Composer

According to legend, Giuseppe Tartini received the inspiration for his highly virtuosic Devil's Trill Sonata in a dream – from none other than the devil himself. It goes without saying, then, that it is literally devilishly difficult. Fortunately, however, in star violinist Ray Chen, an artist whose breathtaking technique is more than equal to the work is on stage. And he is in excellent company: the Amsterdam Sinfonietta certainly needs no introduction. In Béla Bartók's sparkling Divertimento for String Orchestra, the top Dutch ensemble lets the mischievous humor of the Hungarian grandmaster sparkle. And after the interval, the audience can expect not only Pietro Locatelli's Concerto Grosso, but also Ray Chen again, who is sure to rock the hall with the tango impressions of Astor Piazzolla's "Cuatro estaciones porteñas."

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Ray Chen / Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

La Mirada Symphony presents Music of Eastern Europe: Old Worlds, New Worlds, a program that bridges tradition and innovation in one unforgettable afternoon. Audiences will experience Béla Bartók’s Hungarian Pictures, Alexander Arutunian’s brilliant Trumpet Concerto, and Antonín Dvořák’s beloved Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.”

The program also spotlights trumpet soloist David Pittell, whose performance of Arutunian’s concerto promises to be a highlight of the afternoon.

Music of Eastern Europe: Old Worlds, New Worlds

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

Chan Conducts Bartók

Severance Music Center

Join Ensemble MidtVest on a musical journey on the iconic train, the Orient Express. We board in Paris and travel through Bavaria, Austria, Hungary and Romania – before arriving in the vibrant world of Istanbul.

The Orient Express

Sund church

Unitarisk Kirkesamfund

Højhuset Kulturhotel

Gimsing Take Away

Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

Friday Favorites: Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto

Intended to be a test of both the soloist’s technical ability and their musicianship, the work overflows with cadenzas – short, often improvised passages of notes – which give the soloist ample opportunity for real virtuosic display. Viktoria Mullova, whose playing has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its immense agility and richness of tone, is sure to bring us an unforgettable performance.

Mullova Plays Brahms

The Bridgewater Hall

The exceptionally versatile violinist Viktoria Mullova teams up with Kahchun Wong for a performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Intended to be a test of both the soloist’s technical ability and their musicianship, the work overflows with cadenzas – short, often improvised passages of notes – which give the soloist ample opportunity for real virtuosic display. Viktoria Mullova, whose playing has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its immense agility and richness of tone, is sure to bring us an unforgettable performance. Where concertos are usually a work comprised of a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra treats each instrumental family as if they were soloists in their own right. Let’s get ready to shine a spotlight on all sections of the orchestra.

The Hallé – Mullova plays Brahms

A grieving composer captured an artist's work in a suite of piano pieces. Later, that music lit a fire in the genius orchestrator Maurice Ravel to create one of the best-loved works in the concert hall. Experience Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition through the dynamic power of a world-class orchestra. Guest conductor Kevin John Edusei leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the heel-kicking Hungarian folk suite Dances of Galanta. In between, the ASO welcomes violin soloist Isabelle Faust for the elegiac Violin Concerto No. 2 by Bela Bartók.

Pictures at an Exhibition

The Woodruff Arts Center

March Chamber Concert

Praxis Fiber Workshop

The three “Bs” of classical music – this is the designation given by the conductor Hans von Bülow to the great masters Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.

Our sixth subscription concert will feature works by composers whose names also begin with the letter “B”, although this is a slightly less usual selection.

We begin with Benjamin Britten. As one of Britain’s most significant composers and a major figure of the 20th century in general, Britten attained fame largely through his operas. It is worth noting that he composed at a very early age – and unlike most composers, he explicitly used this fact in his more “serious” work. At the age of 20 he wrote a chamber piece for string orchestra, Simple Symphony, and in each of its movements he quoted a motif that had occurred to him as a child.

Britten. Bartók. Beethoven

Dvořák Hall Rudolfinum

A monsoon downpour and a cascade of flame: elemental forces are in play as Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra continue their season with music inspired by the environment in all its fragility and power. But Stravinsky’s dazzling Firebird suite and Judith Weir’s magical rain-spell aren’t even the half of this gloriously colourful concert.

