Schedule

This production of Giuseppe Verdi's popular opera La Traviata was performed outdoors at the St. Margarethen Festival in 2008 by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Ernst Märzendorfer. Soloists Kristiane Kaiser, Magdalena Anna Hofmann, and Stefanie Kopinits perform in a striking physical setting against the backdrop of the Austrian mountains. Several men are courting the rich courtesan Violetta, but when she meets Alfredo, she chooses to live a new life with him. She then moves from Paris to the French countryside, but unfortunately is haunted by her past: Alfredo's father does not approve of his past and convinces her to abandon his son. Alfredo is ignorant of his father's torment and, thinking that Violetta has used him, he becomes furious. In the end, he understands that Violetta has abandoned him to be free, but it is too late. Reaching an incurable illness, Violetta dies in his arms.

The Waldbühne in Berlin is one of the most attractive outdoor amphitheatres in Europe and home to the Berliner Philharmoniker's summer concerts. With a 20, 000-seat capacity, these events are some of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. In 2003, Seiji Ozawa and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform works by George Gershwin with the jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his Trio as special guests. Their album “Gershwin For Lovers” stayed in the Top 10 on Billboard’s jazz chart for half a year. Together they created a magical fusion of classical music and jazz bringing an imaginative mix of styles into the swing of Gershwin’s music.

This episode presents the Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Musical excerpts played by the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz. Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos rank among the undisputed favorites of all baroque fans. They have become a firm fixture in music education and an integral part of our international musical heritage. So what's their secret? The internationally acclaimed pianist and Bach expert Robert Levin provides an answer.

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.

Baritone Hugo Laporte (Canada) performs ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähne’ from Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s opera Die tote Stadt; ‘Ô sainte médaille… Avant de quitter ces lieux’ from Charles Gounod’s opera Faust; and ‘Son io, mio Carlo… Per me giunto… O Carlo, ascolta… Io morrò’ from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Don Carlo, during the semi-finals of the Aria division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). He is accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jacques Lacombe. This performance was recorded at the Montreal Symphony House.

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.

At St. Bartholomew Church in Dornheim, Germany, where composer Johann Sebastian Bach married his first wife Maria Barbara, renowned Dutch cellist Anner Bijlsma performs the composer's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007. It is likely Bach wrote his collection of six Suites for unaccompanied cello during the years 1717-1723. His cello suites are an essential part of the cello repertoire, highlighting the instrument's manifold polyphonic possibilities. As customary in a Baroque suite, each movement is based on a dance type. Bach's Suite No. 1 opens with a prelude, and is followed by six dance movements, divided over five sections: an allemande, a courante, a sarabande, two minuets, and a final gigue.

During the New Year’s Gala 2010, the Berlin Philharmonic perform under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, whose infectious energy and exceptional artistry have made him one of the most sought-after conductors by orchestras and opera companies around the world. They welcome mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča, who has become one of the world’s most famous singers within just a few years. On the program are various works by French composers, like Berlioz’ Le Carnival Romain, Overture, Op. 9 and D’Amour l’ardente flamme’ from La Damnation de Faust (Op. 24), Saint-Saëns’ ‘Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ and ‘Danse Bacchanale’ from his opera Samson et Dalila and the ‘Habanera’, ‘Seguidilla’ and ‘Chanson Bohème’ from Bizet’s Carmen. The concert concludes with de Falla’s Suite No. 2 from the ballet ‘El sombrero de tres picos’.

Argentinian conductor and harpsichordist Leonardo García Alarcón leads his ensemble Cappella Mediterranea in a program of Italian Baroque music. The ensemble performs some of the finest Baroque pieces composed by Francesco Cavalli, a prominent composer in 17th-century Venice, and two of his famous students, Barbara Strozzi and Antonia Bembo. Argentinian soprano Mariana Flores presents the vocal works. On the program are ‘Mira questi due lumi’ from Cavalli’s Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo, ‘Dimmi, Amor, che farò’ from L'Oristeo, ‘Sinfonia della notte’ from L’Egisto, and ‘E vuol dunque Ciprigna’ from Ercole Amante; ‘M’ingannasti in verità’ from Bembo’s Produzioni armoniche consacrate a Luigi XIV; Strozzi’s Sino alla morte, Che si può fare, Lagrime mie, L’amante segreto, and è Pazzo il moi core; Biagio Marini’s La Romanesca; Tarquinio Merula’s Aria Sopra La Cieccona; and Dario Castello’s Sonata Seconda. This performance was recorded at the magnificent Église Notre-Dame of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France, on August 26, 2020.

Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny (Canada/Oman, 1998) performs Georgy Sviridov’s Russkajaj pesnya; ‘Ja li v pole da ne travushka’ from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Seven Romances, Op. 47; John Greer’s On Children; ‘Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!’ and ‘Liebst du um Schönheit’ from Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, Op. 44; and ‘Le spectre de la rose’ from Hector Berlioz’s song cycle Les nuits d’été, Op. 7, 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.

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.

Roberto Prosseda (1975) performs Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5 (KV. 283) and four Impromptus Op. 90 by Franz Schubert. The performance ends with Chopin's technically demanding Ballade No. 4, Op. 52. Prosseda is particularly noted for his performances of newly discovered works by Mendelssohn and has recorded a nine-CD series for Decca of the piano works of Mendelssohn. Since 2012, Prosseda also gives lecture-concerts with the robot pianist TeoTronico, as educational or family concerts, to demonstrate differences between a literal production of music and human interpretation.

