Sakari Oramo and Vilde Frang
According to Jean Sibelius himself, his Symphony No. 5, a bold composition of majestic radiance, explicitly expresses “nature’s mysticism and world-weariness”. Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo presents his fellow countryman’s work, pairing it with Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, in which soloist Vilde Frang once again demonstrates her subtle art of nuance. The programme opens with a world premiere: in Phantoms, Composer in Residence Brett Dean takes the audience on a journey through the sounds of the instrumental sections.
Brett Dean, who left his post as a violist with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1999 to become one of the most internationally renowned composers of his generation, loves to write pieces “tailored” to his former orchestra. His latest composition was commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, and Dean returns to the orchestra in the 2026/27 season as Composer in Residence for an extensive artistic partnership. Phantoms for orchestra and electronics bears the cryptic subtitle Scenes for Orchestra(s). This wild journey through the instrumental sections gives the musicians ample opportunity to show their skills to their best advantage.
Following this world premiere under the direction of Sakari Oramo, the programme continues with Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, a work whose second movement takes on the characteristics of a danse macabre before concluding with a poignant lament from the solo violin. The composer completed the score on 29 September 1939 – shortly after the German invasion of Poland and the British and French declarations of war on Germany.
The soloist is the Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, a technically accomplished musician who is celebrated worldwide for her profound musicality and her lyrical sensibility. The concert concludes with Jean Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony, the finale of which was inspired by the sight of swans in flight: “Good heavens, such beauty! They circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a gleaming silver ribbon.”
© 2027 Berlin Phil Media GmbH