Stravinsky's Firebird

Barbican Centre

The Karajan-Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker offers some of the world’s most gifted young musicians the opportunity to perfect their skills while studying, rehearsing, and regularly performing with the orchestra. Founded in 1972 by conductor Herbert von Karajan, the Akademie serves as the training ground for the next generation of musicians in the Berliner Philharmoniker and other orchestras around the world.

Karajan-Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker

University of Michigan

Yeol Eum Son plays Bartók's Third Piano Concerto

Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

State Theatre New Jersey

Princeton University

Count Basie Center for the Arts

In this edition of the Concerts éclatés series, discover the acclaimed clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, widely praised by critics for his instrumental mastery and versatility across musical genres. With remarkable expressive freedom, the program showcases dances by Kodály and Bartók and Azmeh’s suite, where the clarinet takes centre stage in a dynamic musical dialogue that blends improvisation with traditional melodies.

Clarinet, Improvisation, and Traditions

Place des Arts

Nothing is as it seems in Bartók's only opera, Duke Bluebeard's Castle . The story is known from fairy tales by, among others, the Brothers Grimm, but in Bartók's work, the story of the murderous duke also becomes an inner drama. Because when the doors are opened and the secrets are revealed, we may see ourselves stepping onto the stage.

Saraste & Duke Bluebeard's Castle

DR Koncerthuset

Clarinetist Kinan Azmeh captivates audiences with his fluid, nuanced playing and remarkable improvisational talent. Joined by the OSM, he will showcase a program that blends creative freedom, Bartók’s folk-inspired motifs, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s innovative sensitivity. The evening concludes with Mozart’s graceful and elegant Symphony No. 39.

From Bartók to Mozart: Flute, Improvisation, and Symphony

Concert in West Palm Beach

Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

Vienna Philharmonic

Artis–Naples

Concert in Naples

Artis—Naples

Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet has been praised for “focus and command beyond their years” (Violinist.com). Their PCMS debut program features works by Haydn and Dvořák and the Philadelphia premiere of GRAMMY Award-winning composer Billy Childs’s Quartet No. 4.

Isidore Quartet

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The legendary Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Boston—its first visit since 2003—under the baton of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Andris Nelsons for a program of sumptuous late Romantic and 20th-century masterpieces.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

For the second of three orchestras we're proud to host at Symphony Hall this season, the legendary Vienna Philharmonic returns to Boston for its first concert here since 2003, under the baton of the BSO's own Andris Nelsons. International piano sensation Lang Lang, in the first of two appearances this year, brings his signature virtuosity and power to the stage for a concert of glorious late Romantic and twentieth-century masterpieces.

Boston Symphony Hall

Concert in Boston

The BRSO has sponsored the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra for about 20 years. BRSO members serve as instructors and mentors to the young musicians, providing inspiration for their further musical development. For most of the young musicians – many of whom dream of turning their passion into a profession – working continuously with professionals opens up a whole new world: they discover how diverse the professional life of an orchestra musician can be. Sir Simon Rattle took over this mentorship programme, which had been shaped by Mariss Jansons and various BRSO guest conductors, in the 2023/2024 season. After Iván Fischer’s planned collaboration had to be cancelled in 2022 due to the pandemic, he will now take over the BLJO’s working and concert activities for this season.

Iván Fischer and the BYO

Munich Residence

Enjoy an afternoon of folk music-inspired pieces from Eastern European composers. Ligetti’s Concert Romanesc evoked memories of his childhood in Romania, and you’ll hear traditional Czech, Romanian, and Hungarian folk dances throughout the rest of the program.

Folk Music Inspired

St. Paul's Syracuse, the Downtown Episcopal Church

A beloved star of French piano, Hélène Grimaud also maintains a deep connection with the United States and American music, through emblematic works such as Gershwin's Concerto (1925), imbued with the spirit of jazz, of which she has delivered a fascinating recording. Also composed in the United States in 1943, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra offers each family of instruments the opportunity to shine through solos of breathtaking virtuosity. A similar virtuosity is found in Salonen's Helix (2005), a study in acceleration where musical motifs unfold in spirals, like a helix.

