Schedule

In 2012, Norwegian opera director Stefan Herheim brought Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème to the stage of the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. About his choice for this updated version, Herheim explained: “In bringing La bohème into a present-day setting with this new production we hope to revive the immediate power of suggestion and importance that this work at one time revelled in.” The opera about the Bohemian lifestyle of the poor seamstress Mimì and her artist friends is a fast-moving story, and offers some of the greatest arias Puccini ever wrote. Norwegian conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen leads the Orchestra and Chorus of the National Opera Oslo. Among the soloists are Marita Sølberg (Mimì), Diego Torre (Rodolfo), Vasily Ladyuk (Marcello), and Jennifer Rowley (Musetta).

The 1997 edition of the Waldbühne concert is dedicated to Russian composers. The Berliner Philharmoniker, directed by Zubin Mehta, kicks off the evening with the opening of Mikhail Glinka's opera Ruslan and Ludmila, after which Daniel Barenboim takes center stage to perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Chopin's Waltz in D flat major, op. 64 No. 1. The evening then pays homage to Mussorgsky with the prelude Khovanshchina and Gopak, taken from The Fair at Sorotchinsky. The orchestra also interprets Flight of the Bumblebee and Capriccio Espagnol, op. 34 from Rimsky-Korsakov. As is tradition, the Berliner Philharmoniker closes this Waldbühne concert with Paul Lincke's Berliner Luft.

Directed in 2012 by Enrique Sánchez Lansch, the documentary The 12 Cellists follows the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1972, this group is a staple of the international musical universe. Whether they play classical music, jazz, tango or avant-garde music, these talented musicians invariably enthrall audiences with the wide range of unique and bewitching sounds they produce with their cellos. Their combination of seriousness and humor, depth, and lightness promises to captivate listeners of all ages.

American conductor Leonard Slatkin leads the Orchestre National de Lyon in a concert recorded at the Auditorium de Lyon in 2014. The concert opens with William Bolcom´s Circus Ouverture, which was specially composed for Slatkin's 70th birthday. The concert continues with a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C, Op. 56 performed by three female soloists: Olga Kern (piano), Baibe Skride (violin) and Sol Gabetta (cello). The work is the only concerto which Beethoven ever completed for more than one solo instrument. The concert closes with Ravel's beloved orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Soprano Lauren Margison (Canada, 1992) performs ‘Come Scoglio’ from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte; ‘Signore, ascolta’ from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot; and ‘Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém’ from Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka, during the semi-finals of the Aria division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). She is accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jacques Lacombe. This performance was recorded at the Montreal Symphony House.

Dazzling, virtuosic, and spectacular: no other adjectives are better suited to describe the piano music of Franz Liszt. Enjoy a sparkling performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major by the incredible piano virtuoso Russian Daniil Trifonov, with Kent Nagano conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. As an encore, Trifonov performs Reflets dans l'eau from Debussy's Images. The orchestra closes this concert with a rendition of Mahler's Symphony No. 7. Recorded at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, Tel Aviv, in 2014.

Discover the soloist Heidrun Holtmann as she performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 1, KV 37 and Piano Concerto No. 4, KV 41, accompanied by the Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera. Conducted by Marc Andreae, the performance took place at the historic Teatro Bibiena in Mantua.

Celebrated German violinist Isabelle Faust performs J. S. Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004). The work is part of the composer’s well-known Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001-1006). Partita No. 2 is made up of four dance movements, concluded by its famous Chaconne, a monumental piece within the violin repertoire. In this Chaconne, Bach develops a series of continuous variations from a theme, exploring a complex range of harmonic possibilities. This performance was recorded at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, in 2020.

Over the course of eleven days in August 2020, the French town of Rocamadour hosted the fifteenth edition of Festival de Rocamadour, a music festival dedicated to sacred music from the classical, baroque, and romantic periods. On August 16, the young British organist Jeremiah Stephenson performed at the medieval Basilique Saint-Sauveur with the French chamber choir Dulci Jubilo under the direction of its founder, Christopher Gibert. The organ plays a central role in this atmospheric concert, which opens with Trois motets by composer and organist Thierry Escaich (*1965). The three-part suite is made up of Eaux natales, Le Masque, and Vers l’espérance. Requiem by composer and organist Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) follows. The concert concludes with Timor et tremor, from Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963).

Soprano Erika Baikoff (United States, 1994) and pianist Gary Beecher (Ireland, 1993) perform Franz Schubert’s ‘Suleika I, Was bedeutet die Bewegung’, Op. 14, No. 1 (D. 720); Die Blumensprache, Op. 173, No. 5 (D. 519); and, Die Gebüsche, D. 646; ‘Lied vom Winde’ and ‘Der Knabe und das Immlein’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder; ‘Fleur jetée’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Quatre melodies, Op. 39; ‘C’ from Francis Poulenc’s Deux poèmes de Louis Aragon, FP 122; ‘Les lilas qui avaient fleuri’ from Lili Boulanger’s Clairières dans le ciel; Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman’s ‘Oranje may-lied’; and, ‘Eti letniye nochi’ (These summer nights) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Twelve romances, Op. 14, during the final round of the International Vocal Competition 2019 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

Azerbaijan-born artist Seljan Nasibli moved to England at an early age, where she was encouraged to take up music. Although Nasibli chose to sing jazz, her Oxford teachers heard an operatic tendency in her voice and advised to train classically. Nasibli completed her studies at The Royal College of Music, where she graduated with a master's degree in Vocal Performance. In this episode of Stingray Originals, Nasibli performs three of Giacomo Puccini's most beautiful arias: 'Signore, ascolta!' and 'Tu, che di gel sei cinta' from the opera Turandot, and 'Quando m'en vo' (Musetta's Waltz) from the opera La bohème.

