Composer

Separated by a few short years and the turn of a century, this concert features two utterly different string quartets from two modernist giants who typify the staggering range of fin de siècle classical music.

Schoenberg’s visionary second quartet sees Ensemble 360 joined by superstar soprano Claire Booth for a surprisingly accessible and personal work that stretches from the intimate to the interstellar. Debussy’s sensual and impressionistic quartet shimmers with life and light between opening storms and a grand conclusion.

Contrasts

Sheffield Theatres

Lulu's uniqueness challenges the norm. Is she real, a mythological figure or a figment of men's imagination? Innocent victim or a destructive demon? She's none of these things yet all of them. This feral, vulnerable, creature's struggle with the world, during which she's appropriated and exploited before being murdered, began when she was dragged out of her element.

EPSG:4326

Lulu

Oper Frankfurt

Join us for an exquisite evening at the Salle Philharmonique in Liège on Sunday, November 24th, 2024, at 4:00 PM for a recital that promises to be a highlight of the musical season. Esteemed pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, renowned for her profound musicality and legendary status among pianists of our time, will grace the stage as part of the prestigious "Piano 5 étoiles" series.

Elisabeth Leonskaja, a true heir to the great Russian musical tradition, embodies the quintessence of music-making. With a powerful stage presence and an ethereal approach to performance, she brings to life the works of Mozart, Berg, and Schubert in a recital that showcases her unparalleled talent and deep musical insight. The program features Mozart's Sonatas in F major, K. 280, and D major, K. 576, Berg's Sonata Op. 1, and culminates with Schubert's monumental Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960, a pinnacle of the piano literature.

The recital, lasting approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, is not just a concert but an immersive experience into the genius of classical music, interpreted by one of its most distinguished exponents. Tickets are priced at 34 / 18 / 11, offering options for every enthusiast to witness this unforgettable performance.

For more information on accessing the venue and booking your tickets, please visit the Salle Philharmonique de Liège at Boulevard Piercot, 25-27, B - 4000 Liège, Belgium. Ticket reservations can be made online, at the OPRL ticket office, or by phone, ensuring your place at this not-to-be-missed event. Join us for a musical journey with Elisabeth Leonskaja that promises to be both enlightening and inspiring.

Elisabeth Leonskaja

Philharmonic Hall of Liege

Winner of the coveted Premio Abbiati (Best Soloist of the Year) in 2022, pianist Filippo Gorini is a supremely gifted musician who has impressed in many of the world’s great concert venues. In his Carnegie Hall debut recital, he performs Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations,” a virtuosic undertaking that has earned Gorini a Diapason d’Or, as well as five-star reviews in The Guardian, BBC Music Magazine, and Le Monde. Berg’s single-movement Piano Sonata and Schubert’s exquisite Piano Sonata in A Major are also featured in this remarkable debut

Filippo Gorini, Piano

Carnegie Hall

The British pianist and composer has shown a predilection for rare repertoire, especially from the Romantic period and the 20th Century, which has seen him champion such figures as the Austrian Egon Kornauth (1891-1959) and the Ukrainian Felix Blumenfeld (1863-1931). International Record Review found his interpretations on CD of the former ‘most engaging and enterprising ... [he] is a most perceptive advocate of this music.’

Jonathan Powell piano

Wigmore Hall

New for the 2024-25 season, select events are available as Pay-What-You-Wish ticketing, allowing you to choose the ticket price that's right for you. When purchasing tickets online, you'll see a $1 base price during checkout and you'll have the opportunity to enter your preferred ticket price as a donation. Or visit the Box Office (155 W 65th St) to purchase in person, Tuesday-Friday, 11am-5pm.

The New Series | Schoenberg and Beyond

The Juilliard School

Founded in 2019 in Berlin, the Leonkoro (‘Lionheart’) Quartet are one of the most exciting ensembles on the international scene.

Their many accolades include First Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet

Competition and the Concours International de Quatuor in Bordeaux. Currently BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists, their programme includes the first of three of Mendelssohn’s wonderful string quartets presented by New Town Concerts this season.

Leonkoro Quartet

The Queen's Hall

Isabelle Faust returns to Berwaldhallen with Alban Berg's violin concerto – written in memory of a young girl. Principal conductor Daniel Harding also leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the overture to Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser , an opera about the struggle between virtuous and sensual love. In addition, the German Romantic composer Emilie Mayer's Seventh Symphony.

Isabelle Faust In Bergs Violin Concert

SR Berwaldhallen

Soprano singer Claire Booth, pianist Alasdair Beatson and musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia together under the direction of Maria Wloszczowska.

Pierrot in the Moonlight

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

Richard Strauss drew inspiration for his Salome Dance from Oscar Wilde's play, where Salome demands the head of John the Baptist, the only man who resisted her seduction. The erotically charged theme, intensity, and harmonic complexity naturally stirred controversy. The same holds true for Also sprach Zarathustra, based on Nietzsche's philosophical work, a piece surrounded by controversy along with Strauss's symphonic poem. Nevertheless, Strauss crafted an absolute masterpiece expressing his vision of earthly life. Alban Berg's Violin Concerto ‘To the Memory of an Angel' was dedicated to the tragically young Manon Gropius, daughter of Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius, showcasing how love and death can be closer than one might think. Berg poignantly translates the tragedy into an intense concerto, skillfully performed by Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma.

Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’

Queen Elisabeth Hall

Albanian-American violinist Brunilda Myftaraj has drawn enthusiastic accolades from audiences and critical acclaim for her masterful musicianship in Albania, Italy, Greece, France, Morocco, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, and the United States. She has been praised by the critics as an “especially fine and beautiful player.” Myftaraj’s teachers are some of the world’s finest, but her true inspiration comes from her audiences and students. Since 2023 Mrs. Myftaraj is a member of The Berkshire Bach Society. Her recordings of“Naked Violin” and “The American Pie” received impeccable reviews from Fanfare magazine.

The Shadows Of Our Destiny

New Britain Museum of American Art

Elisabeth Leonskaja will hold a masterclass for RDAM piano students on Sunday 6 October. More information will follow.

Pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja

Konservatoriets Koncertsal

“WE THE PEOPLE” Immigrant stories in music – part 9

The Bushnell Performing Arts Center

The universally admired Swedish artist received the Female Singer of the Year Award at the International Opera Awards in 2018, the same year that she was awarded the title of Court Singer by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Her operatic roles – many of them performed at the Royal Opera House in London or at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as in Sweden and elsewhere – run from Mozart to Puccini, Richard Strauss and Janáček. Her widely ranging programme explores songs from the French, German (or in Weill’s case from his post-German period) and Swedish traditions.

Malin Byström soprano; Magnus Svensson piano

Named Young Artists of the Year at the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and appointed the first Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at Oxford University, the London-based ensemble is a regular at Wigmore Hall – ‘a feisty group’, as Andrew Clements of The Guardian put it, ‘with a real personality and strong interpretative ideas’.

Castalian String Quartet

It was in the evening on 23rd May 2022 that the COE set foot for the first time in the newly-built, not yet open, Casals Forum, a concert hall commissioned by the Kronberg Academy for its students to perform in a hall that truly showcases the outstanding level of music education provided by the Academy. For a number of years, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Kronberg Academy have been working in Partnership, with the COE being invited to perform a number of times in Kronberg, including for the celebration of the Academy’s 25th anniversary in 2018. We are thrilled that this partnership has resulted in an invitation to become orchestra-in-residence at the Casals Forum where we can rehearse ahead of tours as well as perform smaller scale concerts with some of the Kronberg Academy students and teachers.

Kronberg Festival 2024

Casals Forum

### Solo Recital Series: Asiya Korepanova, Piano

**Event:** Solo Recital Series featuring Asiya Korepanova, piano  
**Date:** Sunday, August 25, 2024  
**Time:** 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM  
**Location:** Old First Concerts, 1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109, United States  
**Tickets:** Available for purchase  
**Livestream:** Available  

**Event Description:**

The San Francisco International Piano Festival proudly presents the debut recital of the acclaimed pianist and composer, Asiya Korepanova. Known for her virtuosic skill and emotional depth, Ms. Korepanova will perform a program that showcases her original transcriptions, beginning with a tribute to the festival's featured composer, Gabriel Fauré.

Asiya Korepanova is celebrated for her comprehensive repertoire, which includes over 60 piano concertos and solo works spanning from the Baroque period to contemporary compositions. She is the only pianist to have performed the complete solo piano works of Rachmaninoff within the composer’s 150th-anniversary year in 2023. Her performances are noted for their emotional intensity and technical brilliance, earning her repeated engagements and widespread admiration.

In addition to her prowess as a pianist, Ms. Korepanova is also a recognized composer, visual artist, and poet. Her transcriptions of major works, such as Richard Strauss’ "Ein Heldenleben" and Mussorgsky's "Songs and Dances of Death," have solidified her reputation as a formidable transcriber. Her recent compositions include the world premiere recording of her concerto for alto saxophone and piano, "Poéme," and the premiere of her Piano Quintet "I marvel at the sky."

**Program:**
- Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Élégie
- Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): Introduction Polonaise Brillante Op.3
- Amy Beach (1867-1944): Extase Op. 21, 2; I send my heart up to thee Op. 44, 3
- Alban Berg (1885-1935): Liebesode from Sieben Frühe Lieder
- César Franck (1822-1890): Le Mariage des Roses
- Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Songs and Dances of Death
- Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Sonata for Cello and Piano Op.19

Join us for an evening of transformative music as Asiya Korepanova brings her unique artistry to San Francisco. This is a not-to-be-missed event for classical music enthusiasts and those who appreciate the fusion of technical mastery and emotional expression.

Solo Recital Series Asiya Korepanova

Old First Presbyterian Church

Join guest conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for a stunning season finale. Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, performed by Concertmaster Steven Copes, invites the listener to feel love, loss and hope, being dedicated “to the memory of an angel.” Then, prepare to be drawn in by the power and vivacity of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony — an epic close to our 65th season.

Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony with Gábor Takács-Nagy

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

We end our season with Orff’s Carmina burana, in all its magnificent, carnal beauty. Giancarlo Guerrero programmed it — in its original form — to showcase the powerful forces of the Nashville Symphony and Chorus. On the first half of the program, our soloists in the Orff treat us to Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs and the autobiographical Songs of the Wayfarer of Mahler, who compared his own life to “a traveling journeyman…wandering on in solitude.”

Carmina Burana

Shermerhorn Symphony Center

Eclectic Series: Beethoven, Alban Berg, Judith Zaimont, Schubert / Young-Ah Tak

Bargemusic

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of piano mastery with Anna Geniushene at the Hayes Piano Series. This remarkable event will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 2:00 PM in the Terrace Theater at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Anna Geniushene, a silver medalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, is celebrated for her powerful sound, technical precision, and emotional depth. Her debut in the Hayes Piano Series promises an intriguing program featuring the very first works, or Opus One, by a selection of composers including Schumann, Clementi, Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Berg, and Weinberg. This performance is not just a display of Geniushene's virtuosity but also a journey through the initial expressions of these legendary composers.

Washington Performing Arts is dedicated to making performances accessible to all visitors. Accommodations are available for guests of all abilities, ensuring everyone can enjoy the beauty of classical music. For more information on accessibility, please visit the Kennedy Center's accessibility page or contact Washington Performing Arts directly.

Don't miss the opportunity to experience the artistry of Anna Geniushene, a pianist whose performances captivate audiences worldwide. Reserve your tickets now for a musical afternoon that promises to be both enlightening and inspiring.

Anna Geniushene, piano

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Clarissa Christina Smith, Soprano – Doctoral Qualifying Recital

Northminster Presbyterian Church in Tucson

With a heritage as rich as a Sachertorte, tonight’s concert gorges on the finest musical ingredients of Austria’s capital. Beethoven’s symphonies are cornerstones of the orchestral world – our very own sponge cake base! The Seventh Symphony is a feast of rhythm and dance, although Beethoven came from Spanish stock and maybe this just got the better of him when he cooked it up – expect more barnstorming than boleros. A hundred years on, the music of Berg stirred from the melting pot of 1900s Vienna. His Violin Concerto is, by turn, angelic and angst-ridden, one of the most innovative pieces ever written for the instrument. ‘Waltz King’ Johann Strauss II provides the icing on the cake with his Emperor Waltz, with a bonus trip down the river Danube, our dance through Vienna is complete.

Viennese Whirl

The Bridgewater Hall

“Ensemble Connect makes a chamber music concert an immersive experience … providing insights into the composer, the work, and the players’ approach … few do it better,” writes Seen and Heard International. In an enlightening program featured in Carnegie Hall’s Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice festival, the ensemble explores Berg’s dramatic Lyric Suite, a string quartet that achieved immediate and lasting popularity—long before the discovery of its hidden origins and evidence of the illicit affair baked right into its score.

Ensemble Connect

Acclaimed violinist and Curtis faculty member Benjamin Beilman (’12) joins former Dover Quartet violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (Viola ’10, ’11), award-winning cellist Oliver Herbert (’19), and emerging professional artists from Curtis for a North American tour. This phenomenal sextet of distinguished Curtis faculty and alumni, alongside exceptionally gifted young musicians, presents an electrifying concert of curated selections, both old and new. The program includes Richard Strauss’s masterful Sextet from his final opera Capriccio, Berg’s colorful and chromatic Piano Sonata in B minor, Brahms’s exhilarating String Sextet No. 2 in G major, and a new work by Alyssa Weinberg commissioned for this tour.

Curtis on Tour in Bradenton, FL

State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton

Starting in 2024, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) will take over the Artistic Direction of the renowned Musikwoche Hitzacker for five years. Titled, aus Leidenschaft (Out of Passion) the festival's 38th edition will reflect the MCO's own passion for music and their wish to engage in an active dialogue with audiences and the festival itself.

10 March 2024  Hitzacker

VERDO Culture & Conference Centre Hitzacker (Elbe)

Curtis on Tour in Evanston, IL

Nichols Concert Hall

In celebration of the 100th birthday of Pierre Boulez, conductor Daniel Cohen joins BBC NOW for an evening of 20th Century gems, kicking off with Boulez’s own Livres pour cordes. Unsurpassable beauty and depth run deep in this angular and fragmentary work, which is nothing but lyrical throughout.

Boulez at 100

Wales Millennium Centre

Curtis on Tour in Phoenix, AZ

ASU Kerr

Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. Each year, Curtis on Tour shines a light on the talented students, faculty and alumni of the esteemed school. This year’s tour features a string sextet featuring three rising stars and Curtis graduates playing the music of Strauss, Berg and Brahms as well as a newly commissioned work for the tour.