Gershwin, Piano Concerto

Philharmonic Hall of Liege

Concert in New York

Carnegie Hall

Hungarian maestro Iván Fischer has been a lifelong advocate for Hungarian music. His fascination with Béla Bartók’s connection to both tradition as well as modernity is a heartfelt conviction that can now be fully savoured in his interpretation of Bartók’s Three Village Scenes, which will be performed for the first time by the BRSO. The same applies to Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto, featuring Vilde Frang as soloist. Listening to the Norwegian violinist is a wonderful experience, because she plays every nuance – from the most delicate whisper to the most powerful bow stroke – with absolute conviction. A work that has not been performed by the BRSO for some time is Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony, known as the Scottish: it is the composer’s epic, sublime, and distinctly lyrical declaration of love to the land of the legendary Highlands.

Iván Fischer & Vilde Frang

BroadStage presents a spectacular collaboration of musical excellence as Avi Avital, considered by many to be the world’s greatest mandolinist, takes the stage with the renowned Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra! Hailed by The New York Times as “explosively charismatic” in live performance, Avital is the first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical GRAMMY® Award. He is known for reinvigorating the mandolin and shaping its history and future, while playing it in the most prestigious halls all over the world. 

Avital is joined by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, praised by The New York Times as “America’s leading historically informed ensemble.” Among the most recorded orchestras in the world, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs on period-specific instruments, presenting repertoire ranging from early Baroque to late Romantic, along with new contemporary works and major operatic productions.

Avi Avital & Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

The Broad Stage

6th Subscription Concert

Vienna Music Society

This evening brings a much-anticipated premiere: the first encounter between Isabelle Faust and Adam Fischer – a musical summit that dispenses entirely with classical music and Mahler, yet captivates from the very first note. Together, the two invite you to an evening dedicated entirely to the dazzling soul of Hungary. Béla Bartók's Second Violin Concerto is a fascinating expression of existential struggle, in which anger, melancholy, but also deep love of one's homeland can be felt. Isabelle Faust plays the piece with an intensity as if she had shared the last glass with Bartók himself on the evening before his escape from Budapest.

Kodaly

Tonhalle Düsseldorf

3rd Soirée

Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, the composer’s final major work and his only composition written entirely while living in the US. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos dazzles in Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a work full of folk-music influences and an astonishing display of soloistic skill. Opening the program is Daniel Nelson’s Steampunk Blizzard, which the composer calls a “steam engine ballet in a snowstorm.”

Rouvali & Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

David Geffen Hall

Winners of the Bordeaux and Banff International Competitions, this London-based quartet made a very memorable 2022 debut at the Tannery. Now making their Schenectady debut, the Marmens will be a mainstay here for years to come.

Marmen Quartet Union College

Union College

An evening under the sign of Hungary: two pieces by Béla Bartók open and close the program, the modernist Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta , a distillation of his inner world, and the third and final piano concerto, written by a man in exile, almost ruined and knowing his days numbered. It was in homage to this great model that his compatriot Peter Eötvös wrote CAP-KO twenty years ago, a concerto in five movements whose furious virtuosity is not lacking in Bertrand Chamayou's ten fingers.

Music for strings, percussion and celesta - Chamayou / Viotti

Maison de la Radio et de la Musique

Bartók’s Dance Suite weaves together folk-inspired melodies and restless rhythms, creating a vibrant, kaleidoscopic celebration of dance that bridges cultures with electrifying energy Here’s a rare chance to hear a major world premiere by one of modern music’s great conjuror of musical worlds, Colin Matthews. We also hear Rachmaninoff’s last major orchestral work, a suite of dances that sounds both entirely modern, but which still bears all the hallmarks of this supremely melodic composer.

London Symphony Orchestra/Elim Chan

Bartók’s ballet is a fairytale, for sure, but this is 20th-century Hungary, where folklore has a habit of growing teeth and claws. Edward Gardner shares the choral ecstasies of Szymanowski’s gorgeous Stabat Mater, and champions the utterly original music of Vítězslava Kaprálová. Expect surging emotions, burning colours and glorious singing; but above all, prepare to be transported.

The Wooden Prince

Southbank Centre

Our current cohort of Future Firsts join forces with students from the Royal Academy of Music and members of the LPO for a vibrant performance conducted by our Principal Conductor, Edward Gardner. The programme is part of our ‘Phoenix Lands’ week and features works by two musical titans: Ligeti’s intricate Melodien and the energetic Dance Suite by Bartók.