Considered by Bruckner as the artistic climax of his career, the Symphony No. 8 followed in the wake of the triumphs celebrated by his 7th Symphony and Te Deum. Yet the conductor put aside the original version of the work – which Franz Welser-Möst conducts here – when his friend the conductor Hermann Levi rejected it. The original version was first performed in 1954 and first published in 1972. Recorded live at Cleveland's Severance Hall with The Cleveland Orchestra under its Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, this performance marks the fourth instalment in the orchestra's Bruckner cycle Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst has been Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra since 2002. In addition to his duties in Cleveland, Welser-Möst has been General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera.

Ester Hoppe (violin), Christian Poltéra (cello) and Francesco Piemontesi (piano) perform Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 100 (D. 929) during the International Chamber Music Festival in Bellinzona, Switzerland, in 2019. This trio was among the last compositions completed by Schubert and is dated November 1827. It was published late 1828, shortly before Schubert's death and first performed in January 1828 to celebrate the engagement of Schubert's friend Josef von Spaun. The second theme of the opening movement is based on a theme from the Trio of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 18 (D. 894). The main theme of the second movement is used as a central musical theme in Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon (1975).

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. This fourth episode dives deeper into the composer's "Bachianas brasileiras", particularly the "Ária (Cantilena)" from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, which is one of Villa-Lobos's most renowned pieces.

Aleksandr Khramouchin (cello) and Eliane Reyes (piano) perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, Op. 119. Prokofiev was so impressed by young cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s performance of a sonata written by the composer’s long-time friend Nikolai Miaskovsky, Prokofiev was determined to compose a cello sonata of his own for Rostropovich. The result was Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata, Op. 119 (1949), which saw its premiere at the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 1950, with Rostropovich as the soloist. Prokofiev’s musical partnership with Rostropovich influenced some of his other cello works as well. His Symphony-Concerto in E minor for cello and orchestra, Op. 125 (1950-1952) is another product of this collaboration between composer and cellist. The current performance was recorded as part of the Musicorum Festival at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, 2021.

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia is joined by acclaimed Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky in an interpretation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43 Conductor Konstantin Khvatynets leads this concert, recorded at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia, in 2017.

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.

Andris Nelsons’s starts off his official opening concert as principal conductor of the Gewandhausorchester with the world premiere of Steffen Schleiermacher's 'Relief for Orchestra'. Baiba Skride features as soloist in Alban Berg's Violin Concerto. In the slow finale the solo violin’s line is gradually joined by the rest of the first violin, providing a lovely moment between soloist and orchestra. Skride's encore is Imitatione delle Campane by von Westhoff, a Bach contemporary. The concert closes with a rendition of Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, Op. 56, known as the 'Scottish' which actually premiered in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1842. Recorded on February 22/23, 2018 in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan and the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris recorded all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies in 2014-2015. In this program, Jordan conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony. Beethoven wrote the work upon completion of his Symphony No. 5. Both symphonies premiered at the same legendary, all-Beethoven concert on December 22, 1808. Symphony No. 6 consists of five movements, of which the last three are played without a break. Each movement carries a title that suggests a scene from life in the countryside. The joyful atmosphere of the first three movements is interrupted by the violent fourth movement ‘Thunder, Storm’, as expressed by the piccolos, brass, and timpani. As the storm recedes at the end of the movement, the tranquility returns in the final movement. This performance was recorded at Opéra Bastille in Paris, France, in 2015.

This performance was recorded during Mozart Week on January 27, 2006 in Salzburg, Austria, at the Großes Festspielhaus (Large Festival House) in celebration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday. Under conductor Riccardo Muti, it features Thomas Hampson (baritone), Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Gidon Kremer (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola), Wiener Singverein, and Wiener Philharmoniker. Pieces include Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K. 364, arias and scenes from Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute and Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 ("Haffner").

This Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No.6 BWV 1019 is the last of the set of sonatas that Johann Sebastian Bach composed before 1725, probably while working as chapel master in Köthen. He presumably 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, but this last sonata is different from the others in that it has five sections instead of four.

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.

Andris Nelsons’s starts off his official opening concert as principal conductor of the Gewandhausorchester with the world premiere of Steffen Schleiermacher's 'Relief for Orchestra'. Baiba Skride features as soloist in Alban Berg's Violin Concerto. In the slow finale the solo violin’s line is gradually joined by the rest of the first violin, providing a lovely moment between soloist and orchestra. Skride's encore is Imitatione delle Campane by von Westhoff, a Bach contemporary. The concert closes with a rendition of Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, Op. 56, known as the 'Scottish' which actually premiered in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1842. Recorded on February 22/23, 2018 in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

Eímear Noone conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir in a spectacular performance of some of the most well-known video game soundtracks of the last forty years. This programme showcases the depth and breadth of the video game music genre, featuring pieces from Nintendo legend Koji Kondo, DOOM veteran Mick Gordon and a whole host of contemporary game composers including Noone herself. Key soundtracks featured include Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed, Halo and World of Warcraft. Soloists for this performance are Tuva Semmingsen (mezzo) and Christine Nonbo Andersen (soprano). Recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2018.

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.

Mikhail Pletnev leads the Russian National Orchestra (RNO) in a performance of Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Lucas Debargue as the soloist. The concert opens with a selection of music by Georges Bizet based on Alphonse Daudet's play 'L'Arlésienne'. The music is compiled by Mikhail Pletnev. The first movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto No. 1 contains five distinctive themes, of which three are reminiscent of jazz. Debargue's performance of Ravel's concerto is followed by Gabriel Fauré's Barcarolle No. 4. The performance was recorded at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow as part of the Ninth RNO Grand Festival.

Intercultural chamber music ensemble AU Ensemble performs Canadian contemporary composer Rita Ueda’s ‘…and even if the sky fades into the dark…’ (2022). This piece for string quartet and Chinese traditional instrument of choice is here performed by Geling Jiang on the liuqin, a string instrument from the lute family. This performance was recorded at the Deep Cove Shaw Theatre in North Vancouver, Canada, on March 23, 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.