Twenty top orchestras come together to celebrate three Eastern European composers and two 100th birthdays at the Berliner Festspiele’s annual classical festival.
The trio of Witold Lutosławski, Leoš Janácek, and Béla Bartók (from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, respectively) established themselves as unique voices within the otherwise classicist/romantic musical tradition of the early 20th century.
In addition to Bronfman, selections from the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle (Sep 7-8) and Alan Gilbert (Sep 12-14) as well as the London Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen (Sep 9) offer an excellent introduction to these composers’ works.
This year marks not only Lutosławski’s centennial, but also that of British composer Benjamin Britten, who’s showcased along with Dimitri Shostakovitch in programmes from the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Sep 2) and Deutsche Oper Orchestra (Sep 3).
The Konzerthaus Orchestra’s programme features both birthday boys and Janácek (Sep 8, Konzerthaus).
If you see just one concert, wait for the IPPNW-Benefit Concert (Sep 18): the proceeds from the evening of piano and vocal music go to the Hungarian branch of Human Rights Watch.
Unless otherwise specified, all concerts begin at 20:00 at the Philharmonie (Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten, S+U-Bhf Potsdamer Platz). Click here for for full programme. Runs through Sep 18.
Originally published in Issue #119, September 2013.