LPO Showcase: Foyle Future Firsts and the Royal Academy of Music

Lithuanian conductor Giedrė Šlekytė masterfully bridges the worlds of symphonic music and opera, making this programme a perfect fit for her talents. Schreker’s Nachtstück from Der ferne Klang evokes a haunting allure, with a mysterious sound that ties the protagonist to a lost love. Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin brims with tension, its stark opening capturing the harshness of urban life. His Second Violin Concerto, composed amidst the rise of fascism, balances raw power with tender lyricism. Alena Baeva, laureate of the 2005 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition, brings these emotions to life, and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to share the stage with her.

Alena Baeva plays Bartók

Queen Elisabeth Hall

Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Christina Landshamer – two global stars, each outstanding in their own unique way. In this concert, the two artists will each have their own stage and will be supported by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Conductor Gustavo Gimeno.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Patricia Kopatchinskaja / Gustavo Gimeno

Following two triumphant Benaroya Hall appearances, internationally lauded British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with two other members of his remarkable musical family: sister Isata on piano and brother Braimah on violin. Don’t miss these three sensational musicians’ rendition of Beethoven’s unique and vibrant Triple Concerto, the composer’s only concerto for multiple soloists. Kahchun Wong also returns to our stage, conducting British composer Malcolm Arnold’s emotional Peterloo Overture, which commemorated Manchester radicals who were killed while protesting for parliamentary reform in 1819. The evening finishes with Bartók’s cherished Concerto for Orchestra, an adventurous melding of folk themes and unorthodox tonality that highlights each section of the orchestra.

The Kanneh-Masons Play Beethoven Triple Concerto

Benaroya Hall

Sleigh bells and sweet melodies tumble out from Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, painting a scene the composer compared to “a dewdrop on a flower that suddenly illuminated by the sun, bursts into a thousand lights and colors.” Former Dudamel Fellow Elim Chan leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic as they traverse a shifting atmosphere of mellow woodwinds, menacing trumpet calls, and eager timpani wallops, before approaching the gates of heaven.

Mahler, Bartók & Ravel

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Finally, world star Vilde Frang is back on stage in Olavshallen with us in TSO and with Adam Hickox on the podium. This time to delight the audience with one of the great violin concertos of the 20th century.

Vilde Frang plays Bartók

Olavskvartalet

Embark on a musical odyssey with renowned Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä. The evening begins with Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), a swirling, celestial work inspired by planetary motion and the roiling drone of the medieval stringed instrument, the hurdy-gurdy. Henry Dorn’s powerful Transitions follows, a deeply personal tone poem reflecting on loss, transformation, and resilience.

Osmo Conducts Bartók

Seven doors, and behind each one, a crucial piece of a gruesome puzzle…
Bluebeard’s Castle by Béla Bartók sits somewhere between a gothic tale of horror and a psychological dissection of a twisted relationship. Alone in a castle, Judith follows a trail of ever more compelling and grisly clues to unlock the truth about her new husband, horror by horror, door by door.

BBC Philharmonic - Bluebeard’s Castle

Bluebeard’s Castle by Béla Bartók sits somewhere between a gothic tale of horror and a psychological dissection of a twisted relationship. Alone in a castle, Judith follows a trail of ever more compelling and grisly clues to unlock the truth about her new husband, horror by horror, door by door.

Bluebeard’s Castle

BNY Classics showcases unforgettable performances by your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring timeless masterpieces, thrilling premieres, and renowned guest artists.

Špaček Plays Dvořák

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

This special performance by the BBC Philharmonic is a rare opportunity to hear Bartók’s gripping one-act opera, Bluebeard’s Castle, in an atmospheric concert hall staging with theatrical lighting. An impulsive young bride has turned her back on her family, only to uncover the gruesome truth about her new husband lurking behind every locked door of his imposing citadel. With sinister strings, strident winds and commanding brass, it’s both a compelling psychological drama and a masterpiece of orchestral scene painting. The spectacular opening of the fifth door, revealing both the vast expanse of Bluebeard’s realm and his overbearing power, remains one of the most spine-tingling moments in all music.

