Name: MacMillan and Choir
Start: 2026-05-09T19:00:00
Location: Palace of Culture

James MacMillan

Dresdner Philharmonie

Are you in the mood for drama, love, and a little bit of madness? Hector Berlioz invites you on an emotional rollercoaster ride with his "Symphonie fantastique"! This masterpiece is like a movie without a screen – everything happens in your mind. Berlioz tells the story of a young artist who is hopelessly in love. His emotions range in all directions: from romantic infatuation to wild jealousy to dark nightmares. The music is explosive, imaginative, and full of surprises. A highlight: the "Witches' Sabbath", where Berlioz pushes the boundaries of music and stages an eerie sound festival. The orchestra becomes a tool of pure emotion – from delicate harp sounds to thundering drums.

Best of Classics: Berlioz Fantastique

Palace of Culture

A music that doesn't need any explanation, that one understands all by itself? That's what the French composer Hector Berlioz wanted when he wrote his "Fantastic Symphony." He was heartbroken, and he composed his experiences directly into the music. In fact, while listening, we can imagine how someone falls in love, experiences happiness with the beloved woman, and how love fails. But of course, there are still some open questions – how does Berlioz manage to create so many different timbres? What role do the individual instruments play in this? Malte is on a quest to find answers for you...

Fantastic Symphony

Camille Saint-Saëns' Second Piano Concerto is one of the most versatile works in romantic piano literature. With its unusual structure, it begins like an improvised fantasy before building up to a virtuosic and rhythmically striking finale. Bertrand Chamayou, one of the leading pianists of his generation, interprets the work with technical brilliance and musical depth, effectively showcasing the contrasting moods of this concerto. Hector Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" is a milestone in program music, narrating in five movements the passionate and increasingly nightmarish vision of a young artist. The multifaceted instrumentation, ranging from lyrical melodies to dark sounds of the "Witches' Sabbath," makes the work an impressive example of romantic sonic art.

Symphonie fantastique

There are not many instruments that are played simultaneously with hands and feet. The organ is one of them. It's not surprising that you have to use your whole body to make such a huge apparatus sound. Our organ in the Kulturpalast has a whopping 4109 pipes! How to make them produce music, what a register is, what hides behind the strange word "manual," and much more will be revealed in our school concert. Oh, and why is the organ actually in the concert hall and not in a church?

Music with 4109 pipes

With the concert, we explore musical boundaries, or rather: the brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen do, together with the two percussionists Alexej Gerassimez and Emil Kuyumcuyan. They present a diverse program that focuses on rhythms and sounds. John Adams' rapid "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" is virtually a musical adrenaline rush, which in this arrangement for piano and percussion unleashes all its pulsating energy in a concentrated form. Fazil Say's Variations for two pianos and percussion combine Turkish folk music with energetic modern sounds. Steve Reich's Quartet for two pianos and two vibraphones is hypnotic and precise - minimalist music that unfolds a unique pull through its shimmering patterns. The Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story," on the other hand, bring Broadway to the concert stage: passionate, dramatic, and full of dance rhythms. By invitation of the Dresden Philharmonic in cooperation with DK Deutsche Klassik.

Jussen Brothers

Claude Debussy's "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" is a masterpiece of Impressionism. Inspired by a poem by the Symbolist Stéphane Mallarmé, the music paints the picture of a dreaming faun on a warm afternoon. With floating flute sounds and gentle harmonies, Debussy transports us into a world between dream and reality – a sensory delight in sound. Not many works of the 20th century are as naturally included in concert programs today as the music of Maurice Duruflé, who passed away in 1986. Particularly his sacred vocal music continues to enjoy enduring popularity, surely also due to its accessible musical language. Duruflé had little interest in breaking with tradition; in his 1947 Requiem, he engaged with the model of the two generations older Gabriel Fauré and let his enthusiasm for Gregorian chant run free. However, the work is not backward-looking: Contrary to the operatic settings of the Requiem in the 19th century, Duruflé focused less on the pains of the Last Judgment and more on the otherworldly redemption. Chief conductor Sir Donald Runnicles and the MDR Radio Choir infuse this work with a special intensity through their sensitivity and beauty of sound.

