Schedule

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 perform Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98. Brahms completed his last symphony in 1885. He conducted the successful premiere of the piece in the German city of Meiningen in October of the same year. The symphony’s finale movement is a chaconne, a variation form that reflects the composer’s fascination with Baroque music. In this movement, Brahms borrowed an 8-measure theme from J. S. Bach’s cantata ‘Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich’, BWV 150. The movement opens with the theme and then presents a set of variations all set over the same repeated theme in the bass. This performance was recorded at Opéra de Dijon, France, in 2014.

Mahler's Symphony No. 10 is an unfinished work left by the composer at his death, representing his ultimate emotional journey from torment and heartbreak to an unreserved acceptance of life and human love. The symphony, built on the composer's personal anguish and existential explorations, is characterized by its deep emotional range, intricate orchestration, and epic scale, culminating in a powerful affirmation of human connection in the face of mortality. Deryck Cook completed a version of the work with the help of materials provided by Mahler's widow.

The extraordinarily talented pianist Elena Bashkirova has been president of the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Foundation in Leipzig since October 2020, succeeding legendary conductor Kurt Masur. In this concert at the Mendelssohn House in Leipzig, Bashkirova is joined by soprano Juliane Banse, flutist Emmanuel Pahud, cellist Claudio Bohórquez, clarinettist Karl-Heinz Steffens, and pianist Ohad Ben-Ari in a chamber music program dedicated to the music of Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny Hensel. The program opens with Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49. This is followed by a selection of songs: Mendelssohn’s Schilflied ‘Auf dem Teich, dem regungslosen’, Op. 71 No. 4, and Reiselied ‘Der Herbstwind rüttelt die Bäume’, Op. 34 No. 6; Hensel’s Vorwurf, Op. 10 No. 2; Verlust, Op. 9 No. 10; and Sehnsucht, Op. 9 No. 7; Mendelssohn’s ‘Allnächtlich im Traume seh ich dich’, Op. 86 No. 4; ‘Die Liebende schreibt’, Op. 86 No. 3; and Nachtlied ‘Vergangen ist der lichte Tag’, Op. 71 No. 6. The program continues with Mendelssohn’s Seven Songs without Words, for piano four-hands (Op. 62 Nos. 1-6, and Op. 67 No. 1), and comes to a close with Mendelssohn’s Three pieces for clarinet, violoncello and piano (arr. Ernst Naumann), comprising Prelude, Op. 35 No. 4, Songs without Words, Op. 53 No. 2, and Duet, Op. 38 No. 6. This performance was recorded in November 2020.

In 2006, Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich set out on tour performing solos and duets by Bartók und Schumann. The last of the concert series at the Berliner Philharmonie has been recorded for this film, featuring a rare solo performance by Martha Argerich. A concert film with personal and moving commentary by Gidon Kremer. Program: Schumann's Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 10, Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 121; Kinderszenen, Op. 15; Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz 75; Violin sonata No. 2 Sz 76.

Mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska (Canada, 1993) and pianist Michael Sikich (United States, 1993) perform ‘The sailor’s song’ from Joseph Haydn’s Six original canzonettas, Book 2 – Hob. XXVIa; Franz Schubert’s Auf dem See, Op. 92 No. 2 (D. 543); ‘Botschaft’ from Johannes Brahms’s Fünf Lieder, Op. 47; ‘Röselein, Röselein!’ from Robert Schumann’s Sechs Gesänge, Op. 89; ‘A girl’ and ‘Pan is dead’ from Robert Heppener’s Four songs on poems by Ezra Pound; ‘La Flûte de Pan’ and ‘La chevelure’ from Claude Debussy’s Trois chansons de Bilitis, L. 90; Pauline Viardot’s ‘Haï luli!’; and ‘Produzhdeniye vesnï’ (Spring awakening), and ‘Kreytserova sonata’ (Kreutzer sonata) from Dmitri Shostakovich’s Satirï (Satires – Pictures of the past), Op. 109, during the final round of the International Vocal Competition 2019 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

Musicians of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the DR Big Band, and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble join forces under the baton of Klaus Tönshoff in this dazzling concert featuring great songs from black and white cinema. Norwegian mezzosoprano Tuva Semmingsen sings ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, ‘My Favorite Things’ from The Sound of Music, ‘Over the Rainbow’ from The Wizard of Oz, ‘Moon River’ from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and many other unforgettable hits. This concert performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2020.