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Bluebeard's Castle

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

The cimbalom is a true chameleon: Like only the piano, the Hungarian dulcimer feels at home in all genres and styles. And so does Áron Horváth, who, as the European Concert Hall Organization's "Rising Star," tours the continent's major concert halls. With his World Music Quartet, the young cimbalom virtuoso will explore jazz and folk music from Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria at the Elbphilharmonie.

Áron Horváth, Cimbalom

Canadian piano superstar, Meagan Milatz joins us to blow the roof off of the Winspear with Robert Schumann’s incredible piano quintet. This perennial favourite is virtuosic, joyful and thrilling for performer and audience alike. The first half of this concert includes Clara Schumann’s Soirées Musicales and the riveting sixth string quartet of Béla Bartok.

Meet the Schumanns

Winspear Centre

Bach's works are of such grandeur and fascination that the choice of instruments on which they are played quickly becomes irrelevant. This is especially true given that Bach himself wrote many pieces for a variety of instruments. The Finnish accordion virtuoso Janne Rättyä was therefore inspired to create unusual Bach arrangements. He also tackled the wonderful piano Petitesses of Henri Dutilleux, as well as Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances, which perfectly complement the Hungarian-inspired finale in Brahms's masterful String Quintet.

Bach Re-experienced

Das MuTh

Kaleidoscope

Wallraf-Richartz Museum

The British cellist Raphael Wallfisch, son of Holocaust survivor and cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, performs with pianist Simon Callaghan in major works by composers of diverse musical backgrounds and approaches who were caught up in the suffering and upheaval of the Second World War.

Raphael Wallfisch: Composers in Exile

Local dance students perform to waltzes, tangos, and other traditional dance pieces played by The Syracuse Orchestra.

Kids Dance!

Inspiration Hall

With velvety-soft plucked notes in harp and low strings, Bartók lures you into the magical world of his Second Violin Concerto. The solo violin unleashes a melody that dances before you like a butterfly, and suddenly you're in a magical hall of mirrors where you'd love to stay forever—especially when Vilde Frang is the soloist. Finally, the jubilant final chord breaks the spell. But then another such wonder follows: Dvořák's Eighth.

Dvořák and Bartók

De Doelen

Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, tells of a woman's courageous fight for freedom and justice: Leonore disguises herself as Fidelio in order to free her husband from the unjustly imprisoned dungeon. Her path to the story's happy ending is as arduous as Beethoven's compositional process. He revised the entire work four times, writing a separate overture for each new version. While the first three overtures incorporate musical material from the opera, thus anticipating parts of the plot, Beethoven dispensed with direct quotations in the final Fidelio overture. Using two rhythmically distinct motifs, he created contrast and dynamic energy that provide the atmospheric foundation for this moving opera.

5th Symphony Concert

Staatstheater Mainz

International splendor in the newly renovated Beethoven Hall: The Beethoven Orchestra meets Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard, who conducts at all the major venues worldwide, and world-class violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, a creative free spirit who repeatedly shakes the foundations of the "classical music business" and seeks to break down rigid structures. For his debut with the Beethoven Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard has chosen Johannes Brahms's dark Fourth Symphony: a yearning work that simultaneously pays homage to the musical past – especially Johann Sebastian Bach – and looks far into the future.

Past and Future

Beethoven Hall

Following a breathtaking collaboration in 2024, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, BalletX, returns to PCMS alongside the “audacious… liberating… illuminating” ensemble132 (Blogcritics) for an imaginative program. The first half features miniatures by Wiancko and Bartók culminating in the turbulent and emotionally charged Mozart Piano Quartet in G Minor. These works explore themes and styles that set the stage for the second half: BalletX Resident Choreographer Amy Hall Garner’s reimagining of Petrouchka, a magical ballet that delves into innocence, coming of age, folk traditions, and hot-blooded passion.

BalletX ensemble132

In the Mirror: This is our series for curious music fans, for those who think outside the box, for those for whom classical music is a part of our present, a reflection of our lives. The Spiegel concerts will take place on Thursday evenings for the first time this season. At the first concert in the series, our presenter Bettina Böttinger will meet the exceptional musician Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the top conductor Thomas Dausgaard – the latter our first guest conductor in the Beethoven Hall since the reopening celebrations.  The focus of the evening will be the Second Violin Concerto by Hungary's national composer, Béla Bartók.

