Sky, sea, and light permeate this program in changing constellations, with which Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska makes her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. Jean Sibelius transports the listener to the legendary world of Finland with the dark, dramatic sounds of his tone poem “Pohjola’s Daughter,” while Kaija Saariaho depicts the constellation of the same name in her mystical composition “Orion.” Highlights of the evening include Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, which evokes Norwegian folk music, and Claude Debussy’s impressionistic tone poem “La Mer,” with its infinite nuances of color. The soloist is pianist Jean-Fréderic Neuburger.

Concert on February 9th, Daniil Trifonov appeared with his masterful interpretation of Schumann piano concerto and touched the audience with his expressive playing. www.mannheimer-philharmoniker.de

Augustin Dumay spoke to The Violin Channel about five recordings that have been instrumental in his musical development:

“The 5 recordings I have chosen here have been amongst what I would think have been the most instrumental in my musical development … for me these interpretations represent the highest level of expressive intensity, imagination and conviction. When I do listen to them though, it often highlights how many lukewarm and pseudo-politically correct performances we hear today on the concert stage …. often almost like ‘sound photocopies’ of Bärenreiter editions – with some superb exceptions of course. With anything I play or listen to, and hopefully you’ll hear here, I try to remember what Pablo Casals famously said ‘… Don’t focus on the trees but make us dream of the forest.’” READ THE ARTICLE

Some pianists are capable of setting their instrument ablaze from the very first note; you immediately notice that they are absolutely serious about it and are giving their all, literally “burning” for the music they play. Such an exceptional phenomenon was on display at the piano festival “Le Piano Symphonique,” which ended on January 18 in Lucerne: Ilya Shmukler is his name—a name worth remembering. Continue reading

In May 2024 at Lotte Concert Hall and Seoul Arts Center, the festival launches successfully with fifteen invited guests, officially sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company.

The festival rotates in France, USA and South Korea, and the next edition will be in Paris 2025.

Mikhail Pletnev’s new ensemble is already finely honed

Judging by this debut recording, [the RIO] is already a finely honed ensemble. The playing doesn’t yet boast the razor-sharp precision of articulation that perhaps can only be achieved by a long-established orchestra. But this is a relatively minor disadvantage when measured against the commitment of the performance as a whole… Pletnev has opted to create his own arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s work. This preserves the narrative chronological sequence of music as it unfolds throughout the ballet. [The Bizet/Shchedrin Carmen Suite] has drive, rhythmic exuberance and expressive intensity.

– June 2024 BBC Music Magazine

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