Bernhard Haitink conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. Directed by Barry Gavin, this concert took place at the Berliner Philharmonie in 1992. Mahler was inspired by Jean Paul’s novel Titan, in which an artistically gifted young man, driven by his failure to find his way in society, eventually commits suicide in despair. The genesis of this work was not easy for Mahler: he composed it between 1887 and 1888, at the time when he was conductor of the Leipzig opera. The first version of the work first took the form of a two-part symphonic poem and premiered in Budapest in 1898. However, the work was poorly received by the public and critics, which forced Mahler to revise it. The new version resulted in the wonderful Symphony No. 1 that we know today, an incredible achievement for such a young composer.

Regarded as one of the finest interpreters of Romantic repertoire, Francesco Attesti (*1975) gave his first recital at age 11 and by the time he was 23, had earned the highest honours in piano from Florence’s Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini. In this recording of his 2016 Deeply Mozart concert tour, Attesti performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s piano concertos KV 449 and KV 488 with the Italian OIDA Orchestra and conductor Paolo Belloli.

Maestro Iván Fischer leads the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a performance of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70. The work was completed in March 1885 and premiered one month later in London conducted by the composer himself. With its dramatic and dark style, this symphony stands in stark contrast to the predominantly optimistic tone of Dvořák’s broader oeuvre. This performance was recorded at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, on January 29, 2021.

At the age of seven, Argentine pianist Martha Argerich made her debut with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, a piece that would accompany her throughout her career. The celebrated pianist performs this signature piece at the Lucerne Festival with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under the baton of Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, who makes his festival debut with the orchestra. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36, is also on the program. This performance was recorded at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center (KKL), Switzerland, in August 2020.

Manfred Honeck conducts Yo-Yo Ma and the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 from the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden 2016.

Beethoven's Hair traces the unlikely journey of a lock of hair cut from Ludwig van Beethoven's corpse, and unravels the mystery of the composer’s tortured life and death. The film begins in modern times, when some Beethoven enthusiasts purchase the hair at a Sotheby's auction. The story then investigates the lock's previous owners. Eventually, science reveals Beethoven's “medical secret”. Set to a lush score of some of Beethoven's most glorious music, the film explores the world of forensic testing, throwing into sharp relief the romance of 19th-century Vienna and the horrors of 20th-century Nazi Germany. Directed by Larry Weinstein.

Soprano Alisa Fedorenko (Russia, 1999) and pianist Evgenii Sergeev (Russia, 1986) perform ‘Mandoline’ and ‘À Clymène’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Cinq melodies “de Venise”, Op. 58; ‘Lied der Delphine’ from Franz Schubert’s Zwei Szenen aus dem Schauspiel ‘Lacrimas’, D. 857; ‘Son’ (A dream) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Six Romances, Op. 38; ‘Elfenlied’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder; ‘Staccato’ from Rodion Shchedrin’s Three solfege exercises; and Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold, 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.

Wouter Bergenhuizen (1988, The Netherlands) performs Die drei Zigeuner (S383), Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth (S382bis) and La lugubre gondola (S134bis) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht 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 since has built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

Roberto Abbado conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, and four vocal soloists in an outstanding performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, recorded at the Parco Ducale di Parma, Italy as part of Festival Verdi 2020. The soloists are soprano Eleonora Buratto, mezzosoprano Anita Rachvelishvili, tenor Giorgio Berrugi, and bass Roberto Tagliavini. When his fellow composer Gioachino Rossini died in 1868, Verdi proposed to compose a ‘Messa per Rossini’ in his honor, to be written by himself and several other Italian composers. Verdi wrote the concluding movement, ‘Libera me’. When the premiere was cancelled, the project lay dormant. When Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni passed away a few years later, Verdi revisited his plan to compose a requiem – this time in honor of the poet he so greatly admired. As an opera composer, Verdi knew better than anyone how to infuse the work with drama, as is evident in the revised version of his ‘Libera me’. The famous, powerful ‘Dies Irae’ especially stands out, depicting the horrors of the Last Judgement.

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.

Pianist Derek Wang (USA, 1998) performs Francis Poulenc’s Improvisation No. 1 in B minor, Nocturne No. 4 in C minor (Bal fantôme), and Improvisation No. 6 in B-flat major; Barbara Assiginaak’s Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies); and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 (Hammerklavier), during the solo recital of the two-part semi-final 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.