I enjoyed every one of my six concerts and Nixon in China and plus I also saw Tosca by the Berlin Staasoper. The two main highlights of my trip to the Berlin Musikfest 2012:
1) Tugan Sokhiev conducting the Deutsches-Symphonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie, Berlin, 07.09.12 in an all-American programme:
Stravinsky – Pulcinella suite (1919/20, rev. 1922)
Songs by Copland, Bolcom, Barber, Gershwin, Weill and Bernstein sung by Sasha Cooke replacing Susan Graham
Rachmaninov – Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 (1935/36)
This was the inaugural concert of North Ossetian Tugan Sokhiev as the new principal conductor and artistic director of the DSO. This marvellous orchestra frequently gets overlooked in favour of its illustrious same city rivals the Berlin Philharmonic. Tugan Sokhiev’s conducting was revelation is an undoubted star of the future.
2) The Berlin Philharmonic under Ingo Metzmacher at the Philharmonie, Berlin on the 09.09.12 playing an all-American programme:
George Gershwin - Cuban Overture
Charles Ives - Symphony No. 4
George Antheil - A Jazz Symphony (1955 version)
Leonard Bernstein - Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
It is testament to the versatility of this great orchestra Berlin Philharmonic how they managed to ‘swing’ their way so convincingly through the Gershwin, Antheil and Bernstein scores in this all-American programme.
1) Tugan Sokhiev conducting the Deutsches-Symphonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie, Berlin, 07.09.12 in an all-American programme:
Stravinsky – Pulcinella suite (1919/20, rev. 1922)
Songs by Copland, Bolcom, Barber, Gershwin, Weill and Bernstein sung by Sasha Cooke replacing Susan Graham
Rachmaninov – Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 (1935/36)
This was the inaugural concert of North Ossetian Tugan Sokhiev as the new principal conductor and artistic director of the DSO. This marvellous orchestra frequently gets overlooked in favour of its illustrious same city rivals the Berlin Philharmonic. Tugan Sokhiev’s conducting was revelation is an undoubted star of the future.
2) The Berlin Philharmonic under Ingo Metzmacher at the Philharmonie, Berlin on the 09.09.12 playing an all-American programme:
George Gershwin - Cuban Overture
Charles Ives - Symphony No. 4
George Antheil - A Jazz Symphony (1955 version)
Leonard Bernstein - Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
It is testament to the versatility of this great orchestra Berlin Philharmonic how they managed to ‘swing’ their way so convincingly through the Gershwin, Antheil and Bernstein scores in this all-American programme.