Schedule

Musical director Emiliano Gonzalez Toro leads Ensemble I Gemelli in this 2021 performance of Claudio Monteverdi's late-Renaissance opera L'Orfeo at the Théâtre Graslin in Nantes, France. Among the soloists are Toro himself (Orfeo), Emőke Baráth (Euridice), Natalie Perez, Douglas Williams, Fulvio Bettini, Alix Le Saux, Jérôme Varnier, and Mathilde Etienne. The opera retells the Greek legend of Orpheus and his descent to the underworld to return his bride Eurydice to the world of the living. Monteverdi composed L'Orfeo in 1607 for the annual Carnival at Mantua. One of the first operas ever written, it is still performed regularly.

During the years when Bach was in the service of the courts of Prince Leopold in Köthen, he had his own orchestra and was contracted to compose a great deal of instrumental music. This gave him an opportunity to try new techniques and to develop his own instrumental style. The six Brandenburg Concertos belongs to these masterpieces which he composed for a small ensemble . The joyously infectious performance of these masterpieces by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra demonstrates both the pleasure and the highest professional standard that can be reached with period instruments. Their decision to perform without a conductor is therefore quite deliberate, reviving a tradition practised right back in the 18th century.

The documentary 'Heavenly Voices – The Legacy of Farinelli' (2012) tells us the story of the castrato in music – male singers who were castrated at a young age in order to preserve their high vocal range, a cruel practice that was in place mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries. For two centuries, castrati's performances held European audiences spellbound, with successful castrati such as Farinelli ranking among the most influential and highest-earning musicians of those days. Today, roles originally written for castrati are often performed by countertenors. In this documentary, countertenors Max Emanuel Cenčić, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl, Franco Fagioli, and Jochen Kowalski discuss Baroque-era operatic entertainment. 'Heavenly Voices' is a film by Gino Pennacchi (writer) and Alessandro Scillitani (director).

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 present Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. Brahms realized he was expected to compose a symphony that would match the musical standards established by Ludwig van Beethoven. After working on it for at least fourteen years, he completed his Symphony No. 1 in 1876. Brahms’s symphony was hailed as ‘Beethoven’s Tenth’: a worthy successor to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Brahms’s work contains several references to Beethoven. For instance, the main theme of the fourth movement – first appearing in the strings – resembles the ‘Ode to Joy’ in the finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. This performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris, France, in 2014.

Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Chayka-Rubinstein (Germany, 1998) and pianist Maria Yulin (Israel, 1988) perform ‘Colloque sentimental’ from Claude Debussy’s Fêtes galantes II; ‘Die Geister am Mummelsee’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder; ‘Bei dir allein’ from Franz Schubert’s Vier Refrainlieder, D. 866; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; ‘La fleur qui va sur l'eau’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Trois melodies, Op. 85; ‘Dance of the moon in Santiago’ from George Crumb’s Sun and Shadow (Spanish Songbook II); and ‘Den’ li tsarit?’ (Does the day reign?) from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Seven Romances, Op. 47, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

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 Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13. Composed between 1834-37, the work began as a theme and a set of sixteen variations. The theme had been composed by Baron von Fricken, an amateur musician and father of Ernestine von Fricken, to whom Schumann was engaged in 1834. The work was first published in 1837, containing the theme and twelve etudes (only nine of them were indicated ‘variations’). Fifteen years later, in 1852, Schumann published a second edition of the work, eliminating two etudes and making some revisions to the piano writing. 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.

German conductor Wolfgang Gönnenwein leads the Orchester der Ludwigsburger Schloßfestspiele and the Süddeutscher Madrigalchor Stuttgart in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms (1930). The composer included verses from Psalms 38, 39, and 150 from the Vulgate bible in Latin in his work, which was written for mixed chorus and orchestra. The three movements of the symphony are performed without break. Remarkable is the work’s unique orchestration, which leaves out violins, violas, and clarinets, as Stravinsky wanted to avoid a Romantic orchestral sound. This performance was recorded at the 1988 Ludwigsburger Schloßfestspiele.

