Concert information
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Schubert’s “Great” C major Symphony is considered by many to epitomise romanticism in orchestral music. The first call of the horns is typical of the era – evoking a sound world that is at once warm, idyllic and full of yearning. Conductor Zubin Mehta has included two further Romantic works on the programme: Carl Maria von Weber’s overture to the fairy-tale opera Oberon and Henryk Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with its combination of heartfelt expression and overwhelming virtuosity. Himari, who comes from Japan and is just 13 years old, makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker as soloist.
Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker
Zubin Mehta conductor
Himari violin
Programme
Carl Maria von Weber
Oberon: Overture
Henryk Wieniawski
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in F sharp minor, op. 14
Himari violin
Interval
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 8 in C major, D 944 “Great”
Main Auditorium
47 to 149 €
Introduction
19:15
Series K: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
47 to 149 €
Introduction
19:15
Series M: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
47 to 149 €
Introduction
18:15
Series N: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Biographies
Zubin Mehta
Few guest conductors have led the Berliner Philharmoniker longer and more often than Zubin Mehta. The conductor still remembers his debut in 1961, in which he performed Mahler’s First Symphony, among other works. “My advantage,” he says with a smile, “was that the orchestra didn’t know the piece that well. At that time, Mahler’s compositions were not yet part of the core repertoire.“ Since then, Mehta, an honorary member of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2019, has joined the orchestra almost every year and, in addition to his expressive Mahler interpretations, has impressed with his broad repertoire: his interpretation of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Bruckner, Saint-Saëns, Strauss and Stravinsky testifies to a deep musical understanding of artistic versatility.
But not only that. In his performances with the Philharmonic, he continues to surprise audiences with rarely performed works such as the interlude from Franz Schmidt’s opera Notre Dame, Ravi Shankar’s Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra No. 2 or Peter Eötvös’ Speaking Drums with percussionist Martin Grubinger. In the course of his unparalleled career, which has brought him chief positions with the New York Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Opera and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, among others, his appearances with the Berliner Philharmoniker have been important milestones for him. “I now have the honour of having conducted three generations of Berliner Philharmoniker musicians. The orchestra may have evolved over the years, but the deeply rooted, marvellous, substantial sound has remained.”
Himari
The youngest, the fastest, the most talented – superlatives are hardly enough to describe Himari’s impressive career. She has been playing the violin since she was three years old and performed with a professional orchestra for the first time three years later. Since then, she has been riding a wave of enthusiasm from Japan around the world: she has won a total of 42 first prizes at various competitions – mostly with special honours. In 2019, she took part in the International Summer Academy Mozarteum Salzburg and was the youngest participant in the Academy’s concert at the Salzburg Festival, where she was honoured for her outstanding performance; in 2022, she was accepted as one of the youngest students at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Himari is now 13 years old. She made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Marin Alsop at the New Year’s Eve Celebration less than three months ago and is now giving her first concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker. No wonder she is regarded as the most promising violin talent of her generation. “But if you listen to Himari and close your eyes,” says Ida Kavafian, her teacher at the famous Curtis Institute, “you can’t tell her age at all. Himari has an older personality and is a clever musician.”
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