00:00
Dvořák - Rusalka
Bulgarian conductor Pavel Baleff conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Opéra de Limoges in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s lyric fairytale opera Rusalka (1900). The work’s libretto is written by Czech poet Jaroslav Kvapil. Rusalka, an elusive water nymph, falls in love with the Prince, who happens to swim in her lake. Rusalka longs to become human herself so that she can be together with the Prince. The witch Ježibaba is willing to help Rusalka, but warns her that the transition to a mortal human being comes at a high price: the nymph will lose the power of speech. What is more, if mute Rusalka cannot keep the love of a human, she will be damned for eternity. Stage director Nicola Raab and TV director Arnaud Lalanne created a truly filmic production of Dvořák’s masterpiece. Among the soloists are Ruzan Mantashyan, Adam Smith, Rafal Pawnuk, Marie-Adeline Henry, Marion Lebègue, and Alexandra Marcellier. This performance was recorded at the Opéra de Limoges, France, in February 2021.
02:04
Waldbuhne 1998: Latin American Night
Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, Argentina's most famous musician, brings a Latin American flavour to the Berlin Philharmonic's 1998 concert at the Waldbühne amphitheater. The concert opens with Maurice Ravel's famous Boléro, a one-movement composition for orchestra originally composed as a ballet. A straightforward composition, it is based on a rhythm that repeats throughout the whole piece, with two melodies alternating between different instruments. The steady tempo increases in loudness until the final crescendo. The second piece is Georges Bizet's Carmen Suite No. 1. Following a chilling introduction, the oboe plays an instantly recognizable theme. The program gets more exotic when guitarist John Williams takes the stage for a performance of Joaquín Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez. The rest of the program consists of beautiful Latin American pieces: Mangoré - Una limosna por el amor de dios, "El ultimo canto", Ginastera - Estancia Suite, Op. 8a: IV Malambo, Lecuona - La Comparsa, Malagueña, Salgan - Don Agustín Bardi, Piazzolla - Adiós Nonino, Decarissimo, Gardel - El día que me quieras, Rodriguez - La Cumparista, Mores - El Firulete and ends with Paul Linke's Frau Luna and Berliner Luft.
04:04
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Les Dissonances is a collective of artists founded by violinist David Grimal in 2004. The conductorless ensemble consists of musicians from the most prestigious European orchestras, international soloists, and young talents. In this performance, Les Dissonances present Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73. Whereas it took the composer over a decade to complete his first symphony, he penned his Symphony No. 2 in just a few months, during his summer sojourn in the restful Austrian village of Pörtschach in 1877. Nicknamed his ‘Pastoral’ symphony, the work is arguably the most sunny and optimistic of Brahms’s four symphonies. Lyrical in character, it features joyful melodies. This performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris, France, in 2015.
04:45
Bach - Sonata No. 5 BWV 1018
This Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 5 BWV 1014 is the fifth out of the set of sonatas Johann Sebastian Bach composed before 1725, probably during his time as chapel master in Köthen. Presumably, he wrote these sonatas for Prince Leopold and later adapted them for further use in Leipzig. Maybe this is why these pieces are well playable for amateurs, while every sonata still has the finesse that can offer a challenge to professional musicians. The different pieces are meant to be a set, just like the Brandenburg concertos. Performers: Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), Enrico Pace (piano)
05:03
Haydn - Symphony No. 94, Hob. I:94
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony No. 94 in G major "Surprise". Berliner Philharmoniker; conductor: Mariss Jansons. The European Concert has been a tradition of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 1991. The musicians commemorate the anniversary of the orchestra's founding on May 1st, 1882, playing in different European cities. This concert was recorded in the church "Hagia Eirene" in Istanbul, Turkey.
05:36
CMIM Piano 2024 - Semi-final I: Jakub Kuszlik
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.
06:00
Mozart - Piano Concertos No. 1 & No. 4
Discover the soloist Heidrun Holtmann as she performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 1, KV 37 and Piano Concerto No. 4, KV 41, accompanied by the Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera. Conducted by Marc Andreae, the performance took place at the historic Teatro Bibiena in Mantua.
06:39
Works for violin and piano by Corelli, Ravel a.o.
Japanese violinist Naoya Nishimura and Italian pianist Andrea Bacchetti perform an intimate recital recorded at the Munetsugu Hall in Nagoya, Japan. On the program are Arcangelo Corelli’s Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 5 No. 12, “La Folia”; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24, “Spring”; Manuel de Falla’s 7 Canciones populares españolas; Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for violin and piano; Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28; Niccolò Paganini’s Cantabile in D major, Op. 17; and Antonio Bazzini’s Scherzo fantastique, Op. 25, “La Ronde des Lutins”. This performance was recorded on June 22, 2019.