The beautiful Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg formed the background for the 1996 edition of the annual Europakonzert of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In honour of the Russian hosts, the concert opened with highlights from Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet', followed by the Cavatina from Rachmaninoff's opera 'Aleko'. After the intermission, Kolja Blacher featured in the two 'Violin Romances' by Beethoven, followed by a performance of his 'Seventh Symphony'. The orchestra is led by maestro Claudio Abbado.

In 2018, conductor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and Mathilde Etienne created Ensemble I Gemelli, specializing in seventeenth-century Italian vocal music. From Claudio Monterverdi to Francesco Cavalli, via Giovanni Felice Sances, Barbara Strozzi and Giacomo Carissimi, Ensemble I Gemelli embraces a myriad of Italian works. In this program, recorded at the Théâtre Graslin in Nantes, the ensemble performs rarely-heard arias and cantatas from seventeenth-century Italy. Soloists are soprano Emöke Baráth, contralto Anthea Pichanick, and renowned countertenor Philippe Jaroussky.

Patrick Debrabandere conducts the Vox Mago chamber choir in a performance of J. D. Heinichen's Magnificat in A. This performance is part of the concert program In Tempus Adventus, consisting of three beautiful baroque cantatas. Recorded in December 2018 in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Presentatiekerk, Ghent, Belgium. The Magnificat has a typical baroque sound, with a string section, basso continuo, and two oboe parts.

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.

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Micah McLaurin (USA, 1994) performs Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2, and Barcarolle, Op. 60; and a selection of Alexander Scriabin’s Etudes: Op. 42 No. 5, and Op. 8 Nos. 11 and 12. This performance was recorded at Teatro EDI Barrio’s in Milan, in January 2020.

J. S. Bach’s six Brandenburg Concerto’s belong to his best-known works. The composer wrote these concertos between 1711 and 1720 and dedicated them in 1721 to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg. In celebration of the pieces’ 300th anniversary, Czech harpsichordist and conductor Václav Luks and the renowned Baroque ensemble Collegium 1704 recorded all six Brandenburg Concertos on historical instruments in 2021. The concertos are based on the Italian concerto grosso form, in which a group of solo instruments is set against a large ensemble. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos feature remarkable combinations of solo instruments and virtuoso solos. This performance was recorded at the Hall of Mirrors in the Köthen Castle, Germany.

Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) composed nine books of madrigals in half a century, which helped transform the genre from the polyphonic, a cappella madrigals of the late Renaissance to the ‘concertato’ madrigals of the early Baroque, shifting the style’s focus to the ability of music to express emotions contained in a text. In 2011, British tenor Paul Agnew and renowned Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants started recording eight books of Monteverdi’s madrigals. In this program, Agnew leads Les Arts Florissants in the madrigals of Book III. Published in 1592, the book contains twenty madrigals for five voices. This performance was recorded at the Cité de la musique in Paris, France, in 2012.

In this six-part documentary on the life and work by Heitor Villa-Lobos, director Liloye Boubli takes viewers on a journey through the life and work of the Brazilian legend of classical music. The composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist was born 1887 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up amongst the immense social changes Brazil went through at the time - social revolution and modernization, abolishing slavery in 1888 - Villa-Lobos went on to become one of the best-known South American composers of all time. This fifth episode takes a closer look at the authentically Brazilian sounds and references to be found in Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas", as well as the importance of the violoncello in most of his compositions.

Vilde Frang, Tabea Zimmermann and conductor/pianist András Schiff team up for a concert at the 25th anniversary edition of the Swiss Verbier Festival in 2018. András Schiff’s versatile artistry excels both as pianist and conductor, as this program illustrates. He is joined by Vilde Frang, a superlative Mozart interpreter, and master violist Tabea Zimmermann for Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante. The work exemplifies the vast range of emotion Mozart is capable of instilling in one single work: from serene and joyful in the outer movements, to thoughtful and sad in the central movement. Schumann and Brahms - Schiff accompanies Tabea Zimmermann in the core 19th century viola repertoire. Unlike Schumann, whose Märchenbilder were written with the viola in mind, Brahms’ wrote his Op.120 for clarinet and piano. He soon provided a viola transcription, which has become as popular than the original.

