Schedule

Hamlet is a grand opera in five acts by the French composer Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896), with a libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier. It is based on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas and Paul Meurice of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Thomas’ operas Mignon (1866) and Hamlet (1868) were largely neglected during the 20th century but experienced somewhat of a revival over the last decades. In this performance, staged by Serge van Veggel, The New European Ensemble is led by conductor Hernán Schvartzman. Main soloists are Quirijn de Lang (Hamlet), Lucie Chartin (Ophélie), Martijn Sanders (Claudius), Martina Prins (Gertrude), Jan-Willem Schaafsma (Laertes), and Patrick Pranger (Horatio). This performance was recorded at the Royal Theatre in The Hague, in April 2018.

We live in the “renaissance of the piano”, as the New York Times put it in summer. A new generation has made the piano popular again: pianists with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire. In addition to the usual classics they perform formerly scorned works or they discover neglected composers. LEGATO is a series dedicated to presenting some of this new movement's most fascinating pianists - their individual approaches, their fresh ideas and their music. During this episode, the spotlights are on the Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky. He performs works by Medtner (Fairy Tales), Llywelyn (Mutata Consilia), Beethoven (Diabelli Variations), Godowsky (Alt Wien) en Liadov (Three Preludes).

This documentary by Mark Perna shows the training and professional growth actions for opera singers, the promotion and enhancement of the cultural offer of the city and province of Modena and the maintenance and development of the Modenese musical tradition in the field of opera.

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.

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.

Italian pianist Andrea Molteni (1998) performs Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49. Molteni began studying the piano at the age of six. He graduated with honors and honorable mention at the Conservatorio di musica Giuseppe Verdi di Como, and was awarded a master’s degree Magna cum Laude in Advanced Performance Studies by the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. He has performed at the Wiener Saal of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Scriabin Museum in Moscow, National Opera Center in New York, and several other international venues. This performance was recorded at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Ohio, USA, in 2022.

Jeffrey Tate conducts the Mozarteum Salzburg Orchestra in a performance of Mozart’s “Paris” Symphony No. 31 (K. 297). Mozart composed the work in 1778, during his unsuccessful job-hunting time in Paris. The opening movement of the “Paris” symphony is one of the grandest and most thrilling sounds Mozart ever made from an orchestra. The composer used the clarinets for the first time in a symphony, having heard the new instrument earlier in Mannheim. With horns, trumpets, timpani, and a full section of woodwind with flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, it is the biggest orchestra the composer had used until then. This broadcast is directed by János Darvos.

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.

In Geneva, the Swiss city where she has spent most of her life, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich invites her lifelong music partner, the cellist Mischa Maisky, to play chamber music. Between the pieces, Martha opens up to her daughter Annie Dutoit in an intimate interview that addresses both their relationship and the music. On the program are Ludwig van Beethoven’s 7 variations after "The Magic Flute"; Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op. 73; Frédéric Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major, Op. 3; ‘Lerchengesang’ (No. 2) from Johannes Brahms’s 4 Gesänge, Op. 70; and ‘Largo’ from Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65. This broadcast was recorded on November 12 and 13, 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth (USA, 1995) performs ‘Shadowinnower’ from Joseph Schwantner’s Two Poems of Agueda Pizarro; ‘Erwartung’ and ‘Erhebung’ from Arnold Schoenberg’s 4 Lieder, Op. 2; ‘Lied der Delphine’ from Franz Schubert’s Zwei Szenen aus dem Schauspiel ‘Lacrimas’, D. 857; Francis Poulenc’s Trois poèmes de Louise Lalanne, FP. 57; and ‘Rose’, ‘Gris’, and ‘Mauve’ from Lionel Daunais’s song cycle Fantaisie dans tous les tons, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The French musician and composer Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) is considered one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century music. In the documentary 'Pierre Boulez – A life of music' (2017), Reiner E. Moritz creates a personal portrait of the young and impatient artist who once impetuously suggested to blow up the opera houses in order to do away with stuffy traditions, yet later moved on to conduct the "Ring of the Century" in the very heart of traditional opera, Bayreuth, and became a prized guest conductor with the world´s greatest orchestras. The documentary includes fragments from the composer's rich oeuvre, and features rare photographs from the Boulez-Chevalier archive. The documentary is at its most personal when the maestro's family and friends reflect on his life. Boulez's younger brother Roger shares invaluable information about Pierre's early years, and the renowned pianist Daniel Barenboim opens up about his friend’s music and compositions.

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Ying Li (China, 1997) performs Claude Debussy’s Images, book I; Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1; and Franz Liszt’s Paraphrase from Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’. This performance was recorded at Teatro EDI Barrio’s in Milan, in February 2020.

