00:00
Dvořák - Symphony No. 8, Op. 88
André Previn conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s (1841-1904) Symphony No. 8, Op. 88. The work was almost completely written in the summer of 1889 in Dvořák’s house in Vysoká, South-East of Prague. The symphony is in great contrast with the composer’s famous Ninth “From the New World” Symphony. The Eighth is an overall triumphant work of extroverted joviality, dedicated to outdoor life. Classical symphonic forms are combined with Bohemian folk tunes, clearly showing Dvořák being at the peak of his symphonic creativity. This rendition is recorded in the Berliner Philharmonie and directed by Claus Viller.
00:40
Concerts in a Palace - Chamber Music
This episode of Concerts in a Palace is the fourth in a series of six that was recorded in 1999 at the wonderful 18th-century baroque castle Schloß Heidecksburg in Rudolstadt, Germany. This episode features two works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Miho Tomiyasu (violin), Anna Lewis (viola), and Christian Giger (cello) accompany flutist Anna Garzuly in Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major, KV. 285 and oboist Jörg Brückner in Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F major, KV. 370. You'll also discover John Roderick MacDonald’s arrangement of the Suite of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel and Gretel, performed by MacDonald himself on trumpet, Ulf Lehmann (trumpet), Jörg Brückner (horn), Tobias Hasselt (trombone), and Bernd Angerhöfer (tuba).
02:01
Triple Concerto, Op. 56 & Symphonie Fantastique
Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads the combined forces of the Music Academy KestonMAX fellows and London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56, and Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14. Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major, commonly known as the Triple Concerto, was composed from 1803 to 1804. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio, and it is the only concerto Beethoven ever completed for more than one solo instrument. Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (‘Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections’) is a programmatic symphony written in 1830, telling the story of a gifted artist who, in the depths of hopelessness and despair because of his unrequited love for a woman, has poisoned himself with opium. This concert was recorded at LSO St. Luke’s in London, UK, on November 20, 2022.
03:38
Handel Celebration
The 250th anniversary of George Frederic Handel’s death takes place on April 14th, 2009. On this momentous occasion, two of the world’s leading baroque orchestras and conductor Howard Arman honour the composer by playing the repertoire of the historic Handel Commemoration Concert which took place in London’s Westminster Abbey 25 years after Handel’s death. This outstanding British-German performance in Handel’s baptistery, the Market Church in Halle, represents the media highlight of the Handel Year 2009.
05:21
Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127
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. 5 in A major, Op. 18, No. 5; String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4; and String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127. This concert was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on December 17, 2020.