Schedule

Frédéric Chaslin leads the Orchestre Symphonique Région Centre-Val de Loire/Tours and the Choir of Opéra de Tours in a performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera Don Pasquale (1842). Featuring a cast of the most famous singers of the day, Don Pasquale premiered at the Parisian Salle Ventadour in 1843. It was an immediate success, being performed in the great opera houses of Europe within a year after its premiere. The work’s libretto is largely written by Giovanni Ruffini, as well as by the composer himself. It tells the hilarious story of the old, wealthy bachelor Don Pasquale, who is outraged when hearing his nephew Ernesto wishes to marry the impoverished widow Norina. Consequently, Pasquale decides to disinherit his nephew by marrying himself. His friend Malatesta and Norina, however, make up a plan to thwart the old bachelor, arranging a mock marriage. Among the soloists are Laurent Naouri (Don Pasquale), Florian Sempey (Malatesta), Sébastien Droy (Ernesto), Anne-Catherine Gillet (Norina), and François Bazola (notary). This performance was recorded at Opéra de Tours, in 2021.

This performance was recorded during Mozart Week on January 27, 2006 in Salzburg, Austria, at the Großes Festspielhaus (Large Festival House) in celebration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday. Under conductor Riccardo Muti, it features Thomas Hampson (baritone), Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Gidon Kremer (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola), Wiener Singverein, and Wiener Philharmoniker. Pieces include Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K. 364, arias and scenes from Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute and Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 ("Haffner").

The Boy with the Wig - Kids on Mozart explores children’s fascination with the composer. The 30-minute film by Claus Wischmann features boys and girls aged between eight and eleven recounting his life through humour and serious interpretations of Mozart’s biography. Discover Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of children.

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. 2 in D major, Op. 73. Whereas it took the composer over a decade to complete his first symphony, he penned his Symphony No. 2 in just a few months, during his summer sojourn in the restful Austrian village of Pörtschach in 1877. Nicknamed his ‘Pastoral’ symphony, the work is arguably the most sunny and optimistic of Brahms’s four symphonies. Lyrical in character, it features joyful melodies. This performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris, France, in 2015.

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.

In recent years, a new generation of Chinese pianists has emerged on the international scene. But there are many more young Chinese artists, who the Académie France-Chine aims to enable to deepen their art by introducing them to and giving them a platform within French and European culture. Four of these artists are Chen Xue-Hong, Zhang Cheng, Chen Yunjie and Chen Sa, who made their joint debut in Paris in this unique concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées that showcased their extraordinary talent. On the program are Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, Schumann's Piano Sonata No. 1, Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 8 and Paysage (No. 3) and Mazeppa (No. 4) from Liszt's Études d'Exécution Transcendante. The concert closes with Messiaen's Regard de l’Esprit de la joie (No. 10) from Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus.

The Dutch musicologist, conductor, organ and clavecimbel player Ton Koopman specilizes in the performance of Early Music, in particular the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Although Koopman performs across the globe with his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Koopman is also a sought-after organist. In this broadcast in St. Mary's Cathdral in Leipzig, the treasured musician performs organ compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach: 'Wachtet Auf', BWV 645; 'Nun komm der Heiden Heiland', 'Fugue in g minor', 'Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele', and the 'Toccata in d minor'.

Andreas Spering conducts Philharmonie Zuidnederland in a performance of "Overture Rosamunde" (D. 644), by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Recorded in Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, the Netherlands in 2015. Schubert initially composed the Overture for Georg Ernst von hofmann's play 'Die Zauberharfe' ('The Magic Harp'), which premiered on August 19, 1820. Three years later, the overture was used again, this time for Helmina von Chézy's play Rosemunde. Chézy's (1783-1856) librettos enjoyed little succes, and it is said that Schubert's contribution to Rosamunde saved the production.

Chamber music ensemble The Philharmonics pays tribute to the music of Vienna in this March 9, 2011 concert from Vienna's Café Sperl. The ensemble, which consists of musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic, performs arrangements of five popular waltzes by Johann Straus II. Among them are Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437, and Schatz-Walzer, Op. 418, from the operetta The Gypsy Baron. In May 1921, the likes of Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern wrote these chamber music arrangements to raise funds for their Society for Private Musical Performances. Although both the concert and the auction of the scores were very successful, the Society eventually went under. In addition to these pieces by Strauss, The Philharmonics perform works by Fritz Kreisler, Leopold Godowsky, as well as The Philharmonics's first violinist, Tibor Kováč. The program comes to an end with Godowsky’s tribute to the city: Alt Wien.