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.

This very special concert event celebrates the diversity and richness of Canada through the eyes and ears of its people. Ensemble Made in Canada’s Mosaique Project features a commissioned suite of piano quartets by 14 Canadian composers, each inspired by a region of our vast country. Their album release and two-year National tour culminate in St. Catharines’ stunning Partridge Hall! The ensemble consists of Elissa Lee (violin) Sharon Wei (viola), Rachel Mercer (cello) and Angela Park (piano) and is rapidly gaining recognition as Canada’s premier piano quartet.

Olivier Latry is the current holder of the Great Organ of Notre Dame. Between its original religious function and the interest of composers of all times, the great organ Cavaillé-Coll reveals its absolute modernity. Latry is considered one of the greatest organists of his generation, both in France and internationally. He sees himself as an ambassador of French music from the 17th through the 20th centuries as well as an advocate for the art of improvisation. Pieces played in the film are: Pierre Cochereau’s Boléro, Louis Vierne’s Carillon of Westminster and Scherzo from Symphony No. 2, Alexandre Guilmant’s Sonata No. 1, Charles-Marie Widor’s Gothic Symphony, Marcel Dupre’s Cortège, Litanie and J. S. Bach’s Passacaille & Fugue.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in the 2016 edition of the Europakonzert. This time, it takes place at the beautiful Baroque church of Røros, a Norwegian mining town whose intact picturesque old town makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The talented Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang is the star soloist in Mendelssohn’s songful Violin Concerto, Op. 64, which she plays with warmth, elegance and effortless virtuosity.

The Burgundian rulers attached great importance to a high-quality court chapel, but music could also be heard daily in their private apartments. Minstrels entertained the courtiers and thereby influenced the musical agenda of Europe’s political epicentre. With examples of the ‘high’ and ‘low’ oeuvre of Dufay and Binchois – the golden pair of Burgundian composers – Les haulz et les bas live up to their name.

Enjoy a sparkling performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous Piano Concerto No. 1, by the incredible piano virtuoso Russian Daniil Trifonov, with Kent Nagano conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, to prove once more how majestic and incredible classical music can be when it’s done right! The concert opens with the famous Air from Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3. Also on the program are Berlioz' Le Corsaire and Bizet's Symphony in C major. Recorded at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, Tel Aviv, in 2014.

Maestro Herbert Blomstedt makes his debut with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at 2020’s Lucerne Festival conducting Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica”. The sprightly Swedish conductor celebrated his 93rd birthday just one month before this performance. This remarkable performance was recorded at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center (KKL), Switzerland, in August 2020.

One of the first Christmas carols ever written is Perotin the Great’s Salvatoris Hodie. This brilliant 12th century composition, one of the first works ever written for four voices, opens First Snow: the atmospheric Christmas concert by the Brussels Philharmonic. Straying from ‘ars antiqua’, the program also features a performance of two contemporary melodies penned by conductor Bo Holten based on texts by the Icelandic poet Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889-1975). As an added bonus, a hand-picked selection of various Polish and French Christmas songs rounds off this enjoyable yuletide program.

The Valerius Ensemble, consisting of Eeva Koskinen (violin), René Geesing (cello) and Ingo Lulofs (piano) plays Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque Nr. 1 and the Finale of Dvořák’s Piano Trio No.3, Op. 65. Rachmaninoff composed this Trio in 1892 at the age of 19. The work does not have an opus number and consists only of one movement, which is highly unusual for a Piano Trio. This concert was recorded at Muziekcentrum Enschede in the Netherlands on March 18, 2018.

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.

The soloists from the Lucerne Festival Orchestra present Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento No. 11 in D major, K. 251, known as the ‘Nannerl-Septet’. Mozart composed it in 1776, probably on the occasion of his sister Maria Anna’s name day, whose nickname was ‘Nannerl’. The septet is scored for oboe, two horns, two violins, viola and double bass. This performance was recorded at Lucerne Culture and Congress Center (KKL), Switzerland, in 2020.

Musicians of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the DR Big Band, and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble join forces under the baton of Klaus Tönshoff in this dazzling concert featuring great songs from black and white cinema. Norwegian mezzosoprano Tuva Semmingsen sings ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, ‘My Favorite Things’ from The Sound of Music, ‘Over the Rainbow’ from The Wizard of Oz, ‘Moon River’ from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and many other unforgettable hits. This concert performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2020.

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.

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, Joanna MacGregor plays Preludes and Fugues Nos. 13 to 24 (BWV 858-869) from Book One of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, recorded at the Palau Güell in Barcelona, Spain, in 2010.

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.

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.