Programme Guide

For years now, the rigid barriers between historic and modern performance practice have been breaking down. As a result, numerous Early Music conductors have in the meantime worked with the Berliner Philharmoniker – from Nikolaus Harnoncourt to Trevor Pinnock. Another major exponent in this field is Ton Koopman. In this concert he makes his début with the Philharmoniker, conducting works by Bach and Haydn.

Many other symphony orchestras have also performed under Koopman’s direction, such as the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. His work with these orchestras is not, however, at odds with his musical ideals. In an interview he explained: “Fortunately in our days more and more modern symphony orchestras are going to perform Mozart, Bach and Haydn with their instruments but with a different aesthetic. [...] I think it’s an important thing that it’s possible to make a bridge between the two things.”

Along with Haydn’s Symphony No. 98, central to this début is Johann Sebastian Bach, whom Koopman admires more than any other composer: “Bach is able to compose in a way that mind and emotion are in a fantastic balance. You can just look at his music, surprised saying: ‘How is it possible that you can write in counterpoint like that, that you have the craftsmanship that Bach has, which is enormous, and still be able to reach the heart?’”