It was Hans von Bülow who said that Johannes Brahms’s Violin Concerto is a “concerto against the violin” – simply because the soloist is given little opportunity for virtuoso showmanship. In this concert, the Berliner Philharmoniker, soloist Guy Braunstein and conductor Andris Nelsons set about to uncover the evident as well as the hidden charms of the work.
While Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius enjoys nearly the same esteem as Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah in his native England, almost every performance abroad is seen as a rediscovery. And it is to such that the Berliner Philharmoniker and conductor Daniel Barenboim invite you with this concert.
With this work, Robert Schumann wanted to create a new genre, somewhere between oratorio and opera – but in all likelihood, it is precisely this ambiguity that means Paradise and the Peri is performed relatively rarely in the concert hall. However, in this concert, Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Rundfunkchor Berlin and an ensemble of excellent soloists show just what profound inspiration and wonderful music is to be discovered here.
At his debut with the Philharmoniker in January 2010, Tugan Sokhiev appeared to one critic as “the perfect blend of Christian Thielemann, Gustavo Dudamel and the Russian school.” He now performs Franz Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Boris Berezovsky.
The latest guest appearance by the National Youth Orchestra of Germany gives a glimpse into the future of music making. The recording of the concert, conducted by Markus Stenz, which includes Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, is available free by the end of January in the archive of the Digital Concert Hall.
If you live in the UK, you have as many as three opportunities in the new season to experience the Berliner Philharmoniker live in a cinema near you.