Schedule

How can we describe the intimate connection between an instrument and its player? World renowned violinist Frank Peter Zimmerman refers to his 1711 Stradivarius "Lady Inchiquin" as the "love of his life," but what does it take for a piece of wood to achieve such reverential status? After having to return his beloved instrument, which was owned by West LB, Zimmerman turned to Martin Schleske, a violin maker considered by many to be a "21st Century Stradivari." This documentary intertwines Zimmerman's tale of separation and reunion with behind the scenes demonstrations of Schleske's work, charting the life of the violin from workshop to concert hall.

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. As part of this concert, Argerich and pianist Iddo Bar-Shaï perform Franz Schubert’s Rondo in A major, D. 951.

Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan and the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris recorded all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies in 2014-2015. In this program, Jordan conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, ‘Eroica’. Composed in 1803 and 1804, this symphony is regarded as a major turning point in Beethoven’s oeuvre as well as Western music history. Symphony No. 3 is longer in duration than any previous symphony. The customary long introduction is replaced by two powerful chords, followed by the introduction of the main theme by the lower strings. The slow second movement is a Funeral March, followed by a quick Scherzo. The fourth and final movement is dominated by a theme from Beethoven’s ballet music for ‘The Creatures of Prometheus’. This performance was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2014.

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. 3 in D major, Op. 18 No. 3; String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, “Quartetto Serioso”; and String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2, "Razumovsky". This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on November 23, 2020.

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. In this performance, Schwartz presents Schumann’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11. Schumann completed the work in 1835 and dedicated it to his beloved, Clara Wieck. As he had been forbidden to see her, Schumann sent Clara the sonata anonymously, adding a dedication by Florestan and Eusebius, the two fictional characters that represent the duality of the composer’s personality. The theme of the sonata’s second movement – the beautiful Aria – is based on Schumann’s early song ‘An Anna’ (1828). 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.

Genuine heroes live forever. François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau, for instance, were figureheads of the French Baroque. Among composers who paid musical homage to them is Maurice Ravel, who in Le Tombeau de Couperin echoes his idol’s clarity, balance and refinement. Claude Debussy also wrote an Hommage à Rameau as part of Images 1. With festival-favourite Olga Pashchenko at the fortepiano and the harpsichord, this concert juxtaposes Baroque and neo-Baroque. PROGRAM: Francois Couperin: Quatrième livre de pièces de clavecin, Ordre XXVII L'Exquise Les Pavots Le Chinois Saïllie Jean-Philippe Rameau: Sarabande in A (from Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin) Les Cyclopes (from Pièces de Clavecin) Debussy- Hommage à Rameau (from Images) Ravel - Le tombeau de Couperin: I. Prelude II. Fugue III. Forlane IV. Rigaudon V. Menuet VI. Toccata

The Youth Wunderhorn songs are a set of 12 orchestral lieder by Mahler, based on folk poems from the collection by Arnim and Brentano, blending romanticism with folk elements and exploring human experience with authenticity and profound emotional depth. The songs draw from German folk traditions, incorporating themes of nature, love, and soldier life, often with a dramatic or poignant quality.

Beethoven’s last three sonatas – Opus 109, 110 and 111 – explore the intimate meanders of the human soul, from despair to transfiguration. At the time of their composition, Beethoven was already locked in himself by his deafness. This deeply affected his relationship to others and to the world. This "psychological framework" is explored by director Mariano Nante, setting pianist Alexandre Tharaud in a film inspired by the universe of Tarkovski. Filmed in abandoned castles, and lit by director of photography Yorgos Arvanitis, this work evokes solitude and introspection and offers an inner journey through images and music.

Enjoy a sparkling performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous Piano Concerto No. 1, by the incredible piano virtuoso Russian Daniil Trifonov, with Kent Nagano conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, to prove once more how majestic and incredible classical music can be when it’s done right! The concert opens with the famous Air from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3. Also on the program are Berlioz' Le Corsaire and Bizet's Symphony in C major. Recorded at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, Tel Aviv, in 2014.

This concert entitled 'Liszt Mosaics' is dedicated to the rich traditonal of Hungarian Folk Music. The concert opens with a selection of Bartók's 44 Duos for 2 Violins (No. 17, 18, 36 and 44) performed by Shlomo Mintz and Radics Ferenc. Furthermore, Pál Eszter is accompanied by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble and Cameristi della Scala in vocal performances of Hungarian Folk Music from the Kalotaszeg region. The ensembles conclude the concert by performing Romanian Folk Dances by Bartók, led by musical director István Pál Szalonna. Solo violinist is Agnese Ferraro.

The Zurich Opera House is one of the most renowned in Europe. Fifteen premieres are staged here every year - a significant achievement, when one considers just how much work goes into each individual production. In this exciting documentary, we go behind-the-scenes at the Zurich Opera House and follow the intensive progress of the new production of Gioachino Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Vesselina Kasarova in the role of Rosina. The film also shows preparations for other productions, such as a workshop for Richard Wagner's Siegfried directed by Robert Wilson, and a rehearsal for Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps with choreography by Heinz Spoerli. This film opens the curtain to understanding an opera house’s many exciting facets.

Jean Paul’s novel ‘Titan’, in which an artistically gifted young man, driven by his failure to find his way in society, eventually commits suicide in despair, inspired Gustav Mahler to compose his Symphony No. 1. The work did not come easily to Mahler: he composed it between 1887 and 1888 when he, in his twenties, was working as a conductor at the Oper Leipzig. The first version of the work was considered as a symphonic poem in two parts, as its titles told a specific musical story. This original version premiered in Budapest in 1898, but it did not go down well. Mahler decided to revise his work: he left out the expressionist titles and cut the second part (Blumine). This results in a wonderful symphony, full of musical references. The opening part quotes one of Mahler's earlier compositions (Ging heut' morgens übers Feld from Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen), the second movement is an Austrian ländler (a folk dance), and the third part refers to a very well-known melody: ‘Brother John'. All in all, this Symphony No. 1 marks an incredible achievement for a composer this young.

'La Belle' (The Sleeping Beauty) is a three-act ballet by award-winning French choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot. In 1993, Maillot became artistic director of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, creating over 30 ballets for the company, including 'Romeo and Juliet' (1996), 'Scheherazade' (2009), and 'Opus 50' (2011). Based on Charles Perrault’s famous fairy tale, Maillot staged this unconventional and unique version of 'La Belle', which explores the darker side of Perrault’s story. The incredible choreography is set to the score of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, performed by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Nicolas Brochot. Besides the performers of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the production features star dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet: Semyon Chudin (Prince) and Olga Smirnova (La Belle). This performance was recorded at the Salle des Princes of the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, in December 2016.

Maestro Iván Fischer leads the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a performance of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70. The work was completed in March 1885 and premiered one month later in London conducted by the composer himself. With its dramatic and dark style, this symphony stands in stark contrast to the predominantly optimistic tone of Dvořák’s broader oeuvre. This performance was recorded at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, on January 29, 2021.

At the behest of Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, several classical music stars took part in this concert in aid of the Erasmus Fund for medical research in intensive care, recorded at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium, on October 21, 2023. The concert pays tribute to the renowned cellist Aleksandr Khramouchin (1979) who suddenly passed away on May 13, 2023. As part of this concert, pianist Martha Argerich, violinists Tedi Papavrami and Yossif Ivanov, violist Lyda Chen-Argerich, and cellist Jing Zhao perform Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44.