Hungarian

In Béla Bartók's only opera, Judith leaves her family and fiancé to become Bluebeard's wife. He welcomes her to a dark and solitary castle, a reflection of his own private life. Judith wants to bring light into the castle and forces him to open, one by one, the seven tightly locked interior doors, behind which lie repressed desires and traumatic memories. In this early 20th-century masterpiece , Bartók conveys the full force of the couple's violence and sensuality through music of great evocative power.

Bluebeard's Castle

Lille Opera

Experience an enchanting Sunday morning with Tito Muñoz and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. In Bartók’s The Wooden Prince, a prince’s attempt to win his princess with a wooden replica leads to unexpected magic in a dark forest. Originally composed as a ballet, the suite remains captivating in the concert hall. Stravinsky’s Symphonies d’instruments à vent, composed as a tribute to Debussy, features only wind instruments in a unique, mosaic-like structure. With unusual harmonies and rich timbres, Stravinsky offers a completely new listening experience.

Stravinsky and Bartók on Sunday morning

Prepare for a feast for the senses with this captivating programme. Star percussionist Alexej Gerassimez takes centre stage in Corigliano’s thrilling Concerto ‘Conjurer’, showcasing his artistry on a myriad of instruments, from marimba to cymbals. Each composer offers a unique orchestral palette: Corigliano highlights percussion, Stravinsky focuses on winds, and Bartók blends the full symphonic forces. United by the elemental sounds of wood, metal, skin, and wind, the music feels almost tangible. Under the dynamic baton of Tito Muñoz, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra delivers a performance that will leave you spellbound.

Concerto for percussion

John Adams doesn't just like to think big, he sometimes dreams big too. For example, of a supertanker rising from the sea like a gigantic rocket. Dream images like this inspired his large-scale orchestral work "Harmonielehre" (Theory of Harmony) as well as the whimsical scenery of his "Chairman Dances." The composer from Massachusetts is—somewhat against his will—considered part of the broader field of Minimal Music. His breathtakingly expansive "Harmonielehre," with its impressive percussion section, is both late-Romantic and expressive, as well as richly sensuous in its sound. But of course, it is also rhythmically captivating, even hypnotic—a typical Adams. It premiered exactly 40 years ago and has since been considered a touchstone for every orchestra, and the American conductor David Robertson, making his debut with the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra), is regarded as a specialist in its interpretation. The percussion section also takes center stage in Bartók's work, acting as the third soloist in the Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion, and Orchestra. Timpani and xylophone become melodic instruments, while the Jussen brothers are given free rein to unleash their percussive fury at the pianos. Indeed, the world is turned somewhat upside down in this program – and particularly grotesquely so in the exuberant revue number "The Chairman Dances" by John Adams: Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, dances a foxtrot, accompanied by a US president on a bar piano – this is the bizarrely ironic setting of this effective orchestral piece.

Harmony theory

Alte Oper

Concert in the Wiener Konzerthaus

Wiener Konzerthaus

Concert of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna

Musikverein Wien

Artists in Residence Lucas & Arthur Jussen will be performing chamber music, presenting captivating works for two pianos or pianists. The program ranges from the vibrant and moving Schubert movements to the rhythmic fire of Béla Bartók and the Romanticism of Robert Schumann. Bartók impressively showcased the secret affinity between the sound of two pianos and percussion in his famous sonata. For piano four-hands, however, the early Romantic Schubert left behind more than any other great composer: among other things, the most monumental sonata movement for piano four-hands we know: a stormily beginning, almost grim Allegro, which later inspired the publisher to title it "Life's Storms." Yet here, too, the heavens open – with one of those harmonic turns with which the late Schubert repeatedly transports his listeners to another world. The same is true of his single Adagio Trio movement, in which time seems to stand still.

Life's storms

Hessischer Rundfunk

Making his debut, this astounding French accordionist has been described by Le Monde as having “a masterly technique and an inexhaustible wealth of phrasing.” Offering a tango-inspired program, Ould evinces his instrument’s rightful place in the classical repertory.

