With a large orchestra, one can tell whole stories. And one of the greatest musical storytellers was undoubtedly Igor Stravinsky. The sounds and rhythms he conjured up caused scandals more than 100 years ago, but today they inspire us to create grand images like in the cinema. This is also the case with the tale of the "Firebird" with all its sophisticated colors and instruments: eerie and dark sounds for the immortal sorcerer Kastchei, bright colors for the Firebird, and folkloric music for the prince and princess. Unusual orchestral instruments like tambourine and xylophone are also included. JUN 7: Concert as part of the Dresden Music Festival Please note: There will only be a concert introduction on 07.06.

EPSG:4326

Stravinsky Firebird

Palace of Culture

A symphony orchestra can tell complete stories. And one of the most important storytellers was doubtlessly Igor Stravinsky. The sounds and rhythms he conjured were scandalous more than 100 years ago; today, they inspire us to imagine cinematic scenes. This is also true of the legend of the firebird with all its sophisticated colors and instruments. Before this eternally fascinating orchestral work, the Dresden Philharmonic interprets Tan Dun’s »Fire Ritual« for violin and orchestra, under the baton of its principal guest conductor Kahchun Wong and with the violinist Josef Špaček as the soloist – the former and, at the time, youngest-ever concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic. The work was composed in 2018, inspired by ceremonial music from the Chinese court. This program, packed with legends and fairytales, begins with the »Dance of the Seven Veils« from the ballet »Salome«, composed in 1948 and reworked in 1987 by the Japanese composer Akira Ifukube, who is most well-known for his compositions for the Kaijū film genre.

Špaček — Dresden Philharmonic — Wong

Kulturpalast Dresden

Liszt’s breathtaking Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by an artist praised for his “enchanting, sensitive lyricism and hypnotizing forcefulness” (The Jerusalem Post), along with masterworks by Wagner and Richard Strauss that will send your imagination soaring.

The Witty and the Wicked

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

If you love waltzes, you don’t want to miss this concert…..
If you love Overtures, you don’t want to miss this concert….
If you love Percussion, you don’t want to miss this concert…..

Spring 2025 Concert

Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center 

Brahms, a lifelong perfectionist, had always maintained he would never write a symphony, seemingly convinced it would never measure up to the likes of Beethoven’s. It is therefore understandable that Brahms may have dragged his feet a little; it took almost 15 years to finish his First Symphony. Beethoven’s influence is nonetheless present, particularly in the fourth movement which is deliberately reminiscent of the ‘Ode to Joy’ melody from the finale of the great master’s ‘Choral’ Symphony.

The Hallé in Sheffield

Sheffield City Hall

Brahms’s Symphony No.1

The Bridgewater Hall

Melody without end: Christian Tetzlaff plays Beethoven and Sebastian Weigle conducts Rachmaninov with one of Japan’s finest orchestras.

Christian Tetzlaff is a violinist steeped in the German classical tradition, so it almost goes without saying that his Beethoven has a unique assurance and authority. But it’s thrillingly immediate and alive too: The New York Times described his playing as ‘tight, clean, and free of excess rhetoric’, and his interpretation of Beethoven’s soaring Violin Concerto is a thing of wonder.

Akira Ifukube

Events

Past events

7 - 8 Jun, 2025

Stravinsky Firebird · Dresdner Philharmonie

Jun 7, 2025

Špaček — Dresden Philharmonic — Wong · Dresdner Musikfestspiele

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