Our latest 10 concerts:

• John Adams conducts John Adams at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Margaretta Mitchell

  John Adams is considered one of the most prominent composers of minimal music – though he repeatedly breaks up their aesthetics with a decidedly sonorous, sometimes almost late Romantic musical language. John Adams, who in this season is the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Composer in Residence, gives his debut as conductor of the orchestra at this concert. The programme consists of his famous Harmonielehre and the violin concerto Scheherazade.2. The soloist is Leila Josefowicz.

  17/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Berliner Philharmoniker
  John Adams

  Leila Josefowicz

  • John Adams
    Harmonielehre for orchestra

  • John Adams
    Scheherazade.2, Dramatic Symphony for violin and orchestra German Première

    Leila Josefowicz Violin

  • free

    John Adams in conversation with Sarah Willis

  John Adams conducts John Adams at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The Bayerisches Staatsorchester and Kirill Petrenko at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Wilfried Hösl

  In addition to Ligeti’s mystical and floating Lontano, this concert presents two symphonic portraits: Bartók’s wistful Violin Concerto No. 1, in which the composer created a lasting monument to his childhood sweetheart, and Sinfonia domestica, with which Richard Strauss paints a loving picture of his family. The Bayerisches Staatsorchester plays under the baton of Kirill Petrenko, who will become chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2019. The soloist is Frank Peter Zimmermann.

  14/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Bayerisches Staatsorchester
  Kirill Petrenko

  Frank Peter Zimmermann

  • György Ligeti
    Lontano for large orchestra

  • Béla Bartók
    Violin Concerto No. 1 Sz 36

    Frank Peter Zimmermann Violin

  • Johann Sebastian Bach
    Allegro from the Sonata in A minor for violin solo, BWV 1003

    Frank Peter Zimmermann Violin

  • Richard Strauss
    Sinfonia domestica op. 53

  • Richard Wagner
    Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude

  The Bayerisches Staatsorchester and Kirill Petrenko at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar and Gustavo Dudamel at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Gerardo Gómez

  Spiritedness, sensuality, an astonishing style of playing and enthusiasm – these are the qualities for which the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela is prized around the world. “Music has changed our life – music is our life”, says its director Gustavo Dudamel. At Musikfest Berlin the orchestra and the conductor will perform Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla Symphony and deliver South American flair in Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2.

  13/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar
  Gustavo Dudamel

  • Heitor Villa-Lobos
    Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2

  • Olivier Messiaen
    Turangalîla-Symphonie for piano, ondes martenot and large orchestra

    Jean-Yves Thibaudet Piano, Cynthia Millar Ondes Martenot

  • free

    Gustavo Dudamel in conversation with Walter Küssner

  The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar and Gustavo Dudamel at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and Jonathan Nott at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Achim Reissner

  The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and Jonathan Nott are presenting two works that marked new chapters in music history: Beethoven’s unprecedentedly emotional Eroica and Edgard Varèse’s Déserts, a work that fundamentally expanded the range of sounds of music in the concert hall by using taped recordings. Pekka Kuusisto can be experienced as the soloist in György Ligeti’s varied and virtuoso Violin Concerto.

  11/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
  Jonathan Nott

  Pekka Kuusisto, Paul Jeukendrup

  • Edgard Varèse
    Déserts für 15 Instrumentalisten, Schlagzeuger und Tonband

  • György Ligeti
    Violin Concerto

    Pekka Kuusisto Violin

  • Ludwig van Beethoven
    Symphony No. 3 in E flat major Eroica

  • free

    Pekka Kuusisto in conversation with David Panzer

  The Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and Jonathan Nott at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• Andris Nelsons conducts the “Symphonie fantastique” at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Marco Borggreve

  Fanatical love, drug rapture, execution: there’s hardly an extreme experience that Hector Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique leaves out. At the same time, the feverish expressivity is based on a cleverly calculated use of a tremendously large orchestra. In addition, Andris Nelsons and the Berliner Philharmoniker are presenting Debussy’s dreamy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and Edgard Varèse’s orchestral work Arcana, which conjures up cosmic forces, on this French programme.