Roberto Prosseda (1975) performs Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5 (KV. 283) and four Impromptus Op. 90 by Franz Schubert. The performance ends with Chopin's technically demanding Ballade No. 4, Op. 52. Prosseda is particularly noted for his performances of newly discovered works by Mendelssohn and has recorded a nine-CD series for Decca of the piano works of Mendelssohn. Since 2012, Prosseda also gives lecture-concerts with the robot pianist TeoTronico, as educational or family concerts, to demonstrate differences between a literal production of music and human interpretation.

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

Few interpretations of Richard Wagner's Parsifal received as much critical acclaim as did Nikolas Lehnhoff's version for the English National Opera in 1999. Critics at The Guardian described the production as "one of the best interpretations [they] had ever seen." Lehnhoff, who was once an assistant to Wieland Wagner, opera director and grandson of the legendary composer, gives new life to the epic tale without forceful renovation - simply by shining a light on often neglected supporting characters. In this 2004 documentary, cast and crew, as well as Nikolas Lehnhoff himself elaborate on the progress of Parsifal. Interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and clips of the magnificent live performances from the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden provide a documentary analysis of the opera on the quest for the holy grail.

Iván Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra in a concert recorded at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest, Hungary in 2015. The concert opens with Sergei Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34. After this, Thomas Zehetmair stars as solo violinist in Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 63. The second part of the concert is features music by Igor Stravinsky. On the program is music composed for the ballet 'Jeu de cartes' (1937) and the Firebird Suite, No. 2 (1919). 'Jeu de cartes' is one of Stravinsky's neo-classical works and consists of three parts ('deals'). The Firebird Suite, No. 2 is based on the music from the ballet of the same name, which was written for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and premiered in Paris in 1910.

Europakonzert 2004 was held in Athens, Greece. This concert featured the Berliner Philharmoniker performing live at the ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre along with an interesting combination of conductor and soloist - Sir Simon Rattle wielding the baton as pianist Daniel Barenboim plays Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1. The Athens concert marked a double première: it was the first Europakonzert under the direction of the new chief conductor, as well as the first time Rattle and Barenboim appeared together. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an amphitheatre built in 161 AD in memory of Herodes Atticus’ wife, is situated on the slope of the Acropolis. With a seating capacity of at least 5,000 spectators, it was reputed to be the finest theatre in all of Greece.

Soprano Sarah Dufresne (Canada, 1994) performs ‘Eccomi in lieta vesta … Oh! Quante volte’ from Vincenzo Bellini’s opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi; ‘Exsultate jubilate – Allegro’ from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s motet Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice), K. 165; and ‘Pâle et blonde’ from Ambroise Thomas’s opera Hamlet, during the semi-finals of the Aria division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). She is accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jacques Lacombe. This performance was recorded at the Montreal Symphony House.

The 13-part Mozart on Tour series chronicles the journey of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart across Europe. This broadcast features episode 10 to 13, taking us to Prague, Frankfurt, Munich, and Vienna. In episode No. 10, pianist Zoltán Kocsis joins conductor Jiri Belohlávek and the Prague Chamber Orchestra for a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, KV 488. Episode No. 11 features soloist Radu Lupu as he performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19, KV 459, accompanied by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie under the baton of David Zinman. In episode No. 12, Wilhelm Keitel leads the Bavarian Radio Orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 26, KV 537, featuring Homero Francesch as the solist. In the last episode of this series, soloist Aleksander Madzar and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra directed by André Previn join forces in a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27, KV 595.

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.

Andris Nelsons, together with his then-wife, the great soprano Kristine Opolais and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig present a program dedicated to Antonin Dvořák, singing the melodies that the composer hid in all layers of his music with tender, warm, soft colors. Nelsons’ tempos remain calm and relaxed, allowing the omnipresent beauty of Dvořák’s music to unfold and flood the Gewandhaus. The program opens with Othello, a Concert Overture for Orchestra, Op. 93. Opolais performs “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka, “Songs my Mother Taught Me” from Gypsy Songs, Op. 55/4. This is followed by the Polonaise and 'O, marno, marno to je' from Rusalka and 'Dobrá! Já mu je dám!... Jak je mi?' from Smetana's opera Dalibor. The concert closes with a performance of Dvořák's Symphony no. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 (“From the New World”). Recorded at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig in May 2017.

Russian pianist Dina Ivanova performs Franz Liszt’s Totentanz, S. 525, during the Solo finals of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Totentanz (Dance of Death) is one of Liszt’s many works that reflect the Romantic composer’s fascination with death. The piece is a series of variations on the macabre Gregorian Dies irae theme.

This episode presents the Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Musical excerpts played by the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz. Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos rank among the undisputed favorites of all baroque fans. They have become a firm fixture in music education and an integral part of our international musical heritage. So what's their secret? The internationally acclaimed pianist and Bach expert Robert Levin provides an answer.

Composer George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah, HWV 56 is his best-known work. He wrote this choral masterpiece in just 24 days in 1741. Following its premiere in Dublin in 1742, the work has been immensely popular. The oratorio’s three parts deal with the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Charles Jennens’ libretto is based on texts from the Old and New Testament. In this performance, English conductor Douglas Boyd leads chamber choir Accentus and Orchestre de chambre de Paris. The soloists are soprano Carolyn Sampson, mezzosoprano Paula Murrihy, tenor Allan Clayton, and bass Matthew Rose. Captured at the Philharmonie de Paris on December 22, 2015, this performance underlines the enduring majesty of Handel's masterpiece.

Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev leads the Russian National Orchestra in performances of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's music. On the program are Suite for Orchestra after the opera 'The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya', and Musical Pictures for Orchestra from the opera 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan'. Part of the latter is the famous 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. This concert was recorded at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Russian Philharmonic Society in 2017.