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 perform Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, also known as the ‘Unfinished Symphony’. Schubert started composing the work in 1822, but only completed the first two movements. The first movement, Allegro moderato, has a dark, mysterious mood, which contrasts with the beautiful second movement in E major, Andante con moto. Schubert only penned a couple of measures of the third movement, a Scherzo, in full score. It is not known why the composer never finished his symphony. Although it is not complete, it has become one of Schubert’s most popular compositions. This performance was recorded at Cité de la musique in Paris, France, in 2013.

"What a Wonderful Town" was the motto of the traditional New Year's Eve Concert at the Berlin Philharmonie. The Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle along with some of the most sought-after singers in this field including Thomas Hampson, Kim Criswell, Simone Sauphanor and Karl Daymond perform Leonard Bernstein's 'Wonderful Town'. 'Wonderful Town' was the second of Bernstein's trio of 'New York' musicals begun in 1944 with 'On The Town' and completed with 1957's 'West Side Story' and is a love letter to New York in the '30's. Bernstein's score combines witty pastiches of various popular musical styles of the 30s - Conga!, Swing! - and some of his most winning ballads. The program also includes George Gershwin’s songs ‘My Man’s Gone Now’, ‘Ask Me Again’ and ‘Fascinatin’ Rhythm’.

Marin Alsop conducts the Britten-Pears Orchestra in a performance of Maurice Ravel’s ‘Ma mère l'Oye’ (Mother Goose). This performance took place at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Snape Bridge in the UK in 2017. This five-part orchestral suite was originally as a piano duet in 1910, but the composer orchestrated the work the year after. Ravel originally composed the work as a piano duet for the two children of Polish sculptor Gobeski and dedicated the work for four hands to the children.

In this compilation of enchanting choreographies by George Balanchine, the New York City Ballet pays tribute to the man who founded the dance company in 1948 together with Lincoln Kirstein. Featured are "Walpurgisnacht Ballet", choreographed for a 1975 production of Faust by the Théâtre National de l’Opéra, "Sonatine", which was presented as the opening ballet of the New York City Ballet Ravel Festival during the 1975 Spring Season, "La Valse", created by Balanchine in 1951 to compositions by Maurice Ravel, and "Symphony in C (Le Palais de Christal)" to the music of George Bizet's rediscovered piece. For the latter, Balanchine required only two weeks to choreograph it for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947, where he was serving as a guest ballet master. This compilation, recorded 2016 marks the return of the New York City Ballet to the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, after eight years of absence.

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’ string quartet – consisting of David Grimal (violin), Hans Peter Hofmann (violin), David Gaillard (viola), and Xavier Phillips (cello) – performs Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887, Op. 161. Schubert composed this work, his final string quartet, in a mere ten days in June 1826. However, this highly original piece, characterized by its restless shifts between major and minor, was not published until after Schubert’s death in 1851. This performance was recorded at Cité de la Musique in Paris, France, in 2014.

Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in this powerful performance taken from the 150th Anniversary celebrations of Denmark’s national composer, Carl Nielsen. Alongside Nielsen’s inscrutably ironic Symphony No. 6, this performance features world-renowned French pianist Lise de la Salle as soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 4. This lesser-known concerto saw three separate iterations throughout the composer’s life and is characterized by bold chromaticism and a distinctly Jazz-like quality. Luisi and de la Salle have prior experience with this piece, having previously performed and recorded it together. This performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2017.

In this six-part documentary on the life and work of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, director Liloye Boubli takes viewers on a journey through the life and work of this legend of Brazilian classical music. The composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1887. Growing up during a time of immense social change in Brazil – with the abolishment of slavery in 1888, this was a time of social revolution and far-reaching modernizations – Villa-Lobos went on to become one of South America's best-known composers of all time. In this first episode, Brazilian musicians discuss the importance of Villa-Lobos's work for their own artistic development, and shed light on the composer's close connection with his home soil.

Michelle Candotti (1996, Italy) performs Die drei Zigeuner (S383), Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth (S382bis) and La lugubre gondola (S134bis) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, in 2017. The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and has since built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

Celebrated German violinist Isabelle Faust performs two of J. S. Bach’s incredible works for solo violin: Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004), and Sonata No. 3 in C major (BWV 1005). Both works are 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. Sonata No. 3 includes an extensive fugue in which Bach employs many contrapuntal techniques. In this wonderful performance, Faust shows her mastery of Bach’s technically challenging pieces. This performance was recorded at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, in 2020.