Sir Donald with Debussy

Today we immerse ourselves in the world of ancient myths. But don't worry! It's not about fear and terror, but about the forest and the fields. A large piece of nature is making its way into the cultural palace - and in the midst of it all: the flute, with which many composers have told wonderful stories. Claude Debussy already wondered: What does a faun experience on an afternoon? And Gabriel Fauré wrote wonderfully melancholic melodies for the flute, which one may have heard somewhere before. But who are the nymph Syrinx and the Pan, who chases after her? Phili wants to know exactly - and Malte surely has the right answers once again.

phil to explore ...with delicate flute colors

Crossover - Weber meets JazzThis text suggests a fusion or collaboration between the music of Weber and Jazz.

Raphael Attila Vogl demonstrates the diverse sounds of the organ in a program that brings works from Bach to Bruckner to life through impressive transcriptions. The opening piece is Carl Maria von Weber's Overture to "Der Freischütz," which surprises with dramatic contrasts and a romantic sound ideal - in the version for organ, it unfolds with an almost orchestral force. Johann Sebastian Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto in G major, originally intended for strings, becomes a virtuosic challenge in the organ transcription, emphasizing the clarity and brilliance of the Baroque period. With an excerpt from Max Reger's String Quartet in E-flat major, Vogl adds a chamber music touch that preserves the sonic intimacy of the original while exploring the vastness of the instrument. The conclusion is the finale from Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 - a monumental work whose transcendent power gains even more grandeur in the organ arrangement. Invited by the Dresden Philharmonic.

Bach Reger Bruckner

Our Easter concert brings together masterpieces that radiate lightness, elegance, and a connection to nature. Sergei Prokofiev's "Classical Symphony" opens the evening with charm and wit. Inspired by Haydn, Prokofiev wrote a symphony that combines tradition with modernity - airy, clear, and full of surprising twists.

Classical music for Easter

What happens when classical meets jazz? George Gershwin achieved exactly that with his "Concerto in F." A concert that sounds like New York in the 1920s: vibrant, pulsating, full of energy. Gershwin, a true jazz prodigy, became an overnight star with his piece "Rhapsody in Blue." But with the "Concerto in F," he proved that he could not only write for the stage and clubs but also for the concert hall. Right from the start, the piano takes the listeners on a rapid run, almost like a wild taxi ride through Manhattan. The music tells of everything that inspired Gershwin: jazz clubs in Harlem, crowds on Broadway, and the pure excitement of a city that never sleeps. It's a bit like a musical adventure: from cheerful melodies that invite you to sway along, to emotional passages that go straight to the heart. Gershwin shows that classical music can be anything – cool, captivating, and full of surprises.

abgeFRACKt: Two Worlds, one Groove

George Gershwin wrote his Concerto in F in 1925 amidst the pulsating New York City. The work combines the elegance of classical forms with the exuberant energy of jazz – a music reflecting the city itself: loud, vibrant, full of surprises. From the first drumbeat to the final cadenza, the concerto sparkles with joy of life. Gershwin knew how to tell stories – and Boris Giltburg, Artist in Residence, brings them to life. With his delicate balance of virtuosity and sensitivity to nuances, he unfolds the full color spectrum of this extraordinary work. With his First Symphony composed in 1935, William Walton holds up a mirror to its time of creation: between urgent rhythms and sonic depths, one can feel the restlessness of the 1930s – intense, dark, but also overwhelmingly beautiful. In the first three movements, a gripping blend of energy, drama, and melancholy unfolds – from dark intensity to delicate, lyrical moments. The final movement, completed later, brings about the triumphant resolution. The symphony is considered one of the most significant works in British music, impressing with its emotional depth and orchestral power.

Giltburg with Gershwin

Bach - Britten - Pärt - MacMillan: On the "Day of Liberation" on May 8th, we musically bridge to Great Britain with our Philharmonic Choirs and present a program that illuminates different musical approaches to themes such as peace, remembrance, and spirituality. In his "Sinfonia da Requiem," Benjamin Britten combines liturgical elements with his personal musical language. Created against the backdrop of World War II, the composition stands as a monument and plea for peace and humanity. Arvo Pärt's "Da pacem Domine" combines meditative calmness and a clear, simple aesthetic. Pärt's minimalist musical language elevates the Latin plea for peace into a timeless, universal dimension. However, the musical core of the concert consists of two works by our Composer in Residence, who also conducts. Particularly poignant are his "Cantos Sagrados." "When composing this piece, I wanted to create something that is both timeless and contemporary, both sacred and secular," he says. The result is a moving work for choir and orchestra that is particularly touching under his direction.