CMIM ensemble, consisting of three principal strings players of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, in a performance of the first movement, Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo, of Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47. This performance took place during the chamber music round of the two-part semi-final of the Piano Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2024 (CMIM). It was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in this powerful performance taken from the 150th Anniversary celebrations of Denmark’s national composer, Carl Nielsen. Alongside Nielsen’s inscrutably ironic Symphony No. 6, this performance features world-renowned French pianist Lise de la Salle as soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 4. This lesser-known concerto saw three separate iterations throughout the composer’s life and is characterized by bold chromaticism and a distinctly Jazz-like quality. Luisi and de la Salle have prior experience with this piece, having previously performed and recorded it together. This performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2017.

Soprano Isabel Weller (Germany, 1994) and pianist Yuriko Watanabe (Japan, 1994) perform Claude Debussy’s Nuit d’étoiles, L. 2, and Mandoline, L. 43; Joseph Haydn’s Piercing eyes, Hob. XXVIa, No. 35; ‘Die Mainacht’ from Johannes Brahms’s Vier Gesänge, Op. 43; ‘Pietà’ from Paul Hindemith’s Das Marienleben, Op. 27; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; and ‘Lied vom Winde’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder, 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.

With sublimely beautiful music that supports, intensifies, and enhances the drama every step of the way, the Piano Concerto No. 24, K 491 is solid drama from start to finish, with a minor harmonic structure reminiscent of Don Giovanni. In this performance, recorded at Schönbrunn palace in Vienna, Andre Previn is the soloist and conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Renowned French string quartet Quatuor Ébène marked the 250th birth anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) with a remarkable project: recording all of the great composer’s sixteen string quartets. For five years, violinists Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure, violist Marie Chilemme, and cellist Raphaël Merlin immersed themselves in Beethoven’s 650 pages of sheet music. Their efforts culminated in the performance of the composer’s complete repertoire for string quartet, which covers three decades of Beethoven's musical creativity, during six impressive concerts at Philharmonie de Paris in the autumn of 2020. Quatuor Ébène explored every facet of Beethoven's string quartet repertoire: from the youthful Opus 18 string quartets to the Razumovsky, Harp, and Serioso quartets (Opus 59, 74, and 95) from his middle period, and finally, the depth of his late quartets (Opus 127 to 135). This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, No. 2; String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135; and String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131. This concert was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on December 16, 2020.

Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons leads the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, ‘From the New World’. Dvořák wrote this famous symphony in 1893, during his three-year term as Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. The Conservatory had hired the nationalist composer to create a new, national style of art music for the United States. Dvořák took elements of African American and Native American music, including pentatonic melodies and syncopated rhythms, and applied them to his symphony. This performance was recorded at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, in 2017.

Pianist Rachel Breen (USA, 1996) performs the March from Sergei Prokofiev’s March and Scherzo from The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33; Prelude and Waltz in C no. 4 from György Kurtág’s Játékok (Games), volume 1; Prelude No. 23 in F major from Alexander Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 11; Intermezzo (no. 1) from Prokofiev’s Three Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 95; Bagatelle No. 3 in E-flat major from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Bagatelles, Op. 126; Frédéric Chopin’s Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 29; Wasserklavier (No. 3) from Luciano Berio’s Six Encores; Chopin’s Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp major, Op. 36; Skazki No. 5 in F-sharp minor from Nikolai Medtner’s 6 Skazki (Fairy Tales), Op. 51; Etude No. 4 in B minor from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Études-tableaux, Op. 39; and Prelude No. 4 in E minor from Leonid Desyatnikov’s The Songs of Bukovina (24 Preludes), during the first round of the Piano Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2024 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Mengjie Han (*1989) performs Franz Liszt’s transcription of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, S.442, during the quarter finals of the Liszt Piano Competition 2014. Han studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Marlies van Gent, and with Jan Wijn at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He has taken part in masterclasses with among others Paul Komen, Rian de Waal, Boris Petrushansky, Jacques Rouvier, Leslie Howard and Dmitri Bashkirov. He won First Prize at the Steinway Piano Competition, the Princess Christina Competition, and the International Piano Contest Maria Campina in Portugal. Mengjie Han regularly performs at home and abroad. He played at the Canal Festival and the International Steinway Festival in Hamburg. As a prize winner of the Princess Christina Competition he performed in Greece, South Africa, Tunisia, the United States and Canada. He is part of the Amatis Trio, with which he won the Audience Prize at the Canal Festival in 2013.

Pianist Jakub Kuszlik (Poland, 1996) joins the CMIM ensemble, consisting of three principal strings players of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, in a performance of the first movement, Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo, of Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47. This performance took place during the chamber music round of the two-part semi-final of the Piano Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2024 (CMIM). It was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Sir Simon Rattle leads the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and Chorus in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. The soloists are Iwona Sobotka (soprano), Anna Stephany (mezzo-soprano), Robert Murray (tenor), and Florian Boesch (baritone). Engineered with unmatched symphonic finesse, Beethoven set aside ruminations on fate and heroism to compose his utterly musical and wholly satisfying Ninth Symphony. It is a monumental work, renowned for its innovative use of a chorus and vocal soloists in the final movement, singing a setting of Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy". Premiered in 1824, it remains one of the most performed and recognizable pieces of classical music. This performance was recorded at Barbican Hall in London, on February 16, 2020.

