Schedule

American ‘Conductor Laureate’ Michael Tilson Thomas leads the London Symphony Orchestra in a program of romantic masterworks. The concert opens with Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring the brilliant Czech pianist Lukáš Vondráček as soloist. The evening concludes with the emotional journey of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. This performance was recorded at the Barbican Hall in London, UK, on May 15, 2022.

Maestro Herbert Blomstedt makes his debut with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at 2020’s Lucerne Festival conducting Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica”. The sprightly Swedish conductor celebrated his 93rd birthday just one month before this performance. This remarkable performance was recorded at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center (KKL), Switzerland, in August 2020.

Every summer, the Greek island of Patmos hosts the Patmos Musical Festival, a unique musical event comprising both a Chamber and a Sacred Music Festival. This documentary captures the 2024 edition, featuring performances by distinguished soloists and ensembles from around the world. The lineup includes the festival’s artistic director and pianist Roberto Prosseda, Steven Isserlis, Irène Duval, Michael Guttman and the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, and Peter Phillips and The Tallis Scholars. In interviews, several artists share their experiences of this intimate festival and the unique atmosphere of the island. The documentary was produced by the Patmos Music Festival Association and directed by Alberto Girotto.

Italian cellist Silvia Chiesa and Italian pianist Maurizio Baglini perform a wonderful recital as part of the 2023 edition of the Amiata Piano Festival. On the program are Claude Debussy’s Cello Sonata, L. 135; Allegro moderato from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Cello Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32; Allegro ma non troppo from Johannes Brahms’s Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38; Allegro scherzando from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19; Alla Romanza – Largo doloroso from Francesco Cilea’s Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 38; Scherzo – Allegro molto from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69; Vive Henri IV (No. 2) and Charmante Gabrielle (No. 3) from Azio Corghi’s Après cinq chansons d’élite; and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (transcription for cello and piano by Thierry Huillet). This performance was recorded at the Forum Fondazione Bertarelli in Poggi del Sasso, Italy, on July 29, 2023.

Conductor Jan Latham-Koenig leads the Flanders Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16. French pianist Pascal Amoyel features as the soloist. Grieg composed the work in 1868, drawing inspiration from Norwegian folk music. It is the composer’s only concerto. The work premiered on April 3, 1869 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Edmund Neupert as the soloist, and was received enthusiastically. The Norwegian premiere followed a few months later. This performance was recorded at Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium, on April 21, 2016.

Pianist Antonio Chen Guang (China, 1994) 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 Bourgie Hall in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

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.

In Geneva, the Swiss city where she has spent most of her life, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich invites her lifelong music partner, the cellist Mischa Maisky, to play chamber music. Between the pieces, Martha opens up to her daughter Annie Dutoit in an intimate interview that addresses both their relationship and the music. On the program are Ludwig van Beethoven’s 7 variations after "The Magic Flute"; Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op. 73; Frédéric Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major, Op. 3; ‘Lerchengesang’ (No. 2) from Johannes Brahms’s 4 Gesänge, Op. 70; and ‘Largo’ from Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65. This broadcast was recorded on November 12 and 13, 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mahler's Symphony No. 7, nicknamed "Song of the Night," is a five-movement, entirely instrumental work composed during a more optimistic period, featuring unique orchestral colors from instruments like the mandolin, guitar, and euphonium. The work's unique sonic palette, including unusual instrumentation and contrasting timbres, along with its deeply expressive nature and sense of journey, are most valued by the public.

Luca Vignali (oboe), Angelo De Angelis (clarinet), Carmine Pinto (horn), Eliseo Smordoni (bassoon), and Linda Di Carlo (piano) perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Quintet for piano and winds in E-flat major, Op. 16. The piece, completed in 1796, is assumed to have been modelled on Mozart’s Quintet for piano and winds, K. 452. Both quintets are scored for the same unusual instrument combination, are in the same key, and feature the same three-movement structure. A marked difference is that Beethoven, as a piano virtuoso, wrote the piano parts to highlight the strengths of his playing. Besides, the composer regularly places this instrument in the center of attention. Beethoven published the work in 1801 in two versions: as a quintet for piano and winds, and as a quartet for piano and strings (also designated Op. 16). This performance was recorded at Perugia’s Auditorium Santa Cecilia, Italy, on June 23, 2022.

This documentary by Mark Perna shows the training and professional growth actions for opera singers, the promotion and enhancement of the cultural offer of the city and province of Modena and the maintenance and development of the Modenese musical tradition in the field of opera.

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.

Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67. Written in 1936, Peter and the Wolf is a short, narrated orchestral suite, telling the story of a brave boy named Peter, who lives with his grandfather on the edge of a forest. With the help of his animal friends, Peter outsmarts a villainous wolf and captures it, eventually leading it to the zoo. Maestro Prieto gives an introduction to the different parts of the suite. In each part, each character is represented by a different instrument or instrument section, offering a vivid introduction to the orchestra's instrumental families. This performance was recorded at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, in 2021.