Curtis on Tour is the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music.

Curtis on Tour Curtis Sextet

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Curtis on Tour in Davis, CA

University of California, Davis

The Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor makes her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra with three works which showcase the sound of the orchestra – two by Austrian composers.

Katharina Wincor conducts Strauss, Berg and Connesson

BBC Maida Vale Studios

Franz Welser-Möst leads the Vienna Philharmonic in symphonic works written during a period of astonishing transformation. While rooted solidly in the emotional sweep and architectural brilliance of late Romanticism, these works by Bruckner and Berg offer a glimpse into a new world of orchestral possibilities both awesome and frightening in their vastness. “Alban Berg, who, for me, is maybe the greatest genius of the [Second Viennese School], knew exactly when to break the rules, like Mozart did, for the impact it should make on the audience,” says Welser-Möst.

Vienna Philharmonic

Curtis presents an evening with acclaimed violinist and Curtis faculty member Benjamin Beilman (’12), former Dover Quartet violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (’10, ’11, ’14), award-winning cellist Oliver Herbert (’19), and emerging professional artists from Curtis for the memorable evening of chamber music. This phenomenal ensemble presents Richard Strauss’s richly scored Sextet from his luminous final opera Capriccio, Alban Berg’s colorful and chromatic transcription of his Piano Sonata in B minor, Johannes Brahms’s ethereal String Sextet No. 2 in G major, and a newly commissioned work composed by Curtis alumna Alyssa Weinberg (’16). 

String Sextets

Curtis Institute of Music Lenfest Hall

From February 16–28, Gianandrea Noseda leads a nine-city European tour, his first international tour with the NSO, and the orchestra’s first since 2016. The NSO will visit some of Europe’s most important concert halls performing for audiences in Spain, Germany, and Italy, joined by pianist Seong-Jin Cho and violinist Hilary Hahn.

NSO Europe Tour: Cologne, Kölner Philharmonie

Cologne Philharmonie

Curtis on Tour in Fort Worth, TX

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The cornerstone of the third concert is Mahler’s First Symphony. We last performed it twenty years ago, during the 25th all-Mahler anniversary season. This time I’ve paired it with Alban Berg’s final work, the deeply moving Violin Concerto, written as a memorial for Manon Gropius (daughter of Mahler’s widow, Alma, and Walter Gropius), who died at the age of 18. Berg dedicated it to "the memory of an angel.” We open the program with a work in memory of another lost child: Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess), composed by the only composer who could be thought of as Mahler’s equal in his mastery of orchestration.

Ravel / Berg / Mahler Concert

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

NSO Europe Tour: Frankfurt, Alte Oper

Alte Oper

NSO Europe Tour: Nuremberg, Meistersingerhalle

Meistersingerhalle

NSO Europe Tour: Berlin, Berliner Philharmonie

Berliner Philharmonie

NSO Europe Tour: Madrid, Auditorio Nacional de Música

National Music Auditorium

Student vocalist Aaron Wu, baritone; plus Aria Wang, violin; and Amélie Starnes, piano; will perform a variety of selections that they have studied with faculty. They will be assisted by pianist Jennie Jung.

Pomona College Student Recital 5

Pomona College

The National Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed for its “exhilarating” performances at Carnegie Hall (The New York Times), performs under the superb leadership of Gianandrea Noseda. They treat audiences to one of Beethoven’s immortal symphonies: No. 3, “Eroica,” and showcase their versatility in selections from Berg’s impassioned Lyric Suite and Korngold’s Violin Concerto, which includes numerous references to the film scores Korngold wrote during his lifesaving Hollywood career.

National Symphony Orchestra

The three brothers, Mark, Erik and Ken Schumann, and violist Veit Hertenstein are well known for their willingness to take risks and explore new musical territories. This breathtaking program will include Mozart’s tribute to Haydn, one of Berg’s most original compositions, and a late quartet of Beethoven’s that brought the composer back to the string quartet genre after a 10-year absence. 

Schumann Quartet

Logan Center

Seeun Baek, Violin

Three-time Grammy–winning violinist and Musical America’s 2023 “Artist of the Year” Hilary Hahn as performs a cinematic masterwork by composer and film-score legend Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Then, brace yourself for the immortal “Eroica” Symphony, Beethoven’s vast ode to heroism, revolution, and freedom.

Hilary Hahn plays Korngold’s Violin Concerto Noseda conducts Beethoven’s “Eroica”

Kennedy Center

Gustav Holst’s The Planets has inspired an abundance of film music, not least John Williams’s soundtrack to the Star Wars films. The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and their principal conductor Daniel Harding will interpret this stunning and evocative orchestral work, which continues to fascinate the public more than 100 years after its composition. Plus Alban Berg’s poignant song cycle Seven Early Songs with soprano Johanna Wallroth, who has been named Classical Artist of the Year by the radio station P2.

