Sergei Prokofiev's G minor concerto, the second of his five piano concertos, is classicistic yet experimental. Prokofiev combines the virtuoso, almost athletic gesture, which culminates in a triumphant solo cadenza, with a distinctive melodic component. The Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov represents both - brilliant virtuosity and profound melodic design. In the "Gogol Suite," Alfred Schnittke reveals his inexhaustible sense of musical wit. With the exception of the last movement, which is in darker colors, there is hardly a moment of real seriousness in the incidental music to Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General." Admired for his theatrical and gripping interpretations, the Russian conductor Maxim Emelyanychev is considered one of the most promising conductors of his generation - and a specialist in the works of Mozart. The "Haffner Symphony" was commissioned by the Salzburg merchant Siegmund Haffner for his ceremonial elevation to the nobility. Mozart created the work under great time pressure, which is not evident from the exuberant symphonic fireworks.

Prokofiev Schnittke Mozart

Gasteig HP8

How heavy is a harp? How does the air blown into a horn become sound? How much does a drummer sweat? Why do oboists have to be able to carve? And who can you ask all of this? Us! We, the Munich Philharmonic, will introduce our instruments to you in detail and you can ask us all the questions that have always been on your mind.

Profis zum Anfassen - Streichinstrumente

The question of the authenticity of Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for wind instruments has been discussed for decades without any convincing result. This plays no role for either the audience or the four soloists from the ranks of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra - either way, the Sinfonia concertante is a masterpiece of wind literature. With the tender, lyrical "Siegfried Idyll", Richard Wagner gave his young wife Cosima a personal birthday present. Opera lovers will recognize leitmotifs from Wagner's music drama "Siegfried". Nathalie Stutzmann also presents a rarity: "Lachrimae antiquae" comes from a collection of lamentations by the Renaissance composer John Dowland. Robert Schumann did not look back all the way to the Renaissance, but at least to the Baroque period when composing his 2nd Symphony. His intensive engagement with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach was reflected in the work.

Mozart Wagner Dowland Schumann

For many years, Einojuhani Rautavaara was an inspiring and highly respected professor of composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. His students included the conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and tonight's soloist, Olli Mustonen. Rautavaara's 3rd Piano Concerto conjures up an atmosphere of calm and dreaminess, while Salonen's "Insomnia" explores the dark thoughts that haunt us, especially at night. Tchaikovsky gave his 1st Symphony the title "Winter Dreams" and takes the audience into a picturesque winter landscape. The youth concert full of northern lights, dream images and musical magic will be hosted by Malte Arkona.

2. Jugendkonzert

Dima Slobodeniouk conducts a program that is entirely dedicated to Nordic dream images and winter landscapes: For large parts, Einojuhani Rautavaara's Piano Concerto No. 3 exudes peace and mysticism; one would almost think it was written at night in a snow-covered hut in front of a warming fire. The Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen, recently awarded for his recording of this work, returns to the Munich Philharmonic as soloist with this "gift of dreams." The dark, demonic side of the night, which can rob you of sleep, inspired Rautavaara's student Esa-Pekka Salonen to create his orchestral work "Insomnia," which uses a large orchestra and special sound magic to describe the nighttime discomfort until the saving sunrise. Tchaikovsky's 1st Symphony, on the other hand, is more conciliatory and calming: with this symphony, Tchaikovsky made an atmospheric declaration of love to the Russian winter with all its manifestations of horse-drawn sleighs, frost flowers and pale winter sunlight.

Rautavaara Salonen Tschaikowsky

EPSG:4326

Chamber Concert

Munich Residence

Evangelische Akademie

It is probably the best-known composition of Baroque music: the famous "Air" by Johann Sebastian Bach. As a slow movement, it is part of the Orchestral Suite No. 3, which Bach, like Suite No. 4, probably composed for the court music in Köthen. Bach evidently valued these compilations of festive overtures and dance movements so much that he traveled several times with copies of the suites in his luggage. Bach's only setting of the Latin Magnificat text originally dates from his first year as Thomaskantor. With this magnificent composition, Bach wanted to demonstrate his skills and impress the Leipzig audience - which he probably succeeded in doing. Vivaldi supposedly composed faster than his copyists could copy. One of his many Concerti con molti strumenti is the masterfully composed G minor Concerto RV 576. Julian Shevlin and Andrey Godik, two members of the Munich Philharmonic, take on the solo parts. This baroque program is directed by Andrea Marcon, a proven specialist in historical performance practice.

