Sir Simon Rattle conducts de Falla, Janáček and a world premiere
Two powerful works from contrasting worlds: Manuel de Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat tells, with lightness of touch and wit, the story of a young wife fending off the advances of a magistrate. Leoš Janáček’s rhapsody Taras Bulba, in contrast, depicts with primal force the tragic fate of a Ukrainian Cossack leader. Sir Simon Rattle will also conduct the world premiere of a concerto for cor anglais written by Cathy Milliken for orchestra member Dominik Wollenweber.
Sir Simon Rattle is well-known for his original programming, and once again he has devised a special programme for his guest appearance with the Berliner Philharmoniker, as part of Musikfest Berlin. At first glance, Manuel de Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat and Leoš Janáček’s rhapsody Taras Bulba appear to have no connection, yet there are several: firstly, both The Three-Cornered Hat and Taras Bulba were composed around 1920. Both works draw their inspiration from literature – and the circle is completed by the people who commissioned the Three-Cornered Hat ballet: Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.
A novella by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón provided the plot for the ballet, which Manuel de Falla set to music at the request of Diaghilev: the story revolves around a beautiful miller’s wife and her jealous husband, as well as a lecherous magistrate, whose authority is symbolised by his tricorn hat. The couple use a ruse to fend off the magistrate’s advances. De Falla had travelled through Castile, Aragon and Andalusia in the summer of 1917, and his impressions of Spanish folklore are extensively reflected in the lively ballet music.
Leoš Janáček was a passionate admirer of Russian literature. The Czech composer read Gogol’s novel Taras Bulba in 1905, but it was to be another decade before he composed his orchestral rhapsody of the same name based on it. This superbly orchestrated work remains an undisputed highlight of the Czech repertoire to this day.
In the middle of the programme, the audience can look forward to a world premiere by Cathy Milliken. The internationally acclaimed composer was closely associated with the Berliner Philharmoniker and its then chief conductor, Simon Rattle, having served as head of the orchestra’s Education Programme until 2012. The concerto for cor anglais is poetically titled why feather yellow, which alludes to the instrument’s tonal qualities. The work is dedicated to Dominik Wollenweber, who is also the soloist in this performance.
© 2026 Berlin Phil Media GmbH
Artists
Our recommendations
- Philharmonic chamber music: Piano quintets by Mozart and Beethoven
- Simon Rattle conducts “Bluebeard’s Castle”
- Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s Second Symphony
- Simon Rattle conducts Schumann, Wagner, Ravel, Debussy and Ligeti
- Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven and Mendelssohn at the Waldbühne
- Simon Rattle and Yefim Bronfman
