Alma Mahler's Seven Songs immediately lead us into the world of the turn of the century: emotions between melancholy and hope, set to music with a deep, almost intimate expressiveness. In the arrangement for medium voice and orchestra, they unfold a sonic dimension that both touches and inspires. On the other hand, Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, known as "From the New World," is quite different. It bridges the gap between two continents and pours the impressions of a life in foreign America into grand symphonic arches. Longing sounds here like a distant memory, pulsating yet full of vastness. Dvořák's famous English horn theme, often referred to as the "Song of the Lonely Wanderer," captivates as much as the dynamic contrasts between drama and delicate lyricism. An evening that explores completely different soundscapes – and shows how diverse musical longing can sound.

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From the New World

Palace of Culture

Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 – also known as the New World Symphony – is one of the most popular works of classical music. Why? Because it goes straight to the heart! Dvořák wrote it in the USA, when he heard the sounds of spirituals and music of the indigenous population for the first time. He mixed these influences with his unmistakable style full of melodies that you can't get out of your head. The symphony takes you on a journey: from the longing English horn solo in the second movement, which sounds like a memory of home, to the thrilling finale that exudes pure spirit of adventure. And if you listen closely, you may even discover the film music that was later inspired by this symphony – from "Jaws" to "Star Wars"!

 Short & Casual The Curious One abgeFRACKt: New World

Such a powerful piano concerto had not been heard before. When Johannes Brahms premiered his First Piano Concerto in 1859, the audience was thrilled. Few knew how many years he had struggled to complete it. Initially, he wanted to write a sonata for two pianos, but that failed. Then he reworked his ideas for an orchestra, but he was still not satisfied. Finally, the saving idea came to him: to combine the orchestra and piano. Today, the piece is considered one of the most beautiful offerings of romantic music. Prokofiev's suites for Shakespeare's famous love story are also the result of a reworking, transforming the music from a complete ballet to pure orchestral music. He personally selected the most beautiful passages for this purpose. The result is like dramatic cinema for the ears...

Brahms Piano Concerto

"Romeo and Juliet" is known by almost everyone. It's no wonder, as the famous love drama by Shakespeare has been "translated" into various art forms over the centuries: from musicals to operas to purely orchestral music. The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev succeeded in this with his ballet music in an outstanding way. After a short initial failure, it is now considered one of the best musical adaptations of the story. This is clearly due to its quality! Not only ballet enthusiasts, but also the concert audience couldn't get enough of it - on one hand, the melting melodies, and on the other hand, the dynamic dances, sometimes outrageously virtuosic, sometimes thrilling with their powerful rhythms. At the beginning of the concert, Malte Arkona briefly introduces the piece, and afterwards, he speaks in the After Concert Talk with the artists of the evening about what makes "Romeo and Juliet" so exciting for them.

Best of Classics: Romeo and Juliet

After the summer break, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra returns to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with a dynamic programme. Austrian conductor Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, previously admired as a talented violinist, takes the stage alongside the extraordinary pianist Yoav Levanon. Together, they present Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto, a masterpiece filled with passion, playful contrasts, and echoes of Norwegian folk traditions. Its dramatic opening bars, introduced by timpani rolls, set the tone for an emotional journey inspired by Grieg’s personal joys and sorrows. The concert concludes with Brahms’ majestic Fourth Symphony, a profound work reflecting his lifelong fascination with classical forms and styles. In its final movement, Brahms masterfully incorporates a passacaglia and an excerpt from a Bach cantata.

Antwerp Symphony & Yoav Levanon at the Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw

At the end and climax of the birthday weekend, the festival prize winners have one more surprise in store: Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, who was still performing as a violinist the day before, is now at the podium, with congenial partners such as the ensemble reflektor and especially his "instrumental colleague" Veronika Eberle.

With Mozart and Beethoven

Schloss und Gut Ulrichshusen

This anniversary year, the now traditional theme weekend at Ulrichshusen Castle is dedicated to the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival itself: the musicians who have shaped and continue to shape it, the adventures that the artists, team, and audience experience together, and, of course, the music itself. We look forward to two fantastic days with many award winners. They'll be saying "Happy Birthday" in chamber and orchestral music, in talk shows, and in late-night shows.