Théo Ould, accordion Union College

3rd Subscription Concert

A concert in two halves with an intermission – and it will be a very athletic affair on an exciting playing field with numerous musical passes: Under the commands of Elim Chan, we will form an orchestral team for compositions that demand teamwork and coordination. But first, we will musically prepare the stage for the match – with a work "written with great pleasure" by Sofia Gubaidulina: It dates from 1971 and is a delightful story about a small piece of chalk. For Dvořák's Violin Concerto, first performed in 1883, we welcome the acclaimed violinist Augustin Hadelich as the driving star striker: For although the original composition is based on the idea of ​​the symphonic concerto, there is ample room for the soloist to showcase their talent – ​​especially in the fiery finale, which is based on the Bohemian folk dance "Furiant," meaning "the intoxicating one" or "the frenzied one." In the second half, our task remains the same: to move the musical ball back and forth between the different instrumental sections with great precision and unerring technique – in Bartók's popular Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, which, while essentially a disguised symphony, offers ample solo opportunities for individual members of our ensemble.

Elim Chan, Augustin Hadelich

Bamberger Symphoniker

Tonight, our string section takes centre stage. Written in 1939 as Europe teetered on the brink of war, Bartók’s Divertimento fuses Hungarian folk-rhythms with his signature spiky harmonies and driving momentum. This is furiously virtuosic music; technically demanding and intense, pulsing with energy.

Serenade for Strings

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Trombone Quartet Recital

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Welcome to Masterpieces #3 and to an evening where we delve into the symphony orchestra's fascinating universe of timbres, roles and dynamic characters. Here we will experience well-known and popular classical highlights, ranging from the most delicate notes to the most dramatic climaxes, from the effervescent to the heartbreaking – making the symphony orchestra pulsate as if it were a living organism. The program includes captivating ear-hangers by Mozart and Rossini, gripping descriptions of love by Mahler and Wagner, and folk musical intricacies by Grieg, Bartok and Tchaikovsky.

Masterpieces #3

The Conservatory Concert Hall

Haslev-Halls

Stenhus Gymnasium

Ringsted Kongrescenter

Exiled in the United States, Bartók and Korngold poured their longing for home into their concertos—one steeped in Hungarian traditions, the other blending Viennese charm with Hollywood melodies. Showcasing the brilliant Simone Lamsma, this concert promises an enchanting journey full of emotion, cinematic splendour, and symphonic brilliance. A magical evening where mesmerizing melodies will allow you to discover a rich cultural heritage.

Echoes of Europe in Hollywood

Discover the Happy Symphonic Hour version of our December 3 program and be swept away by nostalgic European sounds and iconic Hollywood melodies. This 60-minute concert also offers a chance to meet comedian Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, who will be hosting the evening. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to discover—or rediscover—the incredible violinist Simone Lamsma, acclaimed for her outstanding performance in 2024.

From Europe to the Movies

The DACAMERA audience favorites perform a characteristically intriguing and varied program. Haydn’s inventive classical works are daringly contrasted with 20th and 21st century quartets, including a recent work by award-winning composer/pianist Timo Andres.

Brentano String Quartet

The Menil Collection

CARION is a Danish/Swedish/Latvian wind quintet, which is both well-founded in the traditional classical wind quintet repertoire, but has also achieved enthusiastic reviews for their performances of lesser-known and newer repertoire within the wind quintet genre in many places in Europe, the USA, and Brazil. The quintet has collaborated with contemporary composers such as Jeppe Just, Renate Stivrina, Andris Szenitis, Britta Byström and Anders Nordentoft.

Composer

Béla Bartók

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 16, 2025 - Jun 16, 2026

NDR Chamber Concert · Elbphilharmonie

20 - 27 Mar, 2026

The Orient Express · Ensemble MidtVest

Mar 24, 2026

Bluebeard's Castle · Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mar 26, 2026

Eriyns Quartet · Michigan State University College of Music

26 - 28 Mar, 2026

Bartók, Rózsa & Brahms · Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Mar 23, 2026

Ray Chen / Amsterdam Sinfonietta · Elbphilharmonie

Mar 22, 2026

Music of Eastern Europe: Old Worlds, New Worlds · La Mirada Symphony

About

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