Schedule

René Pape perfectly embodies the new generation of opera singers: with a current and relaxed appearance, he craves new challenges and demonstrates an openness to ambitious experimentation. In the musical film My Heart Is Burning, René Pape sings and plays various roles that showcase the impressive versatility of his voice and the many facets of his personality. Directed by Sibylle Muth.

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 Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. Beethoven composed Symphony No. 5 between 1804 and 1808, completing the work at nearly the same time as his Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastorale’. Both symphonies premiered as part of an all-Beethoven program at the same concert on December 22, 1808. Symphony No. 5 has become one of the best-known compositions in classical music. It opens with the famous four-note motif, often interpreted as the musical manifestation of ’fate knocking at the door’. This rhythmic figure returns in various guises in the other three movements of the symphony. The second movement consists of a set of lyrical variations on two themes. The third movement begins gently, but leads to a blasting horn section presenting a theme that features the rhythmic pattern of the four-note motif. The movement leads uninterrupted to the fourth movement that features a triumphant finale ending in C major. This performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris, France, in 2015.

Mezzo-soprano Valerie Eickhoff (Germany, 1996) performs ‘Crude furie degli orridi abissi’ from George Frideric Handel’s opera Serse; ‘Assisi a pie d’un salice’ from Gioachino Rossini’s opera Otello; and ‘Nobles seigneurs, salut!’ from Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera Les Huguenots, 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.

Spanish conductor Garcia Navarro leads the Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart in a performance of Manuel de Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos (‘The three-cornered hat’). Originally a ballet score, De Falla composed the piece in 1916 and 1917. The ballet was commissioned by Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes, and saw its premiere at the London Alhambra Theatre in 1919. As De Falla was interested in traditional Spanish folk music, he included elements of this music in his score. The mezzo-soprano’s parts are examples of cante jondo, a vocal style in flamenco. In this performance, recorded in 1988, mezzo-soprano Paloma Pérez Iñigo handles those vocal parts with conviction.

The 2007 Europa-Konzert takes place in Berlin, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Under the theme "The Year 1882", the acclaimed orchestra is lead by conductor Sir Simon Rattle as it interprets Brahms’ “Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra”, his Fourth Symphony and Wagners’ “Prelude to Act I” from Parsifal - the piece that marked the orchestra's first recorded work of September 1913 under the baton of Alfred Hertz. The soloists are Lisa Batiashvili (violin) and Truls Mørk (cello), established as sought-after young virtuosos and appearing regularly with leading orchestras and in recitals throughout the world. The “Kraftwerk und Kabelwerk Oberspree (power and cable factory)”, the remarkable venue of this concert, is one of the most impressive historical industrial building from the late 19th century in Berlin. As its impressive presence is infused with Brahms and Wagner, there is an air of total commitment, only enhanced further by the unusual surroundings. The collaboration of Lisa Batiashvili and Truls Mørk ensures a moving performance of Brahms’s last orchestral work, his Double Concerto. Following this, Rattle and the orchestra continue to demonstrate their outstanding musicianship, delivering Wagner's amazingly fresh and dynamic Fourth Symphony.

Harpsichordist and organist Sébastien Daucé leads Ensemble Correspondances in this concert recorded as part of the Valletta International Baroque Festival of 2017 at the Co-Cathédrale de St-Jean de la Valette in Malta. The concert opens with a rendition of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s late-17th century composition Te Deum. The joyful and popular prelude of this piece is familiar to many as the Eurovision Anthem. Furthermore, the concert program is made up of motets by Henry du Mont (1610-1694), an organist and baroque composer of the French school, born in the Southern Netherlands. Among his musical heirs were Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and François Couperin (1668-1733).

The film Jaroussky sings Bach & Telemann is a portrait of a very special vocalist, and of two exceptional composers. When Philippe Jaroussky - whose angelic voice seems almost timeless, not belonging to any one epoque or decade - sings works by Telemann and Bach, it becomes abundantly clear that the sheer emotional force and the purifying power of their music have not diminished over the centuries. The works performed in this film are Telemann's Jesus liegt in letzten Zügen and Sinfonia from Brockes-Passion; Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus, and Bach's Sinfonia from Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis and Ich habe genug.

