Philharmoniker premieres: music of our time

Thomas Adès
Powder Her Face Suite, commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation together with Philadelphia Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (WP) (29 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Anders Hillborg
Cold Heat (première) (17 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
David Zinman
Kaija Saariaho
Laterna Magica (première) (24 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Magnus Lindberg
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 (German première) (27 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Daniel Harding
Frank Peter Zimmermann Violin
Unsuk Chin
Chorós Chordón − commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation Première (13 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Hans Abrahamsen
Let me tell you for soprano and orchestra (première) (37 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Andris Nelsons
Barbara Hannigan Soprano
Georg Friedrich Haas
ein kleines symphonisches Gedicht – für Wolfgang, commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation Première (8 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Toshio Hosokawa
Concerto for Horn and Orchestra “Moment of Blossoming” (20 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Stefan Dohr Horn
Anna Thorvaldsdóttir
Metacosmos (European première) (15 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Alan Gilbert
HK Gruber
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (German première) (27 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Emanuel Ax Piano
Wolfgang Rihm
Gruß-Moment 2 – in Memoriam Pierre Boulez (première) (11 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Peter Eötvös
Alhambra, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 – commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation together with the Granada Festival, Orchestre de Paris and BBC Proms German Première (25 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Peter Eötvös
Isabelle Faust violin
- free
Magnus Lindberg
Agile for orchestra commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Première (8 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Andrew Norman
Spiral for orchestra commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation Première (5 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Brett Dean
Notturno inquieto commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation Première (12 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
György Kurtág
Stele for large orchestra, op. 33 (15 min.)Berliner Philharmoniker
Bernard Haitink
Contemporary music is sometimes experienced as a challenge by performers and audience alike. However, familiarity with the music of one’s own time undoubtedly contributes to the vitality of an orchestra, and many instrumentalists and conductors stress the importance they attach to interaction with living composers. After all, while it is no longer possible to have discussions on questions of interpretation with Bach or Beethoven, such productive dialogues are possible with Wolfgang Rihm or Kaija Saariaho.
When the Berliner Philharmoniker were founded in the 1880s, many important composers of the late Romantic period were still alive. Some of them – such as Brahms, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky – performed with the orchestra themselves. This established a tradition that was also continued in the modern era. Among many others, Mahler, Stravinsky, Bartók and Prokofiev appeared with the Philharmoniker as conductors or soloists. And even today, the Philharmoniker’s collaboration with Peter Eötvös, John Adams or George Benjamin guarantees authentic interpretations.
In the course of their history, the Philharmoniker have premiered many great works. Sir Simon Rattle regularly commissioned new works during his tenure, and for the 2020/21 season, chief conductor Kirill Petrenko has programmed world premieres by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and Andrew Norman – both of whom are represented in this playlist. Long-standing connections have also developed with Unsuk Chin, Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg and Brett Dean, who was a violist with the orchestra from 1985 to 1999. The assembled recordings also feature such outstanding soloists as pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Isabelle Faust and singer Barbara Hannigan. Toshio Hosokawa wrote his horn concerto for the Philharmoniker’s principal horn player Stefan Dohr, and György Kurtág’s Stele – as a guest in the selection – ends the playlist. The piece, which can be heard here under the direction of Bernard Haitink, was first performed by the Philharmoniker and Claudio Abbado in 1994 and has since established itself as a central orchestral work.