Schedule

The dramatic events surrounding the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, in which approximately 3000 Protestants were murdered by Catholics, forms the setting for this historical ‘grand opera’ by Giacomo Meyerbeer. Protestant Raoul is in love with Catholic Valentine: an impossible love. Religion is not the only matter that keeps the two lovers apart, as Valentine has been promised to the Catholic Comte de Nevers, his enemy... This work enjoyed an incredible popularity after it premiered, but suffered oblivion shortly after. This production of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1991) marks a triumphant comeback for this timeless work, presented in a contemporary setting. Soloists: Angela Denning (Margarethe von Valois), Lucy Peacock (Valentine), Richard Leech (Raoul von Nangis), Hartmut Welker (Graf von Saint-Bris), Camille Capasso (Urban), Martin Blasius (Marcel). Conductor: Stefan Soltesz. Directed by John Dew.

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.

Azerbaijan-born artist Seljan Nasibli moved to England at an early age, where she was encouraged to take up music. Although Nasibli chose to sing jazz, her Oxford teachers heard an operatic tendency in her voice and advised to train classically. Nasibli completed her studies at The Royal College of Music, where she graduated with a master's degree in Vocal Performance. In this episode of Stingray Originals, Nasibli performs three of Giacomo Puccini's most beautiful arias: 'Signore, ascolta!' and 'Tu, che di gel sei cinta' from the opera Turandot, and 'Quando m'en vo' (Musetta's Waltz) from the opera La bohème.

Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in this performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 3. A late-romantic treasure, this work demonstrates the evolution of the composer's modest symphonic output, balancing the brightness of his Second Symphony with the monumentality of his Fourth Symphony. Strangely enough, even though the Third reaches several glorious outpourings of massed winds and strings, the work ends in pianissimo, leaving the listener taken aback, reflective rather than jubilant. This performance was recorded at the Vienna Musikverein, Austria, in 2014.

Soprano Vassia Alati (the Netherlands/Greece, 1992) and pianist Yuto Kiguchi (Japan, 1989) perform ‘C’est l’extase langoureuse’ from Claude Debussy’s Arriettes oubliées, L. 63, and ‘Fantoches’ from Debussy’s Fêtes galantes, L. 86; Bart Visman’s Het goud van Vermeer; ‘Lerchengesang’ from Johannes Brahms’s Vier Gesänge, Op. 70; Franz Schubert’s Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, Op. 24, No. 1, D. 583; ‘Now the leaves are falling fast’ from Benjamin Britten’s On this island, Op. 11; and ‘I gria zoi’ (Old mother life) from Manolis Kalomiris’s Mayovotana (Magic herbs), 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.

Regarded as one of the finest interpreters of Romantic repertoire, Francesco Attesti (*1975) gave his first recital at age 11 and by the time he was 23, had earned the highest honours in piano from Florence’s Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini. In this recording of his 2016 Deeply Mozart concert tour, Attesti performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s piano concertos KV 449 and KV 488 with the Italian OIDA Orchestra and conductor Paolo Belloli.

The Berliner Philharmoniker is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany and is ranked as one of the best orchestras in the world. In 1990, orchestra members played beautiful chamber music, such as Ludwig van Beethoven's Octet in E-flat major and Antonin Dvořák's Serenade in D minor. Even though both compositions were written for wind instruments, Beethoven reworked and expanded his String Quartet No. 1 for this composition. The performance was recorded at the famous Jaspis-Hall in the New Chambers, besides Sanssouci, the Summer Palace of Friedrich the Great.

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 1722, when Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Köthen, Germany, he published a book of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys. This collection became known as The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book One, BWV 846–869. About two decades later, Bach compiled a second book in Leipzig, which became known as The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book Two, BWV 870-893. Bach intended these pieces for the clavier, which includes the harpsichord, clavichord, and organ. Despite this unclarity, these pieces are regarded as some of the most important works in the history of Western classical music. In this broadcast, Angela Hewitt plays Preludes and Fugues Nos. 13 to 24 (BWV 882-893) from Book Two of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, recorded at Wartburg in Eisenach, Germany, in 2010.

Soprano Isabel Weller (Germany, 1994) and pianist Yuriko Watanabe (Japan, 1994) perform Claude Debussy’s Nuit d’étoiles, L. 2, and Mandoline, L. 43; Joseph Haydn’s Piercing eyes, Hob. XXVIa, No. 35; ‘Die Mainacht’ from Johannes Brahms’s Vier Gesänge, Op. 43; ‘Pietà’ from Paul Hindemith’s Das Marienleben, Op. 27; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; and ‘Lied vom Winde’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder, 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.

From August 28 to September 6, 2015, the Early Music Festival Utrecht focused on England, my England. On the basis of the festival theme, presenter Lex Bohlmeijer takes the viewer in a two-part documentary on an intriguing journey through England of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, and relates this to the city of Utrecht. Episode 1 offers a peek into the inner city churches of Utrecht, visiting the source of inspiration if this year's festival: the English estate Boughton House, where the Duke of Buccleuch shows us around.

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.

On November 14, 1987, a promising conductor made his Berlin Philharmonic debut with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6: Simon Rattle. In retrospect Rattle says, “I felt that I was finding my voice on that day.” Mahler’s multifaceted work is now again on the program when Sir Simon appears for the last time as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker in the Philharmonie in 2018. The wheel comes full circle. Mahler's Symphony No. 6 is often referred to by the nickname Tragische ("Tragic"). Mahler composed work during a happy time in his life, as he had married his wife Alma in 1902 and became father of his second daughter. This contrasts with the tragic and even nihilistic last movement of the symphony.