Although the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi applied unsuccessfully to study at the Milan Conservatory, this renowned college of music was eventually named after him. Today, the ‘Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi’ counts numerous successful musicians among its alumni: from Giacomo Puccini, Alfredo Catalani, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Luigi Einaudi and Daniele Gatti, to Gianandrea Noseda. The acclaimed conductor Noseda (*1964) is one of the most important conductors of his generation. Recently, he taught a conducting masterclass at his alma mater for promising students from all over the world. For three days, Noseda joined forces with a hand-picked group of students to work on a varied concert programme. This documentary shows you these young, talented musicians rehearse compositions by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky under the enthusiastic guidance of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda himself.

Can we get into Beethoven’s creative mind, especially in the last phase of his life, when he was coping with severe hearing loss? Tom Beghin’s new recording of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Opus 109, 110, and 111 is an artistic exploration of how Beethoven’s musicking was shaped by the work environment he created with the help of colleagues and friends. Not only does pianist Tom Beghin perform Beethoven’s trilogy of pianistic masterpieces on a magnificent new replica of Beethoven’s Broadwood piano, he uses a reconstruction of the Gehörmaschine that was mounted on the composer’s piano so he could continue to create music as his hearing declined. ‘You do hear better when you bring your head under this machine, don’t you?’ André Stein asked Beethoven. Two centuries later, we too can bring our heads under the machine and wonder: Do we hear Beethoven differently? Beghin draws us inside the hearing machine, where we feel as well as hear the essence of Beethoven’s rambunctious and irresistibly poetic musical vibrations. Inside the Hearing Machine invites us into the multisensory playground of a deaf composer for whom the machine was more than a hearing aid and who interacted with his instrument through much more than sound.

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.

On April 9, 2020, when that year's pandemic forced concert life to a standstill, flautist Ana de la Vega and oboist Ramón Ortega Quero were well into their scheduled concert tour. They played their concert at Palais Lichtenau in the German city of Potsdam as planned, albeit without an audience. This intimate recording is the result. On the program are Joseph Haydn's “Londoner” Trio No.1 C Hb. IV/1, Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen, Op.22, Antonín Dvořák's Silent Woods for cello and piano, J. S Bach's Trio Sonata in C minor from “Musikalischen Opfer” BWV 1079 and Robert Schumann's Drei Romanzen, Op. 94. The concert concludes with Ignaz Moscheles's Concertante in F.

Conductor Eduard Topchjan leads the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14. Berlioz wrote the piece of program music in 1830 while still a conservatory student. Inspired on the composer’s unrequited love for Irish actress Harriet Smithson, the five-movement piece portrays the dreams of a young artist who has taken an overdose of opium in the aftermath of a failed love affair. Berlioz used one melody in each movement of the work representing the artist’s beloved, an ‘idée fixe’ (a fixed idea or obsession). The work is scored for a large orchestra and features an astonishing array of instrumental colors, including church bells, an off-stage oboe, and strings playing col legno (using the wood of their bow). This performance was recorded at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2021.

French lutenist Thomas Dunford performs various works for lute by J. S. Bach in this intimate chamber music concert, recorded at Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium, in 2017. On the program are Suite for lute in G minor, BWV 995; Suite for solo cello in G major (arr. for lute), BWV 1007; and Chaconne from Partita for solo violin in D minor (arr. lute), BWV 1004. Paris-born lutenist Thomas Dunford (*1988) discovered the lute at the age of nine. He studied at the Conservatory of Paris and the Schola Cantorum in Basel, and participated in masterclasses with lutenists such as Rolf Lislevand and Julian Bream. He has made various solo and ensemble appearances at Europe’s most prestigious festivals.

