Concert information
Info
When Simone Young conducts Bruckner, she prefers to perform the original versions of his symphonies: “Perhaps they are not as perfect as the later versions,” she explains. “But they have a modernity that the later ones lack.” In this concert, she presents the original version of the Second Symphony from 1872, and combines it with Wolfgang Rihm’s one-act opera Das Gehege. This dark and enigmatic piece depicts a woman who, on the eve of German reunification, frees an eagle from captivity, tries to seduce it, and ultimately kills it.
Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker
Simone Young conductor
Vida Miknevičiūtė soprano
Programme
Wolfgang Rihm
Das Gehege. A nocturnal scene for soprano and orchestra
Vida Miknevičiūtė soprano
Interval
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1st version from 1872)
Main Auditorium
26 to 82 €
Introduction
19:15
Series C: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
26 to 82 €
Introduction
18:15
Series L: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
26 to 82 €
Introduction
18:15
Series H: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
“Please don’t change too much.”
Variants and versions of Bruckner’s symphonies
Anton Bruckner did not make it easy for his contemporaries – or for future generations. He worked on his symphonies again and again, revising, shortening or rewriting entire movements. Performers are spoilt for choice, and sometimes have to decide between several versions.
“Music is always human”
Composer in Residence Wolfgang Rihm in conversation
Biographies
Simone Young
Is there something in the Australian mentality that helped her to go her own way? Yes, says Simone Young: “We tackle everything. We aren’t discouraged if someone says: that’s impossible, or you can’t do that. Perhaps it’s because of the beautiful, broad horizons. When you grow up in this country, you have a spirituality that is strongly connected to the land and to nature.” Simone Young, who turned to orchestra conducting after early piano and flute lessons, was already regarded as the world’s most successful woman conductor in the mid-1990s.
From 2005 to 2015 she was artistic director of the Hamburg State Opera and general music director of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra; since 2022 she has been chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She previously led Opera Australia in Sydney and Melbourne. Simone Young is a regular guest at opera houses such as the Royal Opera House in London, the State Operas in Vienna, Berlin and Munich as well as New York’s Metropolitan Opera. She also conducts many leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, whom she conducted for the first time in 2005, when she stepped in as a substitute. Simone Young has made a name for herself as a Wagner and Strauss interpreter, although she conducts a wide musical spectrum of premieres and repertoire performances with works ranging from Mozart, Verdi and Puccini to Hindemith, Britten and Henze.
Vida Miknevičiūtė
Emotional intensity with a highly-cultivated sound: Vida Miknevičiūtė thrills audiences internationally with her dramatic soprano. The Lithuanian-born singer, who studied singing at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Kaunas and in Leipzig, has made numerous successful debuts in recent years – including at the 2021 Salzburg Festival, where she appeared as Chrysothemis in Strauss’ Elektra. A short time later, the winner of numerous singing competitions made her debut as Salome at the Vienna State Opera. She has also appeared in the same role at the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Bavarian State Opera, Melbourne Opera and the Salzburg Festival.
The singer won praise in her role debut in Dmitri Tcherniakov’s Ring production at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in the 2022/23 season as a “luminous and lyrical” Sieglinde (RBB Kultur), and was applauded by the audience for several minutes. Vida Miknevičiūtė began her career at the Zurich Opera Studio and the Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera, and was a member of the ensemble at the Mainz State Theatre from 2011 to 2020. She made her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko in the role of Sieglinde at the 2023 New Year’s Eve concert.
Plan your visit
Opening hours, program booklets, dress code, introductions and more
How to get to the Philharmonie Berlin
Whether by bus, train, bike or car: Here you will find the quickest way to the Philharmonie Berlin - and where you can park there.
Ticket information
Advance booking dates, opening hours, seating plans, discounts