08:14
Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68
Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan and the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris recorded all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies in 2014-2015. In this program, Jordan conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony. Beethoven wrote the work upon completion of his Symphony No. 5. Both symphonies premiered at the same legendary, all-Beethoven concert on December 22, 1808. Symphony No. 6 consists of five movements, of which the last three are played without a break. Each movement carries a title that suggests a scene from life in the countryside. The joyful atmosphere of the first three movements is interrupted by the violent fourth movement ‘Thunder, Storm’, as expressed by the piccolos, brass, and timpani. As the storm recedes at the end of the movement, the tranquility returns in the final movement. This performance was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2015.
09:04
CMIM Piano 2024 – First Round: Yungyung Guo
Pianist Yungyung Guo (Hong Kong SAR, 2003) performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Andante in F major for a small mechanical organ, K. 616; Etude No. 3 and No. 2 from Béla Bartók’s Three Etudes, Op. 18; and César Franck’s Prélude, Choral et Fugue, 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.
09:40
Schubert - Rondo D. 951
On the occasion of her 80th birthday, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich explored chamber music repertoire in this wonderful concert, recorded at Château de Chantilly, France. The ‘Grande Dame’ of the piano is joined by various renowned artists. As part of this concert, Argerich and pianist Iddo Bar-Shaï perform Franz Schubert’s Rondo in A major, D. 951.
10:00
Mahler - Symphony No. 5
The Lucerne Festival Orchestra performs Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5 under the direction of Claudio Abbado. This unique orchestra was formed as part of the annual festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.
11:20
J. S. Bach - Arias, solos, and duets
Baritone Matthias Goerne teams up with violinist Vilde Frang, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, flutist Stathis Karapanos, and harpsichordist Michaela Hasselt in this program dedicated to the music of J. S. Bach. They perform baritone arias from Bach’s most beautiful cantatas, as well as solo pieces and duets. On the program are Sonata No. 3 in C major for violin solo, BWV 1005; arias ‘Hier, in meines Vaters Stätte’, BWV 32 and ‘Die Welt mit allen Königreichen’, BWV 59; Suite No. 5 in C minor for cello solo, BWV 1011; ‘Wenn Trost und Hülf ermangeln muß’, BWV 117; ‘Ja, ja, ich halte Jesum fest’, BWV 157; Invention No. 7 in E minor, BWV 778; Invention in A major, BWV 783; and ‘Welt ade, ich bin dein müde’, BWV 158. This performance was recorded at St. Mary’s Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
12:24
In the Artist's Workshop
This episode of the series 'In the Artist's Workshop' features a masterclass by French classical pianist Philippe Cassard in the works of Claude Debussy.
13:23
Smetana – Vltava (The Moldau) from Má vlast
Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Berliner Philharmoniker in a wonderful performance of the symphonic poem Vltava (The Moldau) from Bedřich Smetana’s Má Vlast (My Country). This performance was part of the Waldbühne Concert 2016 in Berlin.
13:35
Liszt - Aida (from Parafrasi da opere)
Daniel Barenboim performs Liszt's Aida (Parafrasi da opere di Guiseppe Verdi) at Milan's La Scala in 2007
13:47
Fischer conducts Prokofiev and Stravinsky
Iván Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra in a concert recorded at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest, Hungary in 2015. The concert opens with Sergei Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34. After this, Thomas Zehetmair stars as solo violinist in Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 63. The second part of the concert is features music by Igor Stravinsky. On the program is music composed for the ballet 'Jeu de cartes' (1937) and the Firebird Suite, No. 2 (1919). 'Jeu de cartes' is one of Stravinsky's neo-classical works and consists of three parts ('deals'). The Firebird Suite, No. 2 is based on the music from the ballet of the same name, which was written for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and premiered in Paris in 1910.
14:00
Donizetti - L’elisir d’amore
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.
16:34
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan and the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris recorded all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies in 2014-2015. In this program, maestro Jordan presents Beethoven’s final symphony: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. He conducts the Orchestre and Choeurs de l’Opéra national de Paris and four vocal soloists Ricarda Merbeth (soprano), Daniela Sindram (mezzosoprano), Robert Dean Smith (tenor), and Günther Groissböck (bass). Beethoven composed his last Symphony when his hearing had all but gone, between 1822 and 1824. Symphony No. 9 is the longest and most ambitious of Beethoven’s symphonies. Most striking is the piece’s finale movement, which includes a choir and four vocal soloists singing a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s poem ‘An die Freude’ (Ode to Joy). This performance was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2015.
