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It is a long-standing tradition for the Berliner Philharmoniker to give concerts at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals immediately after opening the new season in Berlin. This year, the orchestra will go on to perform at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In the musicians’ luggage: Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony, Smetana’s Má vlast (My Fatherland) and, for the first evening in London, Schumann’s Piano Concerto with soloist Víkingur Ólafsson.
Music of longing
Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, special guest of our festival tour, talks about Robert Schumann’s piano concerto and the melancholy of his melodies. What is the unifying element of Schumann’s style? The expression of deep longing.
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Behind the music: at the Royal Albert Hall with Sarah Willis
For horn-player Sarah Willis, a concert at the Royal Albert Hall is like a home game, full of musical memories. She shares some of her favourite recollections with us during a tour of the venue. She also explains what makes the BBC Proms audience so special, and what it feels like to sit on stage in the huge concert hall. And she tells us why the horn is her best friend and her worst enemy.
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London calling
The tour concludes with two concerts at the BBC Proms
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Violinist with altitude
Christoph Streuli takes us on a tour of Lucerne, the city of his birth. He shows us the school of music and unpacks the secrets of the second violin section.
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Beating the drum for Bruckner
What is the perfect timpani sound? What makes a timpanist good ? And what special role does the instrument play in Bruckner’s symphonies? Vincent Vogel answered these and other questions for us at Lucerne’s KKL just before the first rehearsal.
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Why do we tour summer festivals every year?
The Berliner Philharmoniker have traditionally gone on festival tour for many years. In this video, principal horn Stefan Dohr explains why.
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Second stop: Lake Lucerne
Grüezi, Lucerne Festival! After a train journey with a spectacular mountain panorama, we’re really looking forward to a few balmy summer evenings in the Bay of Lucerne.
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Catchy tunes and insider tips
Of course, most people have heard “The Vltava” from Smetana’s “My Fatherland”. But the other sections? They are equally captivating! And between the lines, they narrate the tale of an entire nation's voyage of self-discovery. Here are the most important facts in brief.
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In the beginning was the deluge
Our festival tour begins in Salzburg with a spectacular downpour and a suitably celebratory start to the week.
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“Upbeat” with Kirill Petrenko
For Kirill Petrenko, Bedřich Smetana's “My Fatherland” is one of the “most outstanding works in music history”. In the video, he introduces the composition and explains what particularly fascinates him about it.
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Fanning the flames
Today, concerts featuring Bruckner’s symphonies are among the Berliner Philharmoniker’s seasonal highlights, but this was not always the case. On the Bruckner tradition of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
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