Schedule

The Burgundian Dukes: lovers of music, art, fine dining, beauty, and splendor. But also: tough and strategic power politicians, who were constantly expanding their influence and territory. Four dukes headed the richest court of their time and left their stamp on a period that was nearing its end: the Autumn of the Middle Ages. In the documentary 'The Burgundian Life', humanities professor Frits van Oostrom, conductor Paul Van Nevel, and culinary journalist Onno Kleyn shed light on the lives of the last Dukes of Burgundy.

The 2017 Reate Festival in Rieti, Italy staged two short operas composed by Nino Rota. Known chiefly for his cinema soundtracks and his lifelong relationship with iconic directors such as Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola and Luchino Visconti (to name but a few), Rota was a musical enfant prodige who composed sacred music as well as operas from a very young age. Endowed with a streak of freedom, creativity and imagination that allowed him to forge his own unique style, he succeeded in merging the great Italian operatic tradition of Rossini, Puccini and Verdi with a contemporary musical language, setting himself apart from his contemporaries in the process. I due timidi was broadcast by Milan’s RAI in 1950 and first staged in London in 1952. Based on a text by the Italian screen writer Suso Cecchi D’Amico, it’s a comedy of errors. Although it lacks the usual happy ending, the pace of the musical action and the skills of the young actor-singers make the performance most enjoyable. “The pace of the narration changes continuously: frenzied rhythms suddenly shift to broad vocal declamations à la Puccini, with interludes reminiscent of jazz and the buffo style. Despite the richness and heterogeneity of the musical material, the singers always manage to stay vocally balanced, showing great acting abilities, as well… Conductor Gabriele Bonolis and his orchestra received midperformance applause for an energetic, fresh and brilliant performance.” This version was performed by the Reate Festival Orchestra.

Performed in the grandeur of Berlin's foremost opera house, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Mozart Celebration is dedicated to the life's work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This one-time-only gala concert features exuberant Mozart pieces, performed by some of the world’s leading singers and musicians. Conductor Julien Salemkour leads these beautiful performances played by the Staatskapelle Berlin. The star solists are Nicolaj Znaider (violin), Thomas Quasthoff (baritone) and Sylvia Schwartz (soprano). The program features Ouverture from la Clemenza di Tito, 'Violin Concerto No. 5', the song 'Chi sa, chi sa, qual sia', Piano Concerto No. 23, the aria 'Per questa bella mano', Papageno's Aria from the Magic Flute, the duet 'Papageno-Papagena' from The Magic Flute, and Symphony No. 40.

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. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60. Count Franz von Oppersdorff adored Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and offered the composer a large sum to write a similar work. Beethoven obliged and completed his Symphony No. 4 in the autumn of 1806. Its first performance was at a private concert in Vienna in March 1807. With its lightweight and sunny character, Symphony No. 4 pales in comparison with its revolutionary predecessor and successor. Jordan’s concert was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2014.

Uwe Scholz, one of the most important choreographers of the 20th century, created two interpretations of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps for the Leipzig Ballet. Sacre I, for one dancer, can be interpreted as a bleak and oppressive dance about Scholz’ own life. This unique solo is performed by Giovanni Di Palma to the four-handed piano version. The powerful Sacre II is staged for nearly 60 dancers, here accompanied by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Kiyoko Kimura, one of Uwe Scholz’ muses, is the featured dancer. The full ballet was filmed as part of a portrait of Scholz in February 2003. By popular demand, this unique showcase of Uwe Scholz’ exceptional talent is now, at last, available for public viewing.

String quartet Cuarteto Mendelssohn de BP, in its 2018 configuration of violinists Olga Artyugina and Eva Rabchevska, violist Bella Chic and cellist Hayk Sukiasyan, performs Edvard Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27. Completed in 1878, it is the composer’s second attempt in the genre. His first string quartet, written in the early 1860s, was lost, and the third one was left incomplete at the composer’s death. Grieg based the main theme of the quartet on the song ‘Spillemænd’ (Minstrels, from Six songs, Op. 25), appearing in all four movements. This performance was recorded at Auditorio Sony of the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, Spain, on May 17, 2018.

