Schedule

Omer Meir Wellber leads the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice in a performance of Vincenzo Bellini's tragic opera 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi'. Felice Romani's libretto is not based on William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' but on Luigi Scevola's 1818 play 'Giulietta e Romeo'. Teatro La Fenice commissioned Vincenzo Bellini's opera for the Venetian Carnival of 1830. Bellini composed 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi' in just a month and a half, recycling material from his previous opera 'Zaira', which enjoyed little popular success. In this production, English-born soprano Jessica Pratt performs the role of Giulietta, and Italian mezzo-soprano Sonia Ganassi performs the role of Romeo. Among the other soloists are Rubén Amoretti, Shalva Mukeria, and Luca Dall'Amico. This performance was recorded at Teatro la Fenice di Venezia in Venice, Italy, on January 18, 2015.

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.

Paul Goodwin conducts the Conjunto Barroco of the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid in a Baroque music program featuring works by Georg Muffat, J. S. Bach, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. On the program are Muffat’s Sonata No. 5 in G major, 'Armonico tributo'; Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069; and Rameau’s Suite from the opera ‘Les Boréades’. This performance was recorded at Auditorio Sony of the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, Spain, on February 8, 2024.

At St. Bartholomew Church in Dornheim, Germany, where composer Johann Sebastian Bach married his first wife Maria Barbara, renowned Dutch cellist Anner Bijlsma performs the composer's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007. It is likely Bach wrote his collection of six Suites for unaccompanied cello during the years 1717-1723. His cello suites are an essential part of the cello repertoire, highlighting the instrument's manifold polyphonic possibilities. As customary in a Baroque suite, each movement is based on a dance type. Bach's Suite No. 1 opens with a prelude, and is followed by six dance movements, divided over five sections: an allemande, a courante, a sarabande, two minuets, and a final gigue.

Jeffrey Tate conducts the English Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony No. 41 (K. 551). This symphony is the last of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. The symphony is known for its humour, exuberant energy and grand scale for a symphony of this period, hence its nickname “Jupiter”. Generally, Mozart composed from commissions, but scholars have found no indication of this for the 41st Symphony. It could well be Mozart composed the work in the hopes of selling them or presenting them in a concert in Vienna. Directed by János Darvos.

Director Carlus Padrissa created an astonishing avant-garde production of Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation (Die Schöpfung), Hob. XXI:2 with internationally acclaimed Catalan theatre group La Fura dels Baus. This multimedia production presents the viewer with a continuous stream of imagery, text and spectacle, transforming the composer’s masterpiece into an immersive theatrical experience. The show utilizes huge helium-filled balloons, a stage crane, and singers submerged in an aquarium. In this performance, French conductor Laurence Equilbey leads her own insula orchestra and choir accentus. Vocal soloists are soprano Mari Eriksmoen, baritone Daniel Schmutzhard, and tenor Martin Mitterrutzner. This performance was recorded at La Seine Musicale in Paris, France, on May 12, 2017.

This gala concert at Prague's beautiful Estates Theatre is one of the highlights of Mozart Year 2006. Conducted by Manfred Honeck, the Czech Philharmonic performs W. A. Mozart's finest compositions connected to the city of Prague in general or to the Estates Theatre in particular. Among them is Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, which premiered in Prague in 1791. This 2006 recording features clarinettist Sharon Kam. Mozart's Prague Symphony is invariably on the program. The Overture to Don Giovanni is also associated with the Estates Theatre, which is where Mozart conducted it in 1787.

Pianist Antonio Chen Guang (China, 1994) performs Frédéric Chopin’s Études, Op. 10, 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.

Spanish piano duo 'Dúo del Valle', consisting of Luis and Victor del Valle, performed a recital of works for piano four hands by Franz Schubert and Maurice Ravel. Moreover, violinist Ana María Valderrama Guerra joined them for renditions of compositions by César Franck and Pablo de Sarasate. Franz Schubert's Eight variations on a original theme for piano four hands, D. 813 Op. 35 is followed by César Franck's Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano. The second half opens with Maurice Ravel's 'Ma mère l'oye' for piano four hands, followed by Pablo de Sarasate's Danzas Españolas for violin and piano, Op. 22. The recital was part of the Reencuentro Concert Series, and was recorded at Sala Argenta del Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander, Spain in 2020.

Bernard Haitink conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a rendition of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in the Schauspielhaus in Berlin, in 1992. Soloist is soprano Sylvia McNair. Mahler composed his Fourth Symphony in 1899 and 1900, and it premiered in Munich, in 1901. The work incorporates the song "Das himmlische Leben" ("The Heavenly Life"), which Mahler had already composed in 1892. The song presents a child's vision of heaven and is sung by a soprano in the final fourth movements, though the melodic lines are already recognizable in the first three movements.

Johann Sebastian Bach probably wrote this set of six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord 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.

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.

Piano soloist Boris Berezovsky is accompanied by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Sladkovsky in a performance of Sergei Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no. 1, Op. 1. Rachmaninov composed his first concerto while studying at the Moscow Conservatory at the age of 18. The concert opens with 'Heavenly Movement', a composition by the young Russian composer Elmir Nizamov (*1986). This concert was recorded at the Tchaikovksy Concert Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic Society on April 28, 2017.

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, including pianists Lily Maisky and Iddo Bar-Shaï, violinists Tedi Papavrami and Akiko Suwanai, her daughter Lyda Chen-Argerich on viola, and cellist Mischa Maisky. On the program are Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49; Leoš Janáček’s Violin Sonata; Franz Schubert’s Rondo in A major, D. 951; and Johannes Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60. These performances were recorded on May 4 and June 13, 2021.