Pretty much best friends

Guerst performance Brussels

BOZAR

eye and ear

Museum Ludwig

On a single whiplash, the door opens to a world of colours and light: Maurice Ravel’s piano concerto in G Major is fascinating from the very first note. Basque folklore, sounds from Spain and southern France, crystalline sparkle, and elegant jazz – musical notes become images, some tender and fluffy, others rich and bright. Ravel’s compatriot, French pianist Bertrand Chamayou, seems completely in his element in this dazzling bravura piece. The other two works are equally sensual to the eye and the ear: In his Ballet Gayaneh, Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian lets the sparks fly, including a fiery sabre dance. Modest Mussorgsky invites us to a vernissage where he paces from painting to painting, creatively turning each of them into sounds.

Eye and ear

"He is a true poet. What a sophisticated musician!" wrote the Austrian press about the cellist Jeremias Fliedl, one of the most promising cellists of his generation. Fliedl is the soloist in Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto, which is on the programme of the 7th Philharmonic Concert alongside Jean Sibelius' first symphony. Both composers have had a significant influence on music in their home countries, both have the aura of being a kind of "national composer". And both have given strong impetus to the stylistic development of music in the Czech Republic and Finland: Dvořák by drawing inspiration for his works from Czech folk music, Sibelius by managing to establish something like a "Finnish tone" with his music. This is certainly just as much fun to listen to as seeing Emmanuel Tjeknavorian again.
He has, however, changed sides: two seasons ago he was a guest with the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist with his violin, and now he stands at the podium in front of the orchestra. The Austrian musician is multi-talented, which he will prove this evening.

A toast to passion

Die Glocke

Rachmaninoff’s breathtakingly beautiful Second Piano Concerto and Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony – From the New World – are two of the most beloved works in the classical repertoire. Rachmaninoff’s concerto is filled with passion, longing and romance, but also serenity and peace. For the first time at Konserthuset Stockholm, we welcome the extraordinary Armenian-American pianist Sergei Babayan – a giant among giants.

Rachmaninov and Dvorák

Stockholm City Hall

Saint-Saëns transforms the concert hall into a cavernous cathedral in his mighty “Organ Symphony.” A self-portrait in sound that channels the composer’s lifelong love of sacred music, this symphony unleashes the thunderous sound of the Lay Family Concert Organ as it scales the heights of spiritual euphoria. “I gave everything to it,” Saint-Saëns wrote of his final symphony, “What I have here accomplished I will never achieve again.”

Emmanuel Tjeknavorian

Events

Upcoming events

15 - 16 Apr, 2026

Rachmaninov and Dvorák · Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

27 - 29 May, 2027

Grieg & Saint-Saëns · Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Feb 28 - Mar 1, 2026

From the New World · Dresdner Philharmonie

Feb 27, 2026

Short & Casual The Curious One abgeFRACKt: New World · Dresdner Philharmonie

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Symphony No. 4 by Brahms

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Piano Concerto No. 1 by Brahms

Dresdner Philharmonie

Conductor in Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) by Dvořák

Dresdner Philharmonie

Conductor in Romeo and Juliet Suite by Prokofiev

Dresdner Philharmonie

Violin in Sonata for Violin and Cello by Ravel

Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Conductor in Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky

Kölner Philharmonie

Conductor in Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Duo for Violin and Cello by Kodály

Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Violin in Violin Concerto No. 3 by Mozart

Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Violin in Passacaglia for Violin and Viola by Halvorsen

Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Conductor in Gayane Ballet Suite by Khachaturian

Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne

Conductor in Piano Concerto by Grieg

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor in Cello Concerto in B minor by Dvořák

Bremer Philharmoniker

Conductor in Symphony No. 9 by Dvořák

Dresdner Philharmonie

Conductor in Piano Concerto in G Major by Ravel

Kölner Philharmonie

Conductor in Symphony No. 3 by Saint-Saëns

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Overture in D minor by Pejačević

Dresdner Philharmonie

Conductor in Gayaneh by Khachaturian

Kölner Philharmonie

Conductor in Symphony No. 1 in E Minor by Sibelius

Bremer Philharmoniker

About

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