Dazzling, virtuosic, and spectacular: no other adjectives are better suited to describe the piano music of Franz Liszt. Enjoy a sparkling performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major by the incredible piano virtuoso Russian Daniil Trifonov, with Kent Nagano conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. As an encore, Trifonov performs Reflets dans l'eau from Debussy's Images. The orchestra closes this concert with a rendition of Mahler's Symphony No. 7. Recorded at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, Tel Aviv, in 2014.

This short documentary follows the participants of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, in 2017. The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and has since built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

Leon Bernsdorf (1992, Germany) performs Epithalam zu Eduard Reményis Vermählungsfeier (S129) and Grand Duo concertant sur la Romance de 'Le Marin' (S128) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, in 2017. The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and has since built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

In this splendid concert, exceptional Russian pianists Nikolay Lugansky and Vadim Rudenko join forces in a program for two pianos comprising works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice Ravel, Anton Arensky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Nikolai Kapustin. Both pianists, laureates of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994, have received international recognition. They perform regularly in a duo. On the program: Mozart’s Sonata for two pianos in D major, K. 448/375 A; Ravel’s La Valse (arr. for two pianos); Arensky’s Suite No. 1 for two pianos, Op. 15; and Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 1 (Fantasy) for two pianos, Op. 5. As an encore, the duo performs ‘Romance’ from Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for two pianos, Op. 17, followed by ‘Overture’ from Nikolai Kapustin’s Sinfonietta, Op. 49. This performance was recorded at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia, on November 25, 2021.

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 Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21. This symphony shows Beethoven’s loyalty to the model of Joseph Haydn’s and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s late symphonies, yet reveals his attempt to distinguish himself from his predecessors. For instance, the work opens with a slow introduction that refuses to reveal the piece’s key. Equally remarkable are the unusual prominence of the woodwinds, and the scherzo-like tempo of the third movement bearing the indication ‘minuet’. This performance was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2014.

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) composed 13 symphonic poems, largely inspired by literary texts. The composer himself wrote piano duet arrangements for these pieces, showcasing his incredible ability of imitating a full orchestra on the piano. Liszt, one of the 19th century’s most important piano virtuosos, strongly influenced the further development of piano music. The Romantic period was the era of the virtuoso pianists: the piano was the instrument of choice for countless musicians and listeners alike. No house of standing could do without a piano: it was a status symbol. Piano music was played in concert halls, palaces, salons, churches and public houses alike. Liszt’s symphonic poem no. 4, ‘Orpheus’, breathes a meditative atmosphere. No. 3, ‘Les Préludes’, is best known in its symphonic version – the piano version presented here is rarely heard. The work dates back to the period 1848 – 1854 and was initially meant to serve as introduction to a choral cycle to be based on the texts of the poet Joseph Autran, ‘Les quatre éléments’: earth, air, water and fire. In this broadcast, the Italian piano duo of Marco Sollini and Salvatore Barbatano performs these Liszt piano works. These recordings were made at the beautiful 12th century church of San Marco in the small but picturesque village of Ponzano di Fermo, as part of the 2015 edition of the annual, itinerant festival ‘Armonie della sera’ in the Italian province of Le Marche.

Soprano Sara Gouzy (France, 1991) and pianist Seri Dan (South Korea, 1992) perform ‘Chevaux de bois’ from Claude Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées, L. 63; Franz Schubert’s An den Mond, Op. 57, No. 3, D. 193; ‘Le collier’ from Olivier Messiaen’s Poèmes pour Mi; ‘Margaritki’ (Daisies) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Six Romances, Op. 38; ‘Quelle aventure!’, and ‘La reine de coeur’ from Francis Poulenc’s La courte paille; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; and ‘Wie Lange schon war immer mein Verlangen’, and ‘Ich hab’ in Penna einen Liebsten wohnen’ from Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch, 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.

Italian pianist Costantino Catena performs Franz Liszt’s transcription of ‘Isoldens Liebestod’ from Richard Wagner’s opera ‘Tristan und Isolde’. This performance was recorded at the Church of the Jesuit College in Trapani, Italy.