Gustav Holst’s The Planets

Rongrong Liang, Piano

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music with David Afkham & Christian Tetzlaff, accompanied by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, at the majestic Munich Residence, Herkulessaal. This concert series, taking place on Thursday, 16th November 2023, and Friday, 17th November 2023, at 8:00 pm, promises a night filled with stirring performances and musical novelties.

The evening will commence with an introduction at 6:45 pm, setting the stage for a program that includes Anton Webern's "Passacaglia for orchestra in D minor, op.1", Alban Berg's "Concerto for violin and orchestra To the memory of an angel", and culminates with Franz Schmidt's "Symphony No. 4 in C major". This concert marks a significant occasion as it features the debut of David Afkham with the orchestra and introduces Franz Schmidt's symphony to the BRSO concert repertoire for the first time.

David Afkham, the esteemed conductor, alongside virtuoso violinist Christian Tetzlaff, will lead the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks through this carefully curated program. The concert not only showcases the talents of these remarkable musicians but also pays homage to composers who have left an indelible mark on the world of classical music.

This event is part of Subscription B, offering attendees a chance to immerse themselves in the profound emotional landscapes and intricate compositions of Webern, Berg, and Schmidt. It's an evening that promises to be a poignant exploration of music as a medium of remembrance and expression.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the magic of classical music in one of Munich's most iconic venues. Tickets are available for purchase online, ensuring your seat at this must-attend event for classical music enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

David Afkham & Christian Tetzlaff

Munich Residence

The third of 16 planned concerts and four events, Perilous Balance sees three young composers respond to Arnold Schoenberg’s groundbreaking Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11 with three brand new compositions. Also premiering is Peter Knell’s orchestral synthesis of ARKHIPOV, his gripping two-act opera depicting a Soviet submarine run amok. Among its musical arsenal, Arkhipov Synthesis uses a key technique invented by Schoenberg. Additionally, Tomas Peire Serrate's Awake reconsiders Schoenberg’s famous “Pierrot ensemble” with a fresh approach.

Perilous Balance

First Presbyterian Church

Schoenberg revered Wagner whose piano Elegy introduces the expressionist moods of Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, Schoenberg’s first important piano work. The passion of Berg’s Piano Sonata Op. 1, a single movement ripe with Wagnerian chromaticism follows. Lyris Quartet performs Webern’s zingy Five Pieces of String Quartet. Then Jacaranda Chamber Ensemble, with David Bloom conducting, gives the world premiere of Peter Knell’s Arkhipov Synthesis, based on his gripping tale of apocalypse averted. This program is part of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music — 100+ music institutions showcase forward-looking voices with new works written within the past five years.

First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica

Johann Sebastian Bachwas likely the greatest musical craftsman and the most influentialcomposer in the history of Western Art music. His influence spans to every genre and timeperiod.Bach to the Futurefeatures Bach as well as later composers inspired by his work.

Bach to The Future

Henry W. Coil Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts

An emotionally charged programme from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo. Berg’s Violin Concerto weaves quotations from Bach into music contrasting expressive Romanticism with cooler serial techniques. American-Canadian violinist Leila Josefowicz is the soloist. Also on this bill is the symphony that Mahler called his ‘song of the night’. Every Mahler symphony is an emotional journey; but this one sweeps from an overcast Alpine lake through love songs, nightmares and nocturnal marches to an ear-splitting finish along with jangling cowbells and laced with pitch-black humour.

Prom 35: Mahler’s Seventh

Royal Albert Hall

Festival of Song returns! Performance Santa Fe opens the series with an enchanting recital by baritone Huw Montague Rendall and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey, the leads of the Santa Fe Opera’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Making their SFO debut this summer, these are two of the most exciting talents of opera today. Join us as they open the 10th annual Festival of Song!

10th Anniversary of Festival of Song: Samantha Hankey and Huw Montague Rendall

Scottish Rite Temple

Originally from Medellín, Colombia, soprano Melissa Medina is currently pursuing her second master’s degree in vocal performance at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music under the guidance of renowned soprano Maria Spacagna. Her roles at CMU have included Annina in Kamala Sankaram’s Looking at You, and Soloist/Ensemble in Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. Additional recent operatic appearances include Frasquita in Carmen with Arte Lirico Foundation, Rosaura in Los Gavilanes with Prolirica Foundation, and Mary Magdalene in Rob Gardner’s The Lamb of God with Memorial Park Church. A frequent recitalist in her home country, Melissa has been featured at the Australian Embassy in Colombia, and at various venues throughout Peru, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and in the United States. Other highlights in the concert arena include her appearance as soloist in Rutter’s Gloria and Bach’s Magnificat with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra. Melissa has been honored with many awards, including a 2016 scholarship from the Carolina Foundation to do a master’s degree at the Barcelona Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, she was one of the winners of the EAFIT Symphony Orchestra’s Young Talents Competition and a finalist in the Colombian National Singing Competition in 2018. She has been fortunate to participate in several masterclasses over the years, including Grace Bumbry, Dalton Baldwin, Juan Felipe Molano, and Jonas Kaufmann, among others.

