Kirill Petrenko in conversation with Albrecht Mayer (11 min.)

In concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker at the beginning of the 2020/21 season, chief conductor Kirill Petrenko presented rarities of orchestral literature in addition to works from the core repertoire – such as Brahms’ Fourth Symphony and Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto. In addition to the First Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn, the concert also featured Antonín Dvořák’s Fifth, which was performed as part of Musikfest Berlin. In an interview with the Philharmoniker’s principal oboe Albrecht Mayer, Kirill Petrenko explains how this unusual choice of programme came about. The conductor also explains the historical background to Dvořák’s Symphony, which the composer wrote during the years of his emerging public recognition. Another topic of discussion is the musical relationship between Dvořák and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.