Musikfest Berlin opens the symphonic season with a dazzling array of 33 orchestras, choirs and ensembles from Berlin and across the world   27 August to 19 September 2022– venues across Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus, Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Kirche Am Hohenzollernplatz Auguring the new symphonic season in Berlin, Musikfest Berlin celebrates its 18th edition with a dazzling array of the world’s leading orchestras alongside four of its distinguished home ensembles with an unflinching commitment to contemporary music. The festival opens – after a pre-opening start on the 17th – with the Concertgebouworkset Amsterdam on Sunday 28 August with Klaus Mäkelä conducting Mahler’s 6th Symphony and Kaija Saariaho’s Orion and continues to welcome two American orchestras – the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst, alongside the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Sir Antonio Pappano, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with Andris Nelsons, Collegium Vocale Gent with Philippe Herreweghe, The Rotterdams Philhamonisch Orkest with Lahav Shani, the LSO with Sir Simon Rattle and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra Révolutionnaire et Romantique with Sir John Eliot Gardiner.  In addition to a 24-hour free concert documenting the history of choral Western music with 6 choirs including Tenebrae, the festival is a glorious cornucopia not least with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Orchester der Deutschen Oper and the Deutsche Symphonieorchester Berlin.  Started 18 years ago by Winrich Hopp to mark the opening of Berlin’s prestigious orchestral seasons across the city, this year’s Festival recoups some of the casualties of the last 2 years of the pandemic to mark current and recent milestones for Sofia Gubaidulina, Wolfgang Rihm, Kaija Saariaho, Gerald Barry and Aribert Reimann, as well as the centenary of Iannis Xenakis’ birth, celebrated by the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Ensemblekollektiv and the JACK Quartet. Many works get their first airing in Berlin, including Nezet-Seguin’s critically acclaimed rendition of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, coupled with Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto performed by Lisa Batiashvili. The Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest revives the forgotten music of Willem Pijper putting his 2nd Symphony centre stage. Igor Levit champions Busoni’s seldom performed monumental Piano Concerto. Thomas Adès conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in his own Violin Concerto with Pekka Kuusisto as soloist and Gerald Barry‘s Chevaux-de-Frise. Kirill Petrenko with the Berliner Philharmoniker present a programme of Xenakis, Zimmermann and Dallapiccola’s seldom-heard Il Prigioniero with soloist Ekaterina Semenchuk, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke and Wolfgang Koch.  Rattle and the LSO give the German premiere of Daniel Kidane’s new Orchestral Dances. Enno Poppe conducts Clara Ionaotta‘s a stir among the stars, a making way, Iannis Xenakis’ Jalons and Liza Lim‘s Machine for Contacting the Dead with Ensemblekollektiv Berlin. The Australian composer Lim, currently a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin, is one of the leading international artists whose work exemplifies contemporary transcultural themes. From her extensive oeuvre, Musikfest Berlin presents two German premieres – the ensemble piece, Machine for Contacting the Dead, and String Creatures, a new chamber-music composition written for the JACK Quartet. The Greek-French composer and architect Iannis Xenakis was born in the same year as jazz legend Charles Mingus, whom the Deutsche Oper Berlin BigBand will honor with a premier of his evening-long opus magnum, Epitaph, conducted by Titus Engel, at the Philharmonie. Mingus’ vision of a stylistically unbounded big-band formation corresponds to the recent ensemble composition, Körper, by Enno Poppe, in which Poppe rediscovers the potential of the historical big-band sound. Körper was written for the Ensemble Modern, who will perform the new work under the composer’s direction at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. In addition to the Monteverdi Choir performing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with stellar cast (Lucy Crowe, Ann Hallenberg, Giovanni Sala and William Thomas), there is a wide range of choral works on offer; Claudio Monteverdi’s Marian Vespers (performed by the Collegium Vocale Gent), the psalm settings of Heinrich Schütz, the music of William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons (performed by the RIAS Kammerchor), and the 24-hour Divine Office at the Kirche Am Hohenzollernplatz, with music ranging from Gregorian chant to compositions by Thomas Tallis and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, et al. (in performances by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, ensemble sirventes berlin, Vox Nostra, the Georgian Choir Ensemble Basiani, the Tenebrae Choir London and the Staats- und Domchor Berlin). Further notable soloists coming to the festival include the violinists Vilde Frang, Ilya Gringolts, Leonidas Kavakos and Pekka Kuusisto, violist Lawrence