In this recital, Roberto Giordano plays the Six Pieces for Piano, op. 118 of Brahms, a collection completed in 1893 and dedicated to Clara Schumann who will be the penultimate produced by the composer during his lifetime. The concert program also includes two Beethoven sonatas, the famous Moonlight Sonata No. 14, op. 27, and Sonata No. 31, op. 110, one of the last sonatas signed by the composer. This concert was recorded at Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta, in the Italian city of Lainate, in 2017. Directed by: Pietro Tagliaferri.

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. In this sixth and final episode of the mini-series, Brazilian musicians and experts discuss Villa-Lobos' everlasting legacy and how his compositions continue to inspire Brazilian composers and artists to this day.

Raúl Delgado conducts the Orquesta Sinfonica de Minería in a concert program dedicated to Mexican composers. This program, which includes the second part of the concert, features the following works: Blas Galindo's "Sones de Mariachi", Arturo Marquez's Danzón No. 2, José Pablo Moncayo's "Huapango", and Genero Codina's "March of Zacatecas". This concert was recorded at the Academia de Música del Palacio de Minería in Mexico City in 2019.

Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev leads the Russian National Orchestra in performances of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's music. On the program are Suite for Orchestra after the opera 'The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya', and Musical Pictures for Orchestra from the opera 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan'. Part of the latter is the famous 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. This concert was recorded at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Russian Philharmonic Society in 2017.

In 1754, Jommelli took up the position of “Ober-Kapellmeister” at the ducal court of Stuttgart. There he wrote not only operas, serenatas and pastorales but also religious music for special occasions. One example is his Requiem, a musical farewell to the mother of Jommelli’s patron. Counterpoint German style, French ornamentation, and Italian drama come together in this unique blend, which clearly bears Naples’ signature.

Riccardo Chailly’s inaugural concert as Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra captures the full atmosphere of a unique musical occasion. The concert centers round composer Felix Mendelssohn, who founded the Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1743. It includes an overwhelming performance of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2, Lobgesang with its celebratory choral last movement, as well as the ever-popular overture A Midsummer Night’s Dream with outstanding vocal soloists including Anne Schwanewilms and Peter Seiffert. The Gewandhaus Orchestra can look back with pride at its 250-year history. It has made music history and evolved into one of the world’s best-known and most renowned orchestras.

"It would be hard to find anything greater, more significant or more moving anywhere in musical life today: total harmony of mind and heart, poetry and outcry, fear and consolation, knowing and feeling," declared the Berne paper Der Bund after this stunning performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony in August 2003 by the newly founded Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Claudio Abbado had formed this ensemble from famous instrumentalists, celebrated chamber-musicians and experienced soloists from the world's best orchestras, and the event was sold out months in advance. In this performance, the magnificent soloists Eteri Gvazava (soprano) and Anna Larsson (mezzo-soprano) are accompanied by Orfeón Donostiarra choir.

For over two decades, the Berlin Philharmonic has celebrated its creation on May 1 with the annual Europakonzert, which in 2010 was held in Oxford. Led by Daniel Barenboim, the orchestra performed a program including Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. The young American cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who has attracted widespread attention for her passionate yet precise musicianship, joined the orchestra for a breathtaking performance of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

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.

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.

Leonard Bernstein, David Bowie, Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, they have all once narrated the world-famous symphonic fairy tale 'Peter and the Wolf' (1936), composed by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). In this work, every character is illustrated by a different instrument (or section), with its own musical theme. Peter, for example, is represented by the strings, his grumpy grandfather by the bassoon, the cat by the clarinet, and the bird by the flute. As the narrative progresses and the characters interact with each other, the musical themes beautifully entwine. This performance (2018) is narrated and conducted by Marin Alsop. The musical accompaniment is provided by the Britten-Pears Orchestra.

The 'La Piccola Orchestra Lumière' performs the piece 'Concerto Bizantino' by Italian contemporary composer Nicola Segatta (1982-). Giovanni Sollima (cello) is the leading soloist in this performance, and the orchestra is conducted by Marcello Fera. This performance was recorded on the 25th of January 2021, at the Kulturzentrum Gustav Mahler in Toblach, Italy. Segatta was born in Trente en besides being a composer, he is also a cellist and luthier. As a composer he is an autodidact, but as a cellist he was trained by several teachers, including Giovanni Sollima (the soloist in this performance).

The Zurich Opera House is one of the most renowned in Europe. Fifteen premieres are staged here every year - a significant achievement, when one considers just how much work goes into each individual production. In this exciting documentary, we go behind-the-scenes at the Zurich Opera House and follow the intensive progress of the new production of Gioachino Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Vesselina Kasarova in the role of Rosina. The film also shows preparations for other productions, such as a workshop for Richard Wagner's Siegfried directed by Robert Wilson, and a rehearsal for Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps with choreography by Heinz Spoerli. This film opens the curtain to understanding an opera house’s many exciting facets.

Intercultural chamber music ensemble AU Ensemble performs ‘Dream (as a Dream)’, written by Canadian contemporary composer Mark Armanini and Chinese pipa player Qiu Xia He. The composition is inspired by a poem by Chinese poet Li Qing Zhao (1084-ca.1155). In this performance, Qiu Xia plays the pipa, a Chinese four-stringed instrument; and Andre Thibault plays percussion. The string quartet consists of violinists Mark Destrube and Andrea Shiradze, violist Tawnya Popoff, and cellist Jake Klinkenborg. 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 Armory Studios in Vancouver, Canada, in September 2022.