Renowned French string quartet Quatuor Ébène marked the 250th birth anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) with a remarkable project: recording all of the great composer’s sixteen string quartets. For five years, violinists Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure, violist Marie Chilemme, and cellist Raphaël Merlin immersed themselves in Beethoven’s 650 pages of sheet music. Their efforts culminated in the performance of the composer’s complete repertoire for string quartet, which covers three decades of Beethoven's musical creativity, during six impressive concerts at Philharmonie de Paris in the autumn of 2020. Quatuor Ébène explored every facet of Beethoven's string quartet repertoire: from the youthful Opus 18 string quartets to the Razumovsky, Harp, and Serioso quartets (Opus 59, 74, and 95) from his middle period, and finally, the depth of his late quartets (Opus 127 to 135). This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18, No. 1; String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, "Harp"; and String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3, "Razumovsky". This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on October 13, 2020.

From August 28 to September 6, 2015, the Early Music Festival Utrecht was all about 'England, my England'. In line with this theme, presenter Lex Bohlmeijer takes the viewer on an intriguing journey through the England of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, and relates this to the city of Utrecht. In episode 2 of this two-part documentary, René de Kam (Heritage Municipality of Utrecht) delves deeper into the Anglican past of the city of Utrecht. The viewer is introduced to festival artists Benjamin Bagby, Skip Sempé, and The Newcastle Kingsmen, who dance their traditional folk "Rapper Sword Dance" during the festival's pub sessions.

Young Euro Classic is the world’s most important platform for international young orchestra musicians in the European classical music tradition, and for its development. For 17 days every summer, orchestras from all over the world perform at Berlin’s Konzerthaus, on Gendarmenmarkt. This performance features some highlights of the Young Euro Classic edition of 2016. On the program are well-known classical pieces, like the third movement of Vivaldi’s “Summer” from Four Seasons, Mussorgky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” and “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen. Tenor Alan Pingarrón sings “Gratia plena,” by Mario Talavera, and “Dime Que Si,” by Alfonso Oteo. On the program are also famous orchestral works like the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, and the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3.

Soprano Vassia Alati (the Netherlands/Greece, 1992) and pianist Yuto Kiguchi (Japan, 1989) perform ‘C’est l’extase langoureuse’ from Claude Debussy’s Arriettes oubliées, L. 63, and ‘Fantoches’ from Debussy’s Fêtes galantes, L. 86; Bart Visman’s Het goud van Vermeer; ‘Lerchengesang’ from Johannes Brahms’s Vier Gesänge, Op. 70; Franz Schubert’s Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, Op. 24, No. 1, D. 583; ‘Now the leaves are falling fast’ from Benjamin Britten’s On this island, Op. 11; and ‘I gria zoi’ (Old mother life) from Manolis Kalomiris’s Mayovotana (Magic herbs), 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.

The wild and breathtaking scenery of Austria's Roman Quarry of St. Margarethen provides an ideal and unique backdrop for this live and colourful open-air performance of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen (1875). With over 400 participants, this opulent staging of Bizet's famous opera - one of the most popular works in the genre's history - proves a feast for all the senses. Austria's Opera Festival St. Margarethen, one of Europe's most important open-air festivals, is attended by about 220, 000 opera lovers every year. The Brno National Theatre Orchestra & Chorus is led by conductor Ernst Märzendorfer. Soloists are Nadia Krasteva, Russi Nikov and Alexandr Antonenko.

Considered by Bruckner as the artistic climax of his career, the Symphony No. 8 followed in the wake of the triumphs celebrated by his 7th Symphony and Te Deum. Yet the conductor put aside the original version of the work – which Franz Welser-Möst conducts here – when his friend the conductor Hermann Levi rejected it. The original version was first performed in 1954 and first published in 1972. Recorded live at Cleveland's Severance Hall with The Cleveland Orchestra under its Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, this performance marks the fourth instalment in the orchestra's Bruckner cycle Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst has been Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra since 2002. In addition to his duties in Cleveland, Welser-Möst has been General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera.

American conductor Leonard Slatkin leads the Orchestre National de Lyon in a concert recorded at the Auditorium de Lyon in 2014. The concert opens with William Bolcom´s Circus Ouverture, which was specially composed for Slatkin's 70th birthday. The concert continues with a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C, Op. 56 performed by three female soloists: Olga Kern (piano), Baibe Skride (violin) and Sol Gabetta (cello). The work is the only concerto which Beethoven ever completed for more than one solo instrument. The concert closes with Ravel's beloved orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

The Waldbühne in Berlin, one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheatres on the European continent, is the home of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s summer concerts. With over 22.000 in attendance, they are some of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. This year the outstanding orchestra under the baton of Neeme Järvi take us on a trip to Arabian “Thousand and One Nights”, with soloist Janine Jansen, a rising star who quickly gained the reputation of one of the foremost young violinists on the international concert stages. On the program are Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite, op. 35, Grieg's 'Peer Gynt' Suite No.1, op. 46, excerpts from Nielsen's Aladdin Suite for Orchestra op. 34, Saint-Saëns's Introduction und Rondo capriccioso and "Meditation” from 'Thais' by Massenet.

The documentary Summertime at the Domaine Forget introduces internationally renowned treasure: Domaine Forget festival in Saint-Irénée, Québec. Domaine Forget is one of Canada's leading music academies and hosts this annual festival to promote music and dance. Every summer, 500 music students from around the world gather for an intensive course program featuring: masterclasses, individual lessons, chamber music sessions, lectures, and special workshops.