Bach Vivaldi

David Robertson & Leonidas Kavakos

In 1989, shortly before New Year's Eve, the opening of the Iron Curtain was symbolically celebrated with Beethoven's 9th Symphony. In two concerts - once in the West Berlin Philharmonie, once in the Schauspielhaus on Gendarmenmarkt in East Berlin - Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven's musical appeal to humanity. The orchestra was made up of members from East and West Germany, reinforced by musicians from the USA, the former Soviet Union, France and Great Britain - the four powers that were present in the formerly divided Berlin. But that was not all the symbolism, because the extraordinary circumstances prompted Bernstein to make a small but significant change to the text: instead of "Joy, beautiful spark of the gods", he had the choir sing "Freedom, beautiful spark of the gods". This historic concert event was now 35 years ago - ringing in the New Year with Beethoven's 9th Symphony is a beloved tradition of the Munich Philharmonic. The British conductor Nicholas Collon makes his debut with the Munich Philharmonic with this concert series, supported in his usual way by the Philharmonic Choir and an excellent quartet of soloists.

New Year's Eve Concerts

### Event Description: ASMF & Jan Lisiecki - Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Join the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and renowned pianist Jan Lisiecki for an extraordinary musical journey through Beethoven's concertos. This special tour, taking place in January 2025, will see the Canadian-Polish pianist and the esteemed British ensemble reunite to bring Beethoven’s masterpieces to life in concert halls across Germany.

#### Event Highlights:
- **Performers:**
  - **Jan Lisiecki** - Piano
  - **Academy of St Martin in the Fields**
  - **Tomo Keller** - Violin and Director

- **Programme:**
  - **Ludwig van Beethoven:**
    - Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 B-Dur op. 19
    - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

#### Tour Dates and Locations:
- **Munich:**
  - 7 January 2025 (Tuesday) - Buy Tickets
  - 8 January 2025 (Wednesday) - Buy Tickets
  - 9 January 2025 (Thursday) - Buy Tickets
- **Mannheim:**
  - 10 January 2025 (Friday) - No Tickets
- **Freiburg:**
  - 12 January 2025 (Sunday) - No Tickets
- **Hannover:**
  - 13 January 2025 (Monday) - No Tickets
- **Hamburg:**
  - 14 January 2025 (Tuesday) - No Tickets
  - 15 January 2025 (Wednesday) - No Tickets
  - 16 January 2025 (Thursday) - No Tickets
- **Heilbronn:**
  - 18 January 2025 (Saturday) - No Tickets
- **Frankfurt:**
  - 19 January 2025 (Sunday) - Buy Tickets
- **Nuremburg:**
  - 22 January 2025 (Wednesday) - No Tickets
- **Regensburg:**
  - 23 January 2025 (Thursday) - No Tickets
- **Cologne:**
  - 24 January 2025 (Friday) - Buy Tickets
  - 26 January 2025 (Sunday) - Buy Tickets
  - 27 January 2025 (Monday) - Buy Tickets
- **Berlin:**
  - 28 January 2025 (Tuesday) - No Tickets
- **Dresden:**
  - 29 January 2025 (Wednesday) - No Tickets

#### About the Event:
In 2018, Jan Lisiecki stepped in for an ailing Murray Perahia and delivered a stunning performance of all five Beethoven concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The success of that tour and the subsequent live recording album cemented a special bond between Lisiecki and the orchestra. This January 2025 tour promises to rekindle that magic, offering audiences a chance to experience the pure joy and collaborative spirit that define their performances.

Don't miss this opportunity to witness a unique musical collaboration that celebrates the timeless beauty of Beethoven's work. Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable evening of classical music.

ASMF & Jan Lisiecki

Cologne Philharmonie

Herbert Blomstedt

Profis zum Anfassen - Harfe

With the opening program on the theme of "America", Santtu-Matias Rouvali shows the musical diversity of the continent. Jazz great Duke Ellington is an example of African-American composers. His orchestral triptych "Three Black Kings" is a musical tribute to three mythological and historical black personalities. As a contemporary composer, Julia Wolfe reflects historical and current events in her music. The German cellist Alban Gerhardt presents Wolfe's energetic cello concerto "Wind in My Hair" as a German premiere. Charles Ives is considered the central figure of new music in America and the first American symphonist to emancipate himself from the European musical tradition. In his Symphony No. 2, Ives quotes traditional American melodies and weaves them with references to European Romanticism to create a complex and expressive sound fabric.

