Schedule

The great clarinettist Paolo Beltramini plays a program of solo pieces for clarinet on Stingray Brava. In this broadcast, Beltramini performs C.P.E. Bach’s Solfeggietto, Béla Kovàc’s Hommage à Paganini, and Igor Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo. Paolo Beltramini is the only Italian clarinettist to have won first prize at the prestigious Prague Spring International Clarinet Competition (1996). As a duo with pianist Roberto Arosio, he won the International Chamber Music Competitions in Paris (1996) and Trapani (1997). These awards helped establish Beltramini’s reputation as one of the most interesting wind-instrument virtuosos on the international concert circuit. He was principal clarinettist with Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Swiss Orchestra della Svizzera italiana.

Set in the magnificent Cistercian Monastery Schulpforte near Naumburg, Germany, Sounds like Christmas combines festive music with the spontaneity and freshness of jazz. This Christmas program is the musical encounter between soprano Angelika Kirchschlager and jazz trumpeter Tomasz Stańko. Interpreting popular and lesser-known Christmas songs, the soloists are accompanied by the outstanding Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Leipzig a cappella ensemble Amarcord, consisting of former members of St. Thomas Boys Choir. The artists' different backgrounds and stylistic preferences create a suspenseful, varied musical experience. The origins of the monastery date back to the Benedictine convent founded in Schmölln in 1127. Concert footage is juxtaposed with snowy mountain landscapes and cities decorated for Christmas.

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.

Belgian conductor Jos van Immerseel leads Anima Eterna Brugge in a concert program dedicated to American composer George Gershwin. The program opens with Gershwin’s symphonic suite Catfish Row (arr. Steven D. Bowen) which is based upon music from his famous opera Porgy and Bess (1935). This is followed by the well-known tone poem An American in Paris (1928). After, soprano Claron McFadden joins the orchestra, presenting a selection of Gershwin’s classic jazz songs, including ‘The man I love’ (1924-27), ‘I got rhythm’ (1930), and ‘By Strauss’ (1936). She also performs ‘My man’s gone now’ and ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess. The concert ends with Gershwin’s celebrated Rhapsody in Blue, with Bart Van Caenegem as featured pianist. This performance was recorded at Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium, on March 3, 2017.

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.

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 today’s documentary, Bela Bartok’s ‘Concerto for Orchestra’ is discussed. This piece is one of the most frequently performed works of the twentieth century. Pierre Boulez explains how he interpreted this composition with the Berlin Philharmonic. He also describes its fascination against the backdrop of Bartok’s biography.

This Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 1 BWV 1014 is the fourth out of the set of sonatas Johann Sebastian Bach composed before 1725, probably during his time as chapel master in Köthen. Presumably, he wrote these sonatas for Prince Leopold and later adapted them for further use in Leipzig. Maybe this is why these pieces are well playable for amateurs, while every sonata still has the finesse that can offer a challenge to professional musicians. The different pieces are meant to be a set, just like the Brandenburg concertos.

This documentary by Christoph Keller follows various participants and teachers participating in the International Summer Piano Academy.

Sir Simon Rattle leads the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. After the disastrous premiere of the composer’s Symphony No. 1 in 1897, Rachmaninoff seriously doubted his ability as a symphonist. Almost a decade later, in October 1906, he started composing his Symphony No. 2. Months of revisions followed. He finished this large orchestral work in the summer of 1907, followed by a highly successful 1908 premiere in St. Petersburg. This performance at the magnificent Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain is part of the Europakonzert 2011.

At the behest of Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, several classical music stars took part in this concert in aid of the Erasmus Fund for medical research in intensive care, recorded at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium, on October 21, 2023. The concert pays tribute to the renowned cellist Aleksandr Khramouchin (1979) who suddenly passed away on May 13, 2023. As part of this concert, trumpetist Sergei Nakariakov and pianist Maria Meerovitch perform Lensky’s aria from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin.

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.

Every year, the Europakonzert is hosted by the Berliner Philharmoniker in a notorious concert hall or on a special location. This years concert is performed at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall in London. The Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink starts with Tchaikovsky's Fantasy Overture from "Roméo et Juliette". The second piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is his famous Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K. 216 played by the German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann. During his career he played with a lot of famous orchestras and conductors such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Mariss Jansons. He has a great passion for chamber music and plays a lot of recitals with the Italian pianist Enrico Pace. The concert closes with Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring which he wrote in 1913 for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The première caused a lot of sensation and near-riot in the audience because of the avant-garde nature, music and choreography of the piece. The Rite of Spring is now considered as one of the masterpieces of classical music history and has influenced many 20th-century music composers. The encore is Tchaikovsky's Flower Waltz from the Nutcracker.

