DNA in May

Katia and Marielle Labèque enjoyed their first piano lessons at the ages of three and five, respectively. The two sisters are famous for their impressive duet precision, their great musicality and the extent of their repertoire. In this concert, they perform with harpsichordist Luca Guglielmi, violinist Enrico Onofri, and Il Giardino Armonico, a leading Italian choir that specializes in the authentic performance practice. This all-Baroque concert program, performed on period instruments at the Musikverein in Vienna in 2000, includes J. S. Bach's Concerto for two keyboards and orchestra (BWV 1061) and his Concerto for three keyboards, harpsichord, strings and basso continuo (BWV 1063); Carl Philippe Emmanuel Bach's Symphony in G Major; and Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo (RV 242).

The Waldbühne in Berlin is one of Europe’s most attractive outdoor amphitheaters. It is home to the Berliner Philharmoniker's summer concerts. With over 20,000 classical music fans attending, these concert evenings are among the world's most popular classical music events. In this 2005 edition, Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker with the extraordinary pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque. The French-born Labèque sisters are known for their seamless playing, superlative musicianship, and extraordinary scope of repertoire.

The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Neeme Järvi presents the world premiere of Rodion Shchedrin's Double concerto for cello, piano and orchestra. Soloists are Martha Argerich (piano) and Mischa Maisky (cello). The concert program features Antonín Dvořák's Scherzo capriccioso Des-Dur Op. 66, B 131, Shchedrin's aforementioned Double concerto "Romantic Offering", César Franck's Sonata for piano and cello in A, and Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9, Op. 70. This première performance was recorded at the Culture and Congress Centre of Lucerne, KKL, on February 9, 2011. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra is orchestra-in-residence at KKL Luzern. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra is Switzerland’s oldest symphony orchestra and has won an international standing that extends far beyond its home base.

Paavo Järvi conducts the Orchestre de Paris during a concert in the Salle Pleyel in Paris, 2012. The programme even features a world premiere: Richard Dubugnon's Concert for Two Pianos, titled ‘Battlefield’. Star soloists are the renowned French sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque. Furthermore, the Orchestre de Paris dares to take on Leonard Bernstein’s Westside Story, based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The orchestra concludes with an un-American version of this love story, which is embodied in the famous ballet music by Sergey Prokofiev.

Finnish percussionist and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Orphei Drängdar Men's Choir in a performance of Jean Sibelius's Kullervo, Op. 7. Soloists are soprano Johanna Rusanen-Kartano and baritone Ville Rusanen. The work, often called a choral symphony, is a suite of symphonic movements. However, it avoids the traditional symphonic structure: the five movements constitute a set of independent tone poems. The work was performed only four times in Sibelius's lifetime. The composer refused to publish it: he only gave permission in 1957, at the very end of his life. This performance was recorded at the Gothenburg Concert Hall in 2018.

Soviet-born conductor Semyon Bychkov leads the Czech Philharmonic in a concert featuring works by Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel and Henri Dutilleux, recorded at the Rudolfinum, Dvořák Hall, Prague in 2020. The concert includes Martinů's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, H. 292, featuring piano soloists Katia and Marielle Labèque.