Student Recital: Melissa Medina Valencia

Carnegie Mellon University

Berg’s stunning music drawn from his opera, Lulu, is all but a symphony in name, including at its heart the song of the enigmatic protagonist herself, as much a victim as femme fatale, which will be sung by Anna Prohaska. From the previous generation of Viennese masters, Mahler’s First Symphony reflects his vision of a symphony embracing the world: from the sounds of nature and peasant dances, to folksongs, military and hunting calls and a funeral march. The concert will be conducted by Jonathan Bloxham.

Mahler’s First Symphony

Nicholas Collon joins us for an adventurous programme of scenic orchestral works featuring the world premiere by Composer-in-Association Tom Coult, Francesca Chiejina performs Seven Early Songs alongside a programme including Strauss' Alpine Symphony.

BBC Philharmonic | 1 April

Devon Bain (B.M. '23) presents a voice recital.

Student Recital: Devon Bain, Voice

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

The timeless art of the recital is perpetuated in the hands of present-day masters of the genre. Experience the musical journeys crafted by these thrilling performers in the intimate Rose Studio.

Art of the Recital: Tommaso Lonquich & Gilles Vonsattel

Rose Studio

Stephen Kovacevich, one of the most revered artists of his generation, has long been recognized as one of the most searching interpreters – “A musician completely absorbed in his craft, his interpretations are like no one else’s and always emanate directly from the heart: musical messages of wisdom, peace, resignation, and hope” (The Washington Post).

Stephen Kovacevich

Soka Performing Arts Center

American pianist Jon Nakamatsu continues to draw unanimous praise as a true aristocrat of the keyboard. His playing combines elegance, clarity, and electrifying power. A native of California, Nakamatsu came to international attention in 1997, when he was named Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the only American since 1981 to have achieved the distinction. Extensive recital appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, as well as premier venues in Europe, South America, and the Far East. His CD, featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and the Concerto in F, hit #3 on Billboard’s classical music charts. In 1999, Nakamatsu performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton.

Jon Nakamatsu

Hammer Theatre Center

The complex textures and rich harmonies characteristic of Richard Wagner’s compositions had a magnetic force on the composers featured on this afternoon’s program. From Strauss’ lusciously scored and radiantly colorful Sextet from his opera Capriccio and a string version of Berg’s intense Piano Sonata to arrangements and works in honor of Wagner by his own father-in-law, Franz Liszt, this program is a testament to the dominant force of this Romantic master. The program ends with the rarely heard, lushly exuberant Sextet by Hungarian composer Ernst Von Dohnányi for strings, clarinet, and horn.

Join us for the Musical Prelude with the Pelia Quartet for their performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Sz.85

The Wagner Effect

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

Twenty-five-year-old conductor Klaus Mäkelä leads the SF Symphony in Jimmy López’ <em>Perú</em><em> Negro</em>, a fantasy on Afro-Peruvian folksongs, while violinist Vilde Frang performs Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, a work rife with the emotion of a composer grappling with the fragility of life. The program closes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s tragic Tenth Symphony, widely seen as a depiction of the composer’s terrifying life in Stalinist Russia

Mäkelä Conducts Shostakovich 10

Davies Symphony Hall

The outstanding Tetzlaff Quartet, praised for lyrical, detailed readings of a wide range of repertoire, visits from its home base of Germany for a program of masterpieces by Haydn, Berg, and Brahms.</p>
<p>In this rare US visit, the quartet performs Haydn’s witty, surprising G minor quartet from Op. 20, Brahms’ turbulent and dramatic “A minor” quartet from Op. 51, and Berg’s vigorous and richly expressive first string quartet.

Chamber Music: Tetzlaff Quartet

University of California, Berkeley

A longtime champion of Anton Bruckner, the LA Phil’s Conductor Emeritus Zubin Mehta brings out the spiritual beauties of Bruckner’s poignant symphonic farewell, which Mehta has said “breaks your heart.” Already a star in Europe praised by BBC Music Magazine for “breathing life into every note,” Norwegian virtuoso Vilde Frang with Alban Berg’s compelling Violin Concerto.

Mehta Conducts Bruckner and Berg

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Andris Nelsons and the BSO continue the orchestra’s tradition of presenting great operatic works in concert with Alban Berg’s modernist masterpiece Wozzeck, which follows recent performances of early 20th-century operas by Richard Strauss and Puccini as well as complete acts from Wagner’s music dramas. First performed in 1925 and based on Georg Büchner’s mid-19th century play, Wozzeck uses a kaleidoscopic variety of musical means to relate the story a lowly soldier whose anxious, introspective humanity conflicts tragically with the circumstances of his life. The title role is sung by an acknowledged champion of the role, Danish baritone Bo Skovhus. The outstanding cast also includes soprano Christine Goerke as Marie.