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.

Recorded at the Citibank Hall in São Paulo in 2015, Brazilian conductor, pianist, and composer Rogerio Tutti and his orchestra perform a mix of famous pop, jazz, and classical tunes. Ranging from Russian melodies by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff to warm Latin sounds by South American composers, discover medleys by Beethoven, Bizet, and Gershwin. The show features musical virtuosos such as saxophone player Derico and guitarist Marcos Pópolo.

Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony, written between 1888 and 1894, is a colossal five-movement work exploring themes of death and resurrection. It was one of Mahler's most popular and acclaimed works during his lifetime, famously culminating in a powerful choral finale. The symphony features immense orchestral forces, including offstage brass and a large choir, which combine to create overwhelming sonic experiences that depict profound spiritual and emotional narratives. The grand scale and dramatic structure represent the triumph of life over death.

Léon Spierer conducts the Orquesta Sinfonica de Minería during the Concerto de San Silvestre. Soloist is soprano Jéssika Arévalo. The first part of this anniversary concert, shown in this program, features the following works: Johann Strauss Jr.'s Wiener Blut, Op. 354, "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß" from Franz Léhar's musical comedy Giuditta, the Ouverture from Gioachino Rossini's opera Barber of Seville, "Vilja's Lied" from Franz Léhar's musical comedy Die Lustige Witwe, Johann Strauss Jr.'s An der Schönen Blauen Donau, Op. 314, "Carceleras" from Ruperto Chapi's Las Hijas del Zebedeo, and Johan Strauss's Sr.'s famous Radetzky March, Op. 228. This concert was recorded at Academia de Música del Palacio de Minería, Mexico City.

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 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence Musical May) is Italy’s oldest opera and arts festival. It was founded in 1933 with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas. Over the years, the scope widened, and orchestral concerts have long been an integral part of the festival. As part of the festival’s 2021 edition, Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a wonderful concert program that includes Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, ‘Little Russian’, and Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, better known as the Enigma Variations. Written in 1872, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 bears the nickname ‘Little Russian’, as the composer used folk tunes in his work from Ukraine, then known as ‘Little Russia’. Completed in 1899, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an orchestral work comprising a theme and fourteen variations, each variation being a musical sketch of one of the composer’s friends. This performance was recorded at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, in 2021.

The program is introduced with a short documentation about Schönberg's Pelleas et Melisande, based on a text by Claudio Abbado. Every musical theme relates to a special colour appearing on screen. What has been so remarkable about Abbado’s Mahler performances is that their impact has never been achieved at the expense of the multiple sensitivities, subtleties and extreme sophistication. Together with the world's leading youth orchestra – the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO) – Abbado performs Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Schönberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5. The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester was founded in Vienna in 1986, by Abbado’s initiative. The orchestra's high level of artistic quality and its international success have moved important conductors and soloists to work with the ensemble.

French conductor Adrien Perruchon leads the Flanders Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Maurice Ravel’s famous Boléro. The Boléro, one of the world’s most popular classical pieces, was commissioned by Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein. She asked the composer to create ballet music of a Spanish character. Ravel’s 1928 composition is inspired by the bolero, a Spanish dance in 3/4 time that originated from the 18th century. Ravel’s piece is characterized by a prominent, unchanging rhythm played on the snare drum, which continues throughout the piece. This performance was recorded in Belgium at Concertgebouw Brugge on March 1, 2017.

Conrad van Alphen conducts Sinfonia Rotterdam, the Octopus Symphonic Choir, and four vocal soloists in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 at De Doelen, Rotterdam, in 2019. Van Alphen founded Sinfonia Rotterdam in 2000. Under his passionate leadership, this orchestra has developed into one of the Netherland's best-known orchestras. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is widely considered Beethoven’s greatest composition. He completed this symphony in 1824, when he was almost completely deaf. This symphony is unique, since Beethoven included a choir and vocal soloists in the last movement, in which he set parts of Friedrich Schiller's poem “Ode an die Freude” (“Ode to Joy”) to music. The symphony consists of four movements: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso, Molto vivace, Adagio molto e cantabile, and Finale. The four vocal soloists are Gulnara Shafigullina (soprano), Claire Barnett-Jones (mezzosoprano), Matthew Newlin (tenor), and Frederik Bergman (baritone).

Mahler's Symphony No. 6 is a monumental work exploring deep personal tragedy, incorporating a unique, famous "hammer" blows that symbolize the inevitable blows of fate. This symphony's intense emotional power, epic scope, and the composer's eventual wrestling with fate and personal loss make it an unforgettable, profoundly moving experience for audiences.

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.