Baritone Geng Lee (China, 1994) and pianist Nils Basters (Germany, 1989) perform Henri Duparc’s Chanson triste; ‘Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen’ and ‘Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen’ from Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48; ‘Litany’ from John Musto’s Shadow of the Blues; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; ‘Hôtel’ from Francis Poulenc’s Banalités, FP 107; and ‘Ging heut’ Morgen über’s Feld’ from Gustav Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, 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.

In 2006, Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich set out on tour performing solos and duets by Bartók und Schumann. The last of the concert series at the Berliner Philharmonie has been recorded for this film, featuring a rare solo performance by Martha Argerich. A concert film with personal and moving commentary by Gidon Kremer. Program: Schumann's Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 10, Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 121; Kinderszenen, Op. 15; Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz 75; Violin sonata No. 2 Sz 76.

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 Fantasiestücke, Op. 12. Written in 1837, the work is a set of eight piano pieces with contrasting moods. The work’s title is derived from one of the composer’s favourite authors’ collection of novellas: E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier. Like Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, his Fantasiestücke are designed as a musical dialogue between Florestan and Eusebius, representing the duality of his own personality. The former represents the composer’s passionate side, and the latter depicts the dreamer in Schumann. 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.

The Messiah (HWV 56) by Georg Frederich Handel, also known as “A New Sacred Oratorio”, tells the life and suffering of Christ: a story of passion, fire, and sacrifice. This is one of Handel's best-known works, which took only three weeks to compose this oratorio and its famous "Hallelujah". The work has immense popularity since its premiere in Dublin in 1742, and is often presented at Easter. This performance of the Dutch ensemble Ribattuta Musica under the direction of conductor Dick Duijst was filmed in the grand church of the city of Ermelo, the Netherlands, in 2016. The soloists are Elvire Beekhuizen (soprano), Rosina Fabius (viola), Oscar Verhaar (counter-tenor) Satriya Krisna (tenor), and Hans Voschezang (bass). Ribattuta Musica is a professional ensemble that delivers authentic performances based on current musical practices at the time of the composers.

The ensemble YES Camerata (Young European String Camerata) and violinist William Hagen perform The Red Priest and the Tanguero at the Academiezaal in the Belgian city of Sint-Truiden in 2017. The concert program includes The Four Seasons of Antonio Vivaldi (1679-1741) and Las quatros estaciones porteñas of Astór Piazzolla (1921-1992), in a transcription of Leonid Desyatnikov. YES Camerata is a young dynamic string ensemble that performs without a conductor. The young American violinist William Hagen was the third winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth competition in 2015.

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 second episode, Liloye Boubli dives deeper into the oeuvre of Villa-Lobos, exploring his musical influences and scrutinizing the anatomy of some of his most famous compositions, particularly his early "Pequena Suíte" for cello and piano. This collection of dances and short pieces in six movements is indicative of the composer's heartfelt adoration for Johann Sebastian Bach.

Aleksandr Khramouchin (cello) and Eliane Reyes (piano) perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, Op. 119. Prokofiev was so impressed by young cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s performance of a sonata written by the composer’s long-time friend Nikolai Miaskovsky, Prokofiev was determined to compose a cello sonata of his own for Rostropovich. The result was Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, Op. 119 (1949), which saw its premiere at the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 1950, with Rostropovich as the soloist. Prokofiev’s musical partnership with Rostropovich influenced some of his other cello works as well. His Symphony-Concerto in E minor for cello and orchestra, Op. 125 (1950-1952) is another product of this collaboration between composer and cellist. The current performance was recorded as part of the Musicorum Festival at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, 2021.

Claude Debussy’s symphonic sketches for orchestra known collectively as ‘La Mer’ evoke a richly varied vision of the sea. The first part (‘De l’aube á midi sur la mer’) calls up a morning and afternoon at sea, the second (‘Jeux de vagues’) echoes the play of the waves, and the third and final part (‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’) conjures the communing voices of wind and waves. Debussy knew his sea, the Mediterranean, intimately both from childhood visits to Cannes and from his Italian travels later in life.

‘Beware the armed man!’ The warning about ‘L’homme armé’ sounds twice as powerful from the mouth of Josquin Desprez: he twice used the popular medieval melody as the basis for composing a mass. Earlier in this Festival, the Missa super voces musicales was performed by Marco Mencoboni and Katharina Bäuml; today Lionel Meunier is the duty chef, with the brilliant Missa Sexti toni, in which the melody keeps popping up all over the place.

