Schedule

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. Quatuor Ébène explored every facet of Beethoven's string quartet repertoire: from the youthful Opus 18 string quartets to the Razumovsky, Harp, and Serioso quartets (Opus 59, 74, and 95) from his middle period, and finally, the depth of his late quartets (Opus 127 to 135). This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18, No. 1; String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, "Harp"; and String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3, "Razumovsky". This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on October 13, 2020.

From August 28 to September 6, 2015, the Early Music Festival Utrecht was all about 'England, my England'. In line with this theme, presenter Lex Bohlmeijer takes the viewer on an intriguing journey through the England of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, and relates this to the city of Utrecht. In episode 2 of this two-part documentary, René de Kam (Heritage Municipality of Utrecht) delves deeper into the Anglican past of the city of Utrecht. The viewer is introduced to festival artists Benjamin Bagby, Skip Sempé, and The Newcastle Kingsmen, who dance their traditional folk "Rapper Sword Dance" during the festival's pub sessions.

Soprano Anabel de la Mora is accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfonica de Minería conducted by Raúl Delgado in a concert program dedicated to Mexican composers. This program, which includes the first part of the concert, features the following works: Miguel Bernal Jiménez's "Angelus", Alfonso Esparza's "Dime que sí", María Grever's "Munequita Lina", Ricardo Castro's "Intermezzo de Atzimba", Jorge del Moral's "Besos robados", and Consuelo Velázquez's "Bésame mucho". This concert was recorded at the Academia de Música del Palacio de Minería in Mexico City in 2019.

“Everything about Mariss Jansons exudes joy and sovereignty” raved Süddeutsche Zeitung in January 2018, when the celebrated conductor celebrated his 75th birthday at Munich's Philharmonie am Gasteig with a concert program that centered around the music of Stravinsky, Hummel and Beethoven. This thrilling, varied concert from with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra demonstrates the close relationship which has developed between conductor and orchestra over the past 15 years. Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements was written in 1942–45, inspired in part by the Second World War and the “abhorrent pictures” of the war he saw in newsreel footage. Albeit in a very different way, Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto also sparkles. Written in 1803, the concerto is a brilliantly crafted showpiece for the recently invented keyed trumpet. Here the trumpeter is Martin Angerer, Principal Trumpet of the BRSO in warm rapport with Jansons and the orchestra. Beethoven, one of Jansons's dearest composers, rounds out the concert. Although Beethoven's Mass in C, written in 1807, was his first Mass setting, it is a work of clear ambition.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmonic during the 2008 edition of the Europakonzert, held in the renowned hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. The first edition of the Europakonzert was in 1991, and since then, the founding of the Berlin Philharmonic on May 1st in 1882 is annually celebrated with a concert in a European city of cultural significance. The orchestra opens with an outstanding performance of Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements. Furthermore, Vadim Repin, one of today’s most fascinating artists, features as soloist in Bruch’s Concerto for Violin No. 1, Op, 26. The orchestra concludes with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, of which the second movement, Allegretto, gained instant popularity after its premiere in 1813 and remains a crowd favorite.

The Mexico City Ballet (MXCB) is a contemporary ballet company made up of highly experienced international dancers, residents of Mexico City. In this gala performance recorded at Mexico City’s Teatro de la Ciudad, MXCB presents ‘E pur, si muove’ by choreographer Jaime Camarena, followed by ‘Prisma’ by choreographer Yazmín Barragán. Written for solo piano, the music of ‘Prisma’ is performed live by its composer: pianist José Víctor Gabilondo Peón, musical director of MXCB.

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. Quatuor Ébène explored every facet of Beethoven's string quartet repertoire: from the youthful Opus 18 string quartets to the Razumovsky, Harp, and Serioso quartets (Opus 59, 74, and 95) from his middle period, and finally, the depth of his late quartets (Opus 127 to 135). This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1, known as “Razumovsky”; String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130; and the monumental Great Fugue, Op. 133. This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on October 12, 2020.

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.

After recording all 32 Ludwig van Beethoven piano sonatas to celebrate the composer's 250th birth anniversary, celebrated Italian pianist Riccardo Schwartz decided to record solo piano works by Robert Schumann. Schumann composed his Fantasie in C, Op. 17 in 1836, revising it prior to publication in 1839. Bearing a dedication to Franz Liszt, it is one of Schumann's greatest works for solo piano, and a central work of the early Romantic period. Written in a loose sonata form, the first movement is rhapsodic and passionate, the middle movement is a grandiose rondo, and the finale is slow and meditative. Acclaimed pianist Riccardo Schwartz (1986) has performed as a soloist with many world-renowned conductors, including Gustav Kuhn and Yuri Temirkanov. His acclaimed performances include recitals and concertos for piano and orchestra in many prestigious concert halls.

In this exquisite 2016 concert from Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Russian National Orchestra and star-pianist Boris Berezovsky are led by conductor Mikhail Pletnev in a performance of magnificent works by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Winner of the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Berezovsky interprets the works of Rimsky-Korsakov with a virtuosic power. The programme features The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, suite for orchestra, as well as The Tale of Tsar Saltan, musical pictures for orchestra. It is produced by the Moscow Philharmonic Society, which Saint Petersburg-born composer Dmitri Shostakovich himself once described as playing a significant role "in the development of musical life [in Russia]. It is a kind of university which is attended by millions of music lovers and thousands of musicians.” The Moscow Philharmonic Society was founded in 1922 by then-Commissar for Culture, Anatoly Lunacharsky, and has over the years come to be Russia's leading concert organizing institution.

Belgian conductor Jos van Immerseel leads Anima Eterna Brugge in a concert program dedicated to American composer George Gershwin. The program opens with Gershwin’s symphonic suite Catfish Row (arr. Steven D. Bowen) which is based upon music from his famous opera Porgy and Bess (1935). This is followed by the well-known tone poem An American in Paris (1928). After, soprano Claron McFadden joins the orchestra, presenting a selection of Gershwin’s classic jazz songs, including ‘The man I love’ (1924-27), ‘I got rhythm’ (1930), and ‘By Strauss’ (1936). She also performs ‘My man’s gone now’ and ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess. The concert ends with Gershwin’s celebrated Rhapsody in Blue, with Bart Van Caenegem as featured pianist. This performance was recorded at Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium, on March 3, 2017.

In May and June 2021, Argentinian star pianist Martha Argerich celebrated her 80th birthday performing at Château de Chantilly, France. In this concert, recorded at the festival Les Coups de Cœur de Chantilly, Argerich is joined by three musicians who are particularly close to her heart: cellist Mischa Maisky, violinist Maxim Vengerov, and pianist Iddo Bar-Shaï. They perform with the orchestra Les Siècles under the baton of Romanian-Austrian conductor Ion Marin. The concert opens with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56, with Argerich, Vengerov, and Maisky as soloists. Written in 1803, it is Beethoven’s only concerto for more than one solo instrument. This is followed by Camille Saint-Saëns’s musical suite The Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux), featuring Argerich and Bar-Shaï as the pianists. This musical suite from 1886 consists of 14 movements, each depicting a different animal. The work was published posthumously in 1922, as Saint-Saëns was concerned that his animal miniatures, full of delightful jokes, might damage his reputation as a serious composer. This performance was recorded at Château de Chantilly, on May 4, 2021.