Baritone Arvid Fagerfjäll (Sweden, 1991) and pianist Hikaru Kanki (Japan, 1993) perform ‘Lust der Sturmnacht’ from Robert Schumann’s Kerner-Lieder, Op. 35; ‘Le diable dans la nuit’ from Henriëtte Bosmans’ Dix mélodies; Franz Schubert’s Totengräbers Heimweh, D. 842; ‘Die Vöglein’ and ‘Vor dem Schloss in den Bäumen es rauschend weht’ from Aribert Reimann’s Nachtstück; ‘Den första kyssen’ (The first kiss) from Jean Sibelius’s Five songs, Op. 37; ‘Ganymed’ from Hugo Wolf’s Goethe-Lieder; ‘Marc Chagall’ from Francis Poulenc’s Le travail du peintre, FP 161; ‘Le loup et l’agneau’ from André Caplet’s Trois fables de Jean de la Fontaine; and ‘Ballade des femmes de Paris’ from Claude Debussy’s Trois ballades de François Villon, L. 126, during the final round of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at De Verkadefabriek in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

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. This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on November 24, 2020.

Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony, written between 1888 and 1894, is a colossal five-movement work exploring themes of death and resurrection. It was one of Mahler's most popular and acclaimed works during his lifetime, famously culminating in a powerful choral finale. The symphony features immense orchestral forces, including offstage brass and a large choir, which combine to create overwhelming sonic experiences that depict profound spiritual and emotional narratives. The grand scale and dramatic structure represent the triumph of life over death.

Italian cellist Silvia Chiesa and Italian pianist Maurizio Baglini perform Franz Liszt’s Two Elegies for cello and piano. This performance was recorded at Sala Verdi of the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Italy, on November 4, 2024.

Rodolfo Barráez conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Academia de Musica del Palacia de Mineria in a performance of Carl Orff's cantata Carmina Burana. Soloists are Anabel de la Mora (soprano), Andrés Carrillo (tenor) and Daniel Cerón (baritone). Carmina Burana, composed in 1935 and 1936, is based on 24 poems from a medieval manuscript of the same name. The full title is "Songs from Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images". It was first performed at the Oper Frankfurt on June 8, 1937.

On 22 April 2016, Yehudi Menuhin would have celebrated his 100th birthday. One of his most famous students - and one of his best friends - is violinist Daniel Hope. For him, Yehudi Menuhin was the reason he become a violinist. At first, his mother became the secretary of Menuhin when Daniel Hoe and his parents moved to London. Hope grew up in Menuhin's house and learned not only to love music, but also to make the violin a part of his life. Playing the violin every day is like walking every day, or drinking and eating. He played with Menuhin some of Bartok's Duos which was, according to Hope, an introduction to Bartok’s extraordinary music. A piece of Bartok had to be part of this program as well as Ravel's Kaddish, the encore Daniel Hope choose when Menuhin conducted his last concert in Düsseldorf. But this concert starts with Elgar's Violin Concerto. Hope plays with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under the baton of Iván Fischer.

Richard Danielpour (*1956) is one of the most beloved American composers of his generation due to his frequent referencing of and connection with the past, being inspired by American icons such as Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein. His lush musical language is often infused with swingy jazz rhythms just as is the music of Copland and Bernstein. Thus, he conveys an intense musical experience to the listener with his intuitive musical style, his exquisite melodic lines and accessible harmonic language. All this makes him to be a hugely popular composer with American orchestras. The initial idea for the composition of a song cycle “Elegies” came from the American mezzo soprano Frederica von Stade who was born in 1945, the same year in which her father was killed when the Jeep he was driving drove over a land mine. Charles von Stade is buried at the American cemetery in Margraten (South Netherlands). His daughter could thus only create a picture of him for herself via family stories and through his letters. These letters form the basis of the text of the songs, where father and daughter “meet” and communicate for the first time. The first movement Vigil, depicts the arrival of the daughter who hopes for a spiritual connection with her father. The second movement describes the intense sorrow of her father at the horrors of war and is as if his daughter is calling on him to return to her. In the third movement we hear the father give his unborn daughter his blessing, “Little soul, to where would you go from the darkness of the womb?” Movement four is the preparation for the reunion of the souls of father and daughter which takes place in movement five, Paradise. Here the daughter welcomes her father’s spiritual rest and sings, “Peace, the air which I breathe”. The philharmonie zuidnederland is conducted by Harmut Haenchen. The German born conductor who naturalized to become Dutch and was chief conductor of the Dutch Opera Amsterdam, the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch Chamber Orchestra from 1986 to 1996. He was knighted for his services to Dutch music. Harmut Haenchen is a regular guest conductor with the philharmonie zuidnederland. Conductor: Hartmut Haenchen Orchestra: philharmonie zuidnederland Soloists: Marina Prudenskaya (mezzo-soprano), Thomas Oliemans (baritone)

American conductor Jonathon Heyward makes his debut with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) with this performance of Antonín Dvořák’s beloved Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World". Composed during Dvořák’s stay in the United States, the work blends Bohemian warmth with the rhythms and spirit of American musical traditions. A deeply expressive and melodic masterpiece, it remains one of the most popular symphonies of all time. This performance was recorded at LSO St. Luke’s on Old Street in London, UK, on September 30, 2020.

Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis leads his ensemble MusicAeterna alongside Austrian-Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja in a performance showcasing young, accomplished and energetic musicians. For this concert, they went searching for a new definition of the meaning of the word beauty. Thus, this 2015 performance from the renowned Musikfest Bremen sheds an entirely new light on two beloved classics by Brahms and Mendelssohn. The concert programme features Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 3 in F Major.