Paul McCreesh conducts the Orquesta Gulbenkian and Coro Infantil da Academia de Música de Sana Cecília in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s (1913-1976) War Requiem, Op. 66. Soloists are Tatiana Pavlovskaya (soprano), John Mark Ainsley (tenor) and Hanno Müller-Brachmann (bass). Recorded at the Grande Auditorio Gulbenkian in Lisbon in 2014 and directed by Yan Proefrock. The War Requiem was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Traditional Latin texts are interspersed with extra-liturgical poems by Wilfred Owen. Britten scored the requiem for soprano, tenor and baritone, a chorus and boys' choir, organ and an orchestra and chamber orchestra. The chamber orchestra accompanies the settings of English poetry, while the voices and orchestra are used for the Latin sections.

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.

Andris Nelsons’s starts off his official opening concert as principal conductor of the Gewandhausorchester with the world premiere of Steffen Schleiermacher's 'Relief for Orchestra'. Baiba Skride features as soloist in Alban Berg's Violin Concerto. In the slow finale the solo violin’s line is gradually joined by the rest of the first violin, providing a lovely moment between soloist and orchestra. Skride's encore is Imitatione delle Campane by von Westhoff, a Bach contemporary. The concert closes with a rendition of Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, Op. 56, known as the 'Scottish' which actually premiered in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1842. Recorded on February 22/23, 2018 in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

The Valerius Ensemble, consisting of Jorge Gaona Ros (clarinet), Ksenia Kouzmenko (piano) and René Geesing (cello) plays Von Zemlinsky’s Klarinet Trio, Op. 3. It was recorded in Concordia, Enschede, on February 18, 2018. Zemlinsky was born in Vienna of a Slovak father and Sarajevan mother and studied at the Vienna Conservatoire. In his early twenties, his chamber work was performed at the Wiener Tonkünstlerverein. After the première of his String Quintet in 1896, Brahms criticized Zemlinsky for his harmonic recklessness and tonal inconsistency. Zemlinsky took Brahms's criticisms to heart in composing the Clarinet Trio. The work shows the influence of Brahms both in its form and its content.

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 third episode, Liloye Boubli explores Villa-Lobos's inspiration from French classical music and Romanticism.

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.

We live in a world where millions of people will walk past a concert hall and only a fraction will step inside. Interestingly, a great number will gather at Wrestlemania. Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo have finally found common ground between these two, seemingly opposite, spectator sports. Clementi had to contend with Mozart’s ingenuity, Beethoven blew Steinbelt out of Vienna, and Handel sparred Scarlatti in a joust of fingers. In the right corner we have Korean/Japanese/Chinese piano prodigy Whay-Tsu Fast and in the left, Russian/American/Jewish/German/Spanish-speaking violin virtuoso Sergey Amadeus Showoff. In the feud as ancient as time itself, to determine the superior instrument, who will emerge triumphant? Who will prevail as champion in this Clash of the Soloists? Igudesman and Joo blaze through concertos with extraordinary dexterity and finesse that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. An unforgettable, laugh-until-soda-comes-out-of-your-nose performance that will leave listeners of all ages thirsting for more. “Clash of the Soloists” was commissioned by the Zürich Tonhalle Orchester to commemorate their 150th anniversary, with a world premiere performance featuring conductor, referee, and Maestro of Ceremonies, Joshua Weilerstein.

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.

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. Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the League of David), Op. 6, is a group of eighteen pieces for piano composed in 1837, named after Schumann's fictional music society Davidsbündler. In these, the active and the passive aspects of Schumann’s personality, represented by the characters Florestan and Eusebius, engage in musical dialogues about contemporary music. 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.

Intercultural chamber music ensemble AU Ensemble performs Canadian contemporary composer Mark Armanini’s Nocturne for Erhu and String Quartet (2021). In this performance, Yun Song plays the erhu - a Chinese two-stringed instrument. Since 1990, in-demand composer Armanini has been writing for various combinations of Asian and Western instruments. Armanini’s prize-winning repertoire has been performed by ensembles including the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and the Edmonton Symphony. This performance was recorded at the Deep Cove Shaw Theatre in North Vancouver, Canada, on March 23, 2022.

Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt performs J. S. Bach's Suite No. 5 in C minor for cello solo, BWV 1011. This performance was recorded at St. Mary’s Church in Wittenberg, Germany.