Andris Nelsons Conducts Berg's Wozzeck

Boston Symphony Hall

Beloved virtuoso Emanuel Ax takes on Brahms’ epic First Piano Concerto with his full artistic arsenal. “Ax’s fleet fingerwork and the integrity of his interpretation mesmerized his audience” (The Guardian). Michael Tilson Thomas leads one of his all-time favorite works, Alban Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra, which MTT describes as a musical journey to the “borderline of sanity and looking at what happens when our obsessions get hold of us and lead to attractive but ultimately destructive places.”

Ax Plays Brahms

In his first Philharmonic appearance in ten years, Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Beethoven’s <em>Eroica,</em> a work of revolutionary fervor and a powerful expression of defiance against tyranny. Gil Shaham brings out the love and heartbreak in Berg’s musical homage “to an angel.” Ruth Crawford Seeger’s extraordinary melodic tapestry opens the concert.

Michael Tilson Thomas and Gil Shaham

Lincoln Center

Alban Berg described his <em>Lyric Suite</em> as a “small monument to a great love”. In it, the composer musically encoded his passion for the married Hanna Fuchs, interweaving the tonal equivalents of the initials of them both, creating a highly personal piece of programme music. Beethoven’s symphony known as the “Pastoral” is also programme music, in which he expresses his love for nature – with bird calls, the splashing of streams and thunderstorms. A joyful homage to country life, conducted by Daniel Harding to mark the Beethoven anniversary year. </p></div></div></article><h3>About the music</h3><article><div><h1>Storms of Emotion</h1><p>When Alban Berg set out for the International Music Festival in Prague in May of 1925 at the invitation of Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, he could not have anticipated that this journey would provoke an emotional storm in him: “I am no longer myself since this greatest of events,” he confessed to his hostess later. “One thought alone animates me, one desire, one longing: you!” The secret love affair continued until the end of the year – in <strong>Berg’s </strong><em>Lyric Suite</em> it reverberates until today. </p><p>Not until the letters between Berg and his “eternal love” as well as a score with handwritten notes by the composer were discovered in the 1970s did the work reveal its explosive secret programme. The title is a reminiscence of the song cycle <em>Lyric Symphony</em> by Alexander von Zemlinsky, to whom the <em>Lyric Suite</em> is dedicated. Berg set the stirring memories of his fateful encounter to music under the guise of an ostensibly innocuous string quartet.</p><h3>A brief liaison</h3><p>While the six highly expressive movements of the quartet capture this encounter in its entirety, from the carefree first meeting to the painful separation, the second, third and fourth movements, arranged for string orchestra by the composer in 1927, explore the amorous centrepiece of the brief liaison, climaxing with the passionate declaration of love in the Trio estatico. Disguising the work as an homage to his friend Zemlinsky, Berg twice quotes a melody from the <em>Lyric Symphony</em> to the words “You are my own”, and even the most nit-picking analysts were not able to discover the initials HF and AB woven throughout the intricate twelve-tone movement without the annotated score.</p><h3>“More an expression of feeling than painting”</h3><p>One of the first works to add lyrical content to abstract music was Ludwig van <strong>Be</strong><strong>ethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony</strong>. Its programme was never a secret, however, but was already made public at its premiere under the title “Recollections of Country Life”. A contemporary critic reacted with astonishment and slight displeasure: “The path that [Beethoven] maps out is eccentric: he raises us above the ordinary and transports us, though rather roughly at times, into the realm of fantasy.” For Beethoven himself the composition of the “Pastoral” was a balancing act in which the music was never intended to be a mere illustration of the programme. Although he dared to imitate the calls of the cuckoo, quail and nightingale quite naturalistically, a musical menagerie such as that heard in Haydn’s <em>Creation</em> would never have occurred to him. Accordingly, he made it clear in the programme note for the premiere that the symphony was “more an expression of feeling than painting”.</p><p>It was no coincidence that Beethoven’s Fifth, known as the “Fate Symphony”, was performed at the same concert. He had worked on both symphonies at the same time, and they are complementary siblings: whereas the Fifth insistently builds up momentum until its triumphant finale, the relaxed flow of the “Pastoral” conveys tranquillity and expansiveness. The two symphonies were still played in reverse order in December of 1808; only later did Beethoven change their numbering. The turbulent introspection of the personal struggle with fate thus finds its energetic counterweight in the liberating external perspective of a universal experience of nature, which ends with “happy and thankful feelings after the storm”.

Harding conducts Berg and Beethoven

Philharmonie

When memories turn into music, the personal becomes universal: Brahms’ sunny Second Symphony lights up this London Philharmonic Orchestra concert.

Strauss, Berg & Brahms

Southbank Centre

### Event Description: Strauss, Berg & Brahms - LPO

**Event Title:** Strauss, Berg & Brahms - LPO

**Date and Time:** Wednesday, 15 January 2025, 7:30 PM

**Location:** Royal Festival Hall, London

**Ticket Price:** £7 - £70

**Event Overview:**
Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for an evening of profound musical exploration as they present works by Richard Strauss, Alban Berg, and Johannes Brahms. Under the baton of Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, and featuring the exceptional violinist Isabelle Faust, this concert promises to be a deeply moving experience.