Ellington Wolfe Ives

MPHIL Late 2025

Julia Hagen : Chamber orchestra

Prinzregententheater

The compositions "Christian Zeal and Activity" by John Adams and "Itaipú" by Philip Glass are dedicated to different spiritual traditions in America. In his work, written in 1973, John Adams quotes and arranges the English hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers", which, despite its military tone, was associated with the American civil rights movement. "Itaipú" by Philip Glass deals with the technical colonization of South America. With the construction of the "Itaipú" dam, the world's largest at the time and completed in 1984, which supplies Brazil and Paraguay with electricity, around 40,000 Guaraní indigenous people lost their homeland. Philip Glass composed this moving choral-symphonic work based on the Guaraní creation myth of a flood. The voices of the Guaraní are brought back to life by the Philharmonic Choir and report on the difficult relationship between man and nature. Embedded between these works of American minimalism is the new piano concerto by a crossover artist between different musical genres: Bryce Dressner. The universal US composer became famous on the electric guitar as a member of the indie rock band "The National". At the same time, his reputation as an orchestral composer developed. The German premiere of his new piano concerto will be presented by the well-known pianist Alice Sara Ott in Munich.

Adams Dessner Glass

Fanny Hensel (née Mendelssohn) and Louise Farrenc had everything they needed to reach the forefront of music history: an art-loving family, early musical support, sufficient financial means and, last but not least, enviable talent. There was only one thing they both lacked: the right gender. Fanny, just as brilliant a child prodigy as Felix, bowed for a long time to the will of her younger brother, who was convinced of the then common cliché that women were only capable of composing small, lyrical pieces. However, they lacked the strength for the supreme disciplines such as the string quartet or the symphony. Fanny Hensel's only string quartet, published in the 20th century, is a romantic masterpiece that proves her brother wrong. Louise Farrenc achieved great renown in 19th century Paris as a pianist, composer, and even as a conductor and professor. After her death, she was forgotten and was only rediscovered in the 1980s as part of gender research. Farrenc's string quintet is an arrangement of her popular nonet, which achieved a high level of fame outside France. The occasion on which Farrenc created the string-only version and whether it was ever performed remains a mystery. In addition to these two European women, two contemporary American composers are also in focus: Gabriela Lena Frank, born in California, traces her own roots in her works, which are fed by Peruvian-Chinese-Lithuanian-Jewish influences. In her work "Leyendas," she mixes elements of western classical and Andean folk music traditions. Jessie Montgomery has become a strong voice in American music in the 21st century through her artistic use of improvisation, poetry, and social awareness in her music. One of her latest works will have its premiere in this program.

Ladies First

Watch This Space | Stefan Schilli and the BRSO Academy

Technikum

"The history of American composition at the beginning of the 20th century revolves around an absent center," states Alex Ross, music critic for the New Yorker, and even titles the corresponding chapter in his bestseller "The Rest is Noise" "The Invisibles." This refers to composers such as Charles Ives, Wallingford Riegger, Carl Ruggles and others who had to work hard to establish an identity as American composers. Barbara Hannigan has made it her mission to bring these "invisibles" back to light. After intensive research in the Library of Congress, she presents a program that is probably unique in its form. It shows American music between 1900 and 1945 as if through a magnifying glass: from radical simplicity to radical dissonance to the fusion of classical and popular music, which reached its peak on Broadway. A picture of musical diversity that must necessarily remain incomplete, but even in this form allows fascinating and surprising insights. Hannigan's particular focus is on the individual, edgy, rebellious voices that sought their own expression and broke new ground.

Events in Munich

Prokofiev Schnittke Mozar...

Munich Philharmonic

Profis zum Anfassen - Str...

Munich Philharmonic

Mozart Wagner Dowland Sch...

Munich Philharmonic

2. Jugendkonzert

Munich Philharmonic

Rautavaara Salonen Tschai...

Munich Philharmonic

Chamber Concert

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Bach Vivaldi

Munich Philharmonic

David Robertson & Leonida...

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

New Year's Eve Concerts

Munich Philharmonic

ASMF & Jan Lisiecki

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Herbert Blomstedt

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Profis zum Anfassen - Har...

Munich Philharmonic

Ellington Wolfe Ives

Munich Philharmonic

MPHIL Late 2025

Munich Philharmonic

Julia Hagen : Chamber orc...

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Adams Dessner Glass

Munich Philharmonic

Chamber Concert

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ladies First

Munich Philharmonic

Watch This Space | Stefan...

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ives Crawford Seeger Rieg...

Munich Philharmonic