Power, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, clarinettist Jörg Widmann. Singer Magdalena Kožená and pianist Yefim Bronfman will give a recital together. The Musikfest Berlin is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Neustart Kultur programme. The festival’s project partners are also Aventis Foundation, Hauptstadtkulturfonds and others; media partners: rbb Kultur, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, arte, Dussmann das Kulturkaufhaus, Exberliner, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Monopol – Magazin für Kunst und Leben, Tagesspiegel, Wall und Yorck Kinogruppe. The concerts with contemporary works are also part of the contemporary music month of the initiative field notes. Festival Listings Saturday, 27 August 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 19:00 Gringolts | Power | Altstaedt Schönberg | Rihm I Arnold Schönberg Streichtrio for violin, viola and cello op. 45 Wolfgang Rihm (*1952) Musik für 3 Streicher Ilya Gringolts violin Lawrence Power viola Nicolas Altstaedt cello Sunday, 28 August 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 19:00 Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam / Opening concert Musikfest Berlin 2022 Klaus Mäkelä conductor Saariaho | Mahler Tuesday, 30 August 2022 Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Main Stage, 20:00 Herrmann | Poppe Arnulf Herrmann (*1968) Hard Boiled Variations – 15 ½ Cycles for ensemble (2021) Enno Poppe (*1969) Körper for large ensemble (2021) Ensemble Modern Enno Poppe conductor Wednesday, 31 August 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 20:00 Ludwig van Beethoven Missa solemnis for four soloists, choir, orchestra and organ in D major op. 123 (1819-1822/23) Lucy Crowe soprano Ann Hallenberg mezzo soprano Giovanni Sala tenor William Thomas bass Monteverdi Choir Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique John Eliot Gardiner conductor Thursday, 1 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 The Philadelphia Orchestra Dvořák | Szymanowski | Price Antonín Dvořák Carnival Concert overture for orchestra op. 92 (1891) Karol Szymanowski Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 op. 35 (1916) Florence Price Symphony No. 1 in E minor Lisa Batiashvili violin The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Friday, 2 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Berlioz | Kidane | Ravel | Sibelius | Bartók Hector Berlioz Le Corsaire Overture for orchestra op. 21 Daniel Kidane (*1986) Orchestral Dances (2022) German Premiere Maurice Ravel La Valse- Poème chorégraphique Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 7 in C major op. 105 (1924) Béla Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin Concert suite op. 19 (1917/27) London Symphony Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle conductor Saturday, 3 September 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 17:00 Brahms | Mussorgsky | Shostakovich | Bartók Johannes Brahms Meine Liebe ist grün op. 63/5 Nachtigall op. 97/1 Verzagen op. 72/4 Bei dir sind meine Gedanken Von ewiger Liebe Anklänge op. 7/3 Das Mädchen spricht op. 107/3 Meerfahrt Der Schmied Ach, wende diesen Blick op. 57/4 O wüsst’ ich den Weg zurück Mädchenlied Unbewegte, laue Luft Vergebliches Ständchen op. 84/4 Modest Mussorgsky Detskaya (The Nursery) Selection Dmitri Shostakovich Satires (Pictures of the Past) op. 109 Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945) Dedinské scény (Village Scenes) (1924) Magdalena Kožená mezzo soprano Yefim Bronfman piano Saturday, 3 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Rihm II | Schubert Wolfgang Rihm (*1952) Verwandlung 3 Music for orchestra (2010) Wolfgang Rihm Verwandlung 2 Music for orchestra (2005) Franz Schubert Große Sinfonie in C major D 944 The Cleveland Orchestra Franz Welser-Möst conductor Sunday, 4 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Ligeti | Pijper | Mahler György Ligeti Atmosphères for large orchestra Willem Pijper Symphony No. 2 (1921) German premiere of the original version Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest Lahav Shani conductor Monday, 5 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Schönberg | Busoni Arnold Schönberg Verklärte Nacht op. 4 Ferruccio Busoni Concerto for piano and orchestra with male choir in C major op. 39 Igor Levit piano Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Piero Monti chorus director Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Wednesday, 7 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection” for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra Heidi Stober soprano Judit Kutasi alto Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin Jeremy Bines chorus director Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Sir Donald Runnicles conductor Thursday, 8 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 RIAS Kammerchor Berlin & Ensemble Promena Psalm compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell and Heinrich Schütz alternating with instrumental compositions by Francesco Cavalli, Orlando Gibbons, Johann Jacob Löwe and Henry Purcell RIAS Kammerchor Berlin Ensemble Promena Justin Doyle conductor Friday, 9 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Shostakovich | Gubaidulina | Beethoven Dmitri Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in C minor op. 110a Barshai version of the String Quartet No. 8 Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931) Der Zorn Gottes for orchestra (2019) German Premiere Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major op. 92 Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Andris Nelsons conductor Saturday, 10 September 2022 Konzerthaus Berlin, 19:00 Aribert Reimann (*1936) Spiralat Halom (Traumspiralen) for large orchestra (2002) Cantus for clarinet and orchestra (2005) Eingedunkelt Nine poems based on Paul Celan for alto solo (1992) Neun Stücke for orchestra (1993) Jörg Widmann clarinet Ursula Hesse von den Steinen alto Konzerthausorchester Berlin Christoph Eschenbach conductor Saturday, 10 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 19:00 Hector Berlioz Overture for Les Francs-juges op. 3 (ca. 1828) Thomas Adès (*1971) Concentric Paths Concerto for violin and orchestra op. 23 (2005) Gerald Barry (*1952) Chevaux-de-frise for orchestra (2022) World Premiere Thomas Adès The Exterminating Angel Symphony (2020) Pekka Kuusisto violin Berliner Philharmoniker Thomas Adès conductor Sunday, 11 September 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 17:00 Ianotta | Xenakis I | Lim I Clara Iannotta (*1983) a stir among the stars, a making way for large ensemble (2019/20) World premiere of the new version Iannis Xenakis Jalons for ensemble (1986) Liza Lim (*1966) Machine for Contacting the Dead for 27 musicians (1999/2000) German premiere Ensemblekollektiv Berlin Enno Poppe conductor Sunday, 11 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Berlioz | Adès | Barry Pekka Kuusisto violin Berliner Philharmoniker Thomas Adès conductor Monday, 12 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 National Gugak Center Jongmyo Jerieak Jongmyo Jerieak Traditional Korean ancestral ceremony from the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) with music, song, dance and costumes Guest performance by the National Gugak Center (Seoul/Korea) National Gugak Center Court Music Orchestra of NGC Sang-won LEE director Dance Theatre of NGC Jeong-suk YU director Tuesday, 13 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Xenakis II | Bartók | Mahler Iannis Xenakis Aïs for baritone, percussion and orchestra (1980) Béla Bartók Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor Georg Nigl baritone Dirk Rothbrust percussion Vilde Frang violin Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin Vladimir Jurowski conductor Wednesday, 14 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Claudio Monteverdi: “Vespro della Beata Vergine” Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine for choir, solo voices and orchestra (1610) Dorothee Mields soprano I Barbora Kabátková soprano II Benedict Hymas alto I William Knight alto II Samuel Boden tenor I Reinoud Van Mechelen tenor II Peter Kooij bass I Wolf Matthias Friedrich bass II Collegium Vocale Gent Ensemble of the Collegium Vocale Gent Philippe Herreweghe conductor Thursday, 15 September 2022 Philharmonie, Chamber Music Hall, 20:00 Lachenmann | Xenakis IV | Lim II Helmut Lachenmann (*1935) Grido String Quartet No. 3 (2000/2001) Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Tetras for string quartet (1983) Liza Lim (*1966) String Creatures for string quartet (2022) German Premiere JACK Quartet Christopher Otto violin Austin Wulliman violin John Pickford Richards viola Jay Campbell cello Thursday, 15 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Friday, 16 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Saturday, 17 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 19:00 Xenakis III | Zimmermann | Dallapiccola Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Empreintes for orchestra (1975) Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918-1970) Sinfonie in einem Satz for orchestra (1952/53) Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975) Il prigioniero Opera in one prologue and one act (1949) Concert performance Ekaterina Semenchuk mezzo soprano Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke tenor Wolfgang Koch baritone Rundfunkchor Berlin Gijs Leenaars chorus director Berliner Philharmoniker Kirill Petrenko conductor Saturday, 17 September 2022 Kirche Am Hohenzollernplatz, 0:00-23:55 Seven concerts within 24 hours by Vocalensemble sirventes Berlin, Vox Nostra, Tenebrae Choir London, Staats- und Domchor Berlin, Tenebrae Choir London, Basiani Ensemble Tiflis, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Sunday, 18 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Feldman | Stravinsky | Sibelius Morton Feldman (1926-1987) Coptic Light for orchestra (1986) Igor Stravinsky Violin Concerto in D major (1931) Jean Sibelius Tapiola Tone poem for large orchestra op. 112 (1926) Leonidas Kavakos violin Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin Robin Ticciati conductor Monday, 19 September 2022 Philharmonie, Main Hall, 20:00 Charles Mingus: “Epitaph” Charles Mingus (1922 – 1979) Epitaph (1962/1989) BigBand der Deutschen Oper Randy Brecker trumpet and further guests Titus Engel conductor |
Musikfest Berlin opens the symphonic season with an array of orchestras, choirs and ensembles from Berlin and across the world.