  10/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Berliner Philharmoniker
  Andris Nelsons

  • Claude Debussy
    Prélude à lʼaprès-midi dʼun faune

  • Edgard Varèse
    Arcana for large orchestra (revised version from 1960)

  • Hector Berlioz
    Symphonie fantastique op. 14

  Andris Nelsons conducts the “Symphonie fantastique” at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Iván Fischer at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Felix Broede

  Hans Werner Henze’s Vitalino raddoppiato for solo violin and chamber orchestra, inspired by the Baroque master Tommaso Vitali, radiates Italian lightness. Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 follows, which oscillates between sophisticated construction and Romantic dazzling. Chief conductor Iván Fischer conducts the Konzerthausorchester Berlin; the soloist of the evening is the violinist Julia Fischer.

  08/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Konzerthausorchester Berlin
  Iván Fischer

  Julia Fischer

  • Hans Werner Henze
    Il Vitalino raddoppiato, Ciacona per violino concertante ed orchestra da camera

    Julia Fischer Violin

  • Anton Bruckner
    Symphony No. 7 in E major

  The Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Iván Fischer at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The Münchner Philharmoniker and Valery Gergiev at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Valery Alberto Venzago

  It is hard to imagine a sharper contrast: On the one hand, an outburst of violence and pain in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony, on the other complete spiritual immersion in the Third Symphony by Galina Ustvolskaya, Shostakovich’s pupil. At this guest concert at Musikfest Berlin, Valery Gergiev conducts the Münchner Philharmoniker; he has now been their musical director for a year.

  06/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Münchner Philharmoniker
  Valery Gergiev

  • Galina Ustvolskaya
    Symphony No. 3 Jesus Messiah, Save Us for speaker and orchestra

    Alexei Petrenko Speaker

  • Dmitri Shostakovich
    Symphony No. 4 in C minor op. 43

  The Münchner Philharmoniker and Valery Gergiev at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• The John Wilson Orchestra presents film musicals at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Chris Christodoulou

  For his projects, shows and concerts, the young charismatic conductor brings together top musicians from the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Under the title “A Celebration of the MGM Film Musicals”, they present a select choice of the most popular titles from the golden 30s, 40s and 50s of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film musical productions – milestones that have written film and music history.

  04/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  The John Wilson Orchestra
  John Wilson

  Scarlett Strallen, Richard Morrison, Matt Ford, Louise Dearman

  • A Celebration of the MGM Film Musicals · Part I

    Scarlett Strallen Soprano, Richard Morrison Baritone, Matt Ford Vocalist, Louise Dearman Vocalist

  • A Celebration of the MGM Film Musicals · Part II

    Scarlett Strallen Soprano, Richard Morrison Baritone, Matt Ford Vocalist, Louise Dearman Vocalist

  • free

    John Wilson in conversation with Sarah Willis

  The John Wilson Orchestra presents film musicals at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Daniel Harding at Musikfest Berlin

  

  Photo: Harald Hoffmann

  The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Daniel Harding opens Musikfest Berlin with a bang. Tutuguri, a poème dansé by young Wolfgang Rihm, is unique in the composer’s oeuvre. Nowhere else did he unleash such unrestrained elementary forces, nowhere else do rhythm and percussion become such a focal point and goal of the music as in this score.

  03/09/2016
  Musikfest Berlin

  Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
  Daniel Harding

  Graham Forbes Valentine, 6 Percussionists of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk

  • Wolfgang Rihm
    Tutuguri, Poème dansé for large orchestra, percussion, choir from tape and speaker · Part I

    Graham Forbes Valentine Speaker, 6 Percussionists of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk

  • Wolfgang Rihm
    Tutuguri, Poème dansé Part II

    Graham Forbes Valentine Speaker, 6 Percussionists of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk

  • free

    Wolfgang Rihm in conversation with Winrich Hopp

  Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Daniel Harding at Musikfest Berlin Go to concert

• From the Royal Albert Hall: Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s Seventh Symphony

  

  Outside the UK, the Proms concerts in the huge Royal Albert Hall are associated with the delightfully over the top “Last Night”. A somewhat misleading impression as in reality, these London summer concerts are marked by top-class performances of classical and modern music. The Berliner Philharmoniker have appeared there regularly since 1991, and this year, under the direction of Simon Rattle, they are presenting Mahler’s Seventh Symphony.

  02/09/2016

  Berliner Philharmoniker
  Sir Simon Rattle

  • Pierre Boulez
    Éclat (1st Version for 15 instruments from 1965)

  • Gustav Mahler
    Symphony No. 7

  From the Royal Albert Hall: Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s Seventh Symphony Go to concert