At 6 p.m., at the Festspielhaus:

BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER, KIRILL PETRENKO AND LISA BATIASHVILI

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Kirill Petrenko: Conductor

Lisa Batiashvili: Violin

– J. Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor op.47

– J. Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor op.98

Here is a superb concert with two masterpieces of the repertoire. Written between 1903 and 1904, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto is a tribute to the composer’s favourite instrument. For a long time, the Finnish musician toyed with the idea of becoming a star violinist. The great Georgian soloist Lisa Batiashvili interprets this true declaration of love on the romantic violin.

In 1884, Johannes Brahms was a composer celebrated throughout the Germanic world. His musical art is respected on a par with Beethoven, especially his genius for creating variations. In what is one of his last orchestral works, Brahms achieves the quintessence of the Romantic spirit. The immense Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kirill Petrenko performs a composer who is a regular visitor to Baden-Baden.

At 6 p.m., at the Festspielhaus:

BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER, TUGAN SOKHIEV AND JAN LISIECKI

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Tugan Sokhiev: Conductor

Jan Lisiecki: Piano

– L. Van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor

– A. Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E major

Ludwig van Beethoven was considered one of the greatest pianists of his time. Among his cycle of five concertos, the Concerto No. 3 occupies a privileged place: by its breadth, the beauty of its slow movement and its poetic power, it represents Beethoven’s first “great” concerto. After impressing the audience at the Festspielhaus in 2012, Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki has taken on this romantic masterpiece.

The Symphony No. 7 also marks a starting point in Bruckner’s career. How many difficulties did the Austrian composer have to overcome in the musical world to triumph at the end of the 19th century! However, the first listeners of Symphony No. 7 immediately grasped the monumental breath of this grandiose work. The Adagio is authentic desert island music, which will be performed here by the luxurious Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Tugan Sokhiev.

At 6 p.m., at the Festspielhaus:

ELEKTRA, by R. Strauss

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Kirill Petrenko: Conductor

Philipp Stölzl: Director

Nina Stemme: Electra

Elza Van den Heever: Chrysothemis

Michaela Schuster: Clytemnestra

Johan Reuter: Oreste

W. Ablinger-Sperrhacke:  Aegisthus

Awesome and terrifying Elektra! In his opera, Richard Strauss sketches the first steps towards avant-garde music and modern psychology. The premiere, on 25 January 1909, certainly shocked part of the public with its scenic and musical violence, but immediately met with a success that has never waned since. Because you never come out of the Elektra experience unscathed.  The three female figures in the drama all respond to a strong psychological archetype, and it is in the confrontation of these mythical personalities (Electra, Clytemnestra, Chrysothemis) that the essence of the opera is knotted. For this performance of Elektra directed by Philip Stölzl (a playwright renowned on the stages of Germany), the Baden-Baden Festival called on a real “dream team”: the legendary Nina Stemme in the title role, Michaela Schuster as Clytemnestra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis. In the pit, Kirill Petrenko at the head of his Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is an exceptional opera conductor.