Schedule

From the Barockschloss in Rammenau the Gewandhaus-Quartett plays Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C-major, KV. 465. This work is nicknamed "Dissonance" due to its unusual slow introduction with dissonant notes before the harmony resolving in the key of C-major, starting the bright Allegro section. It is perhaps the most famous of Mozart’s quartets and the last of a set of six quartets composed between 1782 and 1785 which the composer dedicated to colleague and friend Joseph Haydn. The Gewandhaus-Quartett is the longest established string quartet in the world. Founded in 1808, it can be seen as a remarkable part of the western history of music, having continued its concert activity uninterrupted from generation to generation with great success for almost 200 years. In this performance, it consists of Frank Michael Erben (1st violin), Conrad Suske (2nd violin), Volker Metz (viola), Jürnjakob Timm (cello) and Steffen Adelmann (doublebass).

Conrad van Alphen conducts Sinfonia Rotterdam in a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, recorded at the Nieuwe Kerk, The Hague, in 2020. Van Alphen founded Sinfonia Rotterdam in 2000. Under his passionate leadership, this orchestra has developed into one of the Netherland’s best-known orchestras. Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 is also known as the “Haffner Symphony”. In 1782, the Haffner family from Salzburg commissioned Mozart to write a new piece on the occasion of the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner. Mozart agreed, and initially composed a serenade before recasting it as a symphony a few months later: the “Haffner Symphony”. One of his revisions was the addition of more instruments in the first and last movement, resulting in a fuller sound. The symphony consists of four movements: Allegro con spirito, Andante, Menuetto, and Presto.

Andreas Spering conducts Philharmonie Zuidnederland in a performance of "Overture Rosamunde" (D. 644), by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Recorded in Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, the Netherlands in 2015. Schubert initially composed the Overture for Georg Ernst von hofmann's play 'Die Zauberharfe' ('The Magic Harp'), which premiered on August 19, 1820. Three years later, the overture was used again, this time for Helmina von Chézy's play Rosemunde. Chézy's (1783-1856) librettos enjoyed little succes, and it is said that Schubert's contribution to Rosamunde saved the production.

The Valerius Ensemble, consisting of Carola Ligt (flute), Robert Windak (violin), Eva Šušlíková (viola) and René Geesing (cello) played a concert in Concordia, Enschede on April 23, 2018. The program consists of Mozarts Flute Quartet No. 1, K. 285 and the Romanzo from Von Dohnányi’s Serenade Op. 10. Caroli Ligt follows with her own composition “Moods.” The ensembles closes with Thomas-Mifune’s and Joseph Haydn’s “Südamerikanische Saitensprünge.”

The master of metamorphosis: that too is Josquin Desprez. In his masses he prefers working with existing material, by means of skilful cutting and pasting, literal quotation, or imaginative paraphrase. In the Missa Pange lingua, for example, the basic plainchant melody becomes like putty in Josquin’s expert hands. With this masterpiece, Pedro Teixeira and the Portuguese Officium Ensemble (one of the revelations of the England Festival edition in 2015) promise to deliver yet another exciting concert.

Fidelio (originally titled "Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe," which translates to "Leonore, or the Triumph of Marital Love"), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. This 2018 opera film from the Swiss Theater St. Gallen is based on Jan Schmidt-Garre's highly acclaimed stage production of Beethoven's Fidelio. Otto Tausk conducts the Sinfonieorchester and choir of St. Gallen, as well as many wonderful soloists in a beautifully designed set by Nikolaus Webern. The producers carefully filmed and edited several performances, and by using additional footage of starring soloist Jacquelyn Wagner as Leonore, the captivating stage production is enhanced and transformed into a unique cinematic experience.

German conductor Christian Zacharias leads the Orchestre national de Lille in a concert program dedicated to Robert Schumann. The concert opens with the ‘Genoveva’ Overture, Op. 81. Although Schumann’s only opera Genoveva is not often performed, its overture established itself as an autonomous work in concert halls. After, the composer’s Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23, is performed, featuring Dutch violinist Isabelle van Keulen as the soloist. Written in 1853, it is Schumann’s only violin concerto. The concert ends with a performance of Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38, also known as the ‘Spring Symphony’. This optimistic work is written in 1841 and is the most performed of Schumann’s four symphonies. This concert was recorded at Auditorium du Nouveau Siècle in Lille, France, on June 16, 2017.

The Ensemble Bios performs "Il Viaggio di Dante" by Japanese-Canadian composer Rita Ueda. This performance was recorded in 2021 in the Teatro Niccolini in Florence, Italy. Ueda is one of the many faces of contemporary Canadian classical music. Ueda was born in Japan, but emigrated to Canada in 1971, with her family. There she studied composition and sound design. One of her teachers was Morton Subotnick, who wrote the first electronic piece ever commissioned by a record label (Nonesuch). With her piece "Snowflakes Return to the Sky", Ueda won second prize in the Gustav Mahler Composition Competition 2010/11.

El Sistema is a network of children’s and youth orchestras, music centres and workshops in Venezuela, in which more than 250,000 children and young people are currently learning to play an instrument. It was set up over thirty years ago by José Antonio Abreu, who was driven by a utopian vision of a better future. El Sistema’s story, which has all the makings of a fairy tale, is the extraordinary account of a vision that has become reality. Several of El Sistema’s young graduates now rank amongst the most coveted young talent in Europe – the most prominent being the conductor Gustavo Dudamel. The documentary ‘El Sistema’ shows how Abreu’s astonishing ideas have led the way out of the vicious circle of poverty and how the power of music has been able to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people. The film shows the gripping way El Sistema functions on a daily basis in a typical nucléo: the La Rinconada nucléo is located next to the barrio of the same name. The area around the nucléo is considered one of the poorest and most dangerous areas in Caracas. Up to 300 children find their daily destination here.

Patrick Debrabandere leads the Vox Mago chamber choir in a performance of Georg Philipp Telemann's (1681-1767) cantata "Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen" (TVWV 7:14). Recorded at the Klein Begijnhof, Gent, Belgium in December 2018 as part of the program In Tempus Adventus.

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 play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218. Leading violinist Grimal features as the soloist. With the exception of the first violin concerto, Mozart composed his other four violin concertos in 1775 at a time when he was concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Among his five concertos, Violin Concerto No. 4 is one of the best-known. This performance was recorded at Cité de la Musique, France, in 2014.

This stunning performance of theatrical ice dancing brings viewers into the enchanting world of Tchaikovsky's magnificent holiday classic, The Nutcracker On Ice, performed by the internationally renowned Imperial Ice Stars, and including former champion figure skaters, Vadim Yarkov and Olga Sharutenko. This very special performance and soundtrack was performed by the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Tim A. Duncan, and filmed live in Cape Town, South Africa in 2011.

Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Cleveland Orchestra in a performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7. The work occupies a singularly important place in the composer's output. It was with this piece that Bruckner finally achieved widespread recognition and it has remained one of his most popular works. The symphony adheres to the classical four-movement format. The heart of the work is a long and deeply felt Adagio, composed as a memorial to Wagner. The first movement begins with a soaring theme announced by cellos. The Scherzo relieves the somber atmosphere of the preceding Adagio and the Finale concludes the symphony on a note of unrestrained joy. Recorded in Severance Hall, Cleveland in 2008.