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. Schumann composed his Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14 (a "Concerto for piano without orchestra", in the words of music publisher Tobias Haslinger) in 1836. He dedicated it to piano virtuoso Ignaz Moscheles. In 1853, Schumann revised the work and added a Scherzo as a second movement. The final movement is reminiscent of Schumann’s earlier composition Kreisleriana, Op. 16. 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 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 the impressive Jacobikerk, artist in residence Marco Mencoboni will make Francesco Durante’s magnificent Requiem shimmer, with orchestra, soloists, two choirs, and a pair of French horns in the main role. With the breathtaking vocal control of soprano Valentina Mastrangelo – rising star of bel canto – this concert will be a highlight of the Festival.

One of today’s most distinguished conductors, Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in a performance featuring works from the oeuvre of Johannes Brahms. The concert begins with the Academic Festival Overture, written in honor of the University of Breslau, which awarded the composer an honorary doctorate in philosophy. This is followed by Brahms only Violin Concerto (in D major), described by violinist Joseph Joachim, whom it was originally written for, as one of the four great German violin concerti. This performance features violin soloist Julia Fischer. It was recorded at Severance Hall in Cleveland, USA, in 2014.

Quarteto Radamés Gnattali performs Heitor Villa-Lobos's String Quartet No. 14 at the Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janiero, Brasil. The ensemble was founded in 2006 and consists of Carla Rincón and Francisco Roa (violins), Fernando Thebaldi (viola), and Hugo Pilger (cello). The quartet, which specializes in Brazilian music, focuses on educational activities. Their recording of all of Villa-Lobos string quartets is a major achievement and was very well received by international music critics. Except for his Bachianas brasileiras, the performance of many of the Brazilian's compositions is limited to Latin America. Highly regarded as a composer, conductor and educator in his native country, Villa-Lobos has operas, symphonies, concertos, piano repertoire, choral music, and seventeen string quartets to his credit.

Watch the series ‘Discovering Masterpieces’! Your audio-visual concert guide to the great masterpieces of classical music. The series brings you 20 half-hour documentaries on 20 classical masterpieces: acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors take you on a journey back to the time and place of composition. In this documentary, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The musical canvas and emotional scope of this work are huge. Herbert von Karajan said once that when you hear Mahler's Fifth, “you forget that time has passed. A great performance of the Fifth is a transforming experience.” The English lecturer and musician Jeremy Barham introduces the work at the piano and reflects on the secrets of the composition.

In Magifique, Thierry Malandain, director of Ballet Biarritz, dives into his memories. Set to the unifying theme of Tchaikovski’s music, the show reaches heights of emotion. In 2006 the Ballet Biarritz headed by Thierry Malandain captivated Chaillot’s audience with Les Créatures. This unusual company – which has a taste for classical body language and remains modern in its approach – will shine again with Magifique. Dipping into personal memories to Tchaikovsky’s engrossing music, Thierry Malandain turns in one his most beautiful creations. Thierry Malandain tells how as a kid he used to describe his ecstatic moments as “magifiques” leaving the “n’ out. Today, he is still secretly besotted with dance. And that is mag(n)ificent! The Malandain Ballet Biarritz recorded at the Gare du midi, Biarritz in 2009.

Conrad van Alphen conducts Sinfonia Rotterdam in a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ (1835-1921) Symphony No. 3, Op. 78. Geert Bierling stars as soloist on the organ of De Doelen. It was recorded on October 20th, 2018 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 was completed in 1886. It is known as the Organ Symphony since the instrument is used in the second and fourth movement of the work. The composer stated about this symphony: "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again." Saint-Saëns was at the height of his symphonic career, realizing this was his last attempt at the symphonic form.

In this splendid 2013 concert from the Church of Verbier, Switzerland, Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Chinese pianist Yuja Wang join forces to interpret three sonatas by Johannes Brahms. Leonidas Kavakos rose to fame in 1985, when he became the youngest musician to ever win the first price of the prestigious Sibelius Competition. With Yuja Wang, an accomplished artist at young age herself, he forms a masterful duo of chamber music interpretation. The programme features Brahm's Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, also known as the "Regensonate," Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 2 in A major, Op. 100, the "Thuner Sonata," a portrait of the Swiss lake of Thun's peaceful scenery. It comes to a fiery and passionate finale with Brahm's Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 3 in D minor, Op 108.