**Programme:**
- **Richard Strauss:** Metamorphosen (26 minutes)
- **Alban Berg:** Violin Concerto (28 minutes)
- **Johannes Brahms:** Symphony No. 2 (40 minutes)

**Performers:**
- **Edward Gardner:** Conductor
- **Isabelle Faust:** Violin

**Event Highlights:**
- **Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen:** A poignant reflection on the devastation of wartime Germany, this piece is both a lament and a testament to resilience.
- **Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto:** Dedicated to the memory of a young girl, this concerto transforms personal grief into a universal expression of beauty and sorrow.
- **Brahms’s Symphony No. 2:** Composed in the serene Austrian Alps, this symphony radiates warmth and joy, yet carries an undercurrent of introspection.

**Special Offers:**
- **Multi-Buy Series Discounts:** Save up to 30% on full-price tickets at the Southbank Centre, London, by booking multiple concerts.
- **Group Discounts:** Book 10 or more seats to access discounted tickets for Southbank Centre concerts.

**Related Event:**
- **LPO Showcase: Foyle Future Firsts and the Royal Academy of Music**
  - **Date and Time:** Wednesday, 15 January 2025, 6:00 PM
  - **Description:** Join the current cohort of Future Firsts, students from the Royal Academy of Music, and members of the LPO for a vibrant performance conducted by Edward Gardner.

**Booking Information:**
- **Book Now:** [Link to purchase tickets]

**Additional Information:**
- **Insight and Commitment:** Edward Gardner and Isabelle Faust are renowned for their deep musical insight and commitment, ensuring every note resonates with emotion, whether tragic, troubled, or joyful.

**Quotes:**
- "Isabelle Faust is a fearless leader in the realms of the violin." - Süddeutsche Zeitung

**Watch More:**
- **Brahms, Symphony No. 2 I. Allegro non troppo**
- **Timpani Moments Brahms 2: I. Allegro Non Troppo**

**On the LPO Label:**
- **Recording:** Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

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Experience the transformative power of live music with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Book your tickets now for an unforgettable evening.

Royal Festival Hall

The Twilight of the Austrian Hapsburg Empire

First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City

Music from different worlds and centuries collide in Domingo Hindoyan’s debut with Ensemble 10:10. Featuring Liverpool's own William Bracken on piano, Alban Berg's 1920s masterpiece was fashioned in the intellectual cauldron of Vienna. Kareem Roustom’s Violin Concerto was inspired by a musical phrase from a Mozart concerto which invoked his own Arabic musical heritage and language, and will be played tonight by its dedicatee, Michael Barenboim. On the other hand, Sam Kane – winner of the 2023 Rushworth Composition Prize – takes his musical roots from his own Irish ancestry.

Ensemble 10:10

Yoko Ono Lennon Centre

Brahms finished his Second Symphony directly on the heels of his First, but it would be hard to find two more different works. Occasionally referred to as his ‘Pastoral’ symphony, it is of a much happier and lighter nature, and it was immediately taken to the hearts of Viennese audiences, with its sunny themes and numerous dance-like melodies – gentle and lyrical. In their simple beauty the themes give the impression of having been written down in inspired spontaneity. Berg was not a musician of revolutionary temperament. On the contrary, he had great reverence for musical tradition, demonstrated in his Violin Concerto which draws substance from, and pays homage to, the musical past. Throughout the work Berg uses the Lutheran chorale It is Enough to form repeated phrases before ending in peaceful reverence; this perhaps explains Berg’s dedication “to the memory of an angel.” Johann Strauss’ sweeping waltz conjures the elegance of the Viennese dancehalls.

BSO: Viennese Whirls

Portsmouth Guildhall

We are delighted to welcome the new Chief Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Mark Wigglesworth, in a programme which highlights connections in Viennese music across generations.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

The Anvil

Music thrives on change: for centuries, great composers have channelled the spirit of their age into music that shocked some and gripped others – but has never lost its power to thrill. Stravinsky’s taboo-smashing ballet provides the final blast tonight, as Vasily Petrenko conducts this explosive opening concert of the RPO’s new series. But first he explores the rich, strange and sometimes violent new sounds that Alban Berg created in the Vienna of Klimt and Mahler. And he is joined by the superb British pianist Paul Lewis in a masterpiece that broke all the rules and still sounds just as exciting today as when it was premiered. It’s the concerto they call the ‘Emperor’: daring, majestic and filled from beginning to end with the irrepressible genius of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Alban Berg

Composer

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 15, 2025

Strauss, Berg & Brahms · Southbank Centre

Jan 15, 2025

Strauss, Berg & Brahms · London Philharmonic Orchestra

Jan 21, 2025

The Twilight of the Austrian Hapsburg Empire · Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma

Jan 22, 2025

Ensemble 10:10 · Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Jan 23, 2025

BSO: Viennese Whirls · Portsmouth Guildhall

Past events

Dec 7, 2024

Contrasts · Sheffield Theatres

Nov 28, 2024

Lulu · Oper Frankfurt

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