Concert information
60 Years of the Philharmonic Organ
Info
Melodically heartfelt and rhythmically captivating – Antonín Dvořák’s Violin Concerto blends Bohemian dance music with the lush colors of late Romantic orchestration. Stepping in for Hilary Hahn, soloist Benjamin Beilman will bring his own form of expression to the work’s tender and passionate moments. Andris Nelsons then leads us into an entirely different sound world with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony – a searing reckoning with the Stalin regime, marked by aggressive march rhythms, dissonant harmonies, and profound sorrow. The concert opens with Marcel Dupré’s festive Cortège et Litanie, featuring Jan Liebermann on the Philharmonie’s organ.
Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker
Andris Nelsons conductor
Benjamin Beilman violin (replacing Hilary Hahn)
Jan Liebermann organ
Programme
Marcel Dupré
Cortège et Litanie op. 19 no. 2 (version for organ and orchestra)
Jan Liebermann organ
Antonín Dvořák
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, op. 53
Benjamin Beilman violin (replacing Hilary Hahn)
Interval
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 10 in E minor, op. 93
Additional information
Duration ca. 2 hours and 15 minutes (incl. 20 minutes interval)
Main Auditorium
39 to 111 €
Introduction
19:15
Series I: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
39 to 111 €
Introduction
19:15
Series A: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Main Auditorium
39 to 111 €
Introduction
18:15
Series B: Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Biography
Andris Nelsons
As one of the most important conductors of our time, Andris Nelsons leads two of the world’s foremost orchestras: the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. His path to conducting was shaped, in part, by chance. At the age of 18, the son of a Latvian family of musicians became a trumpeter at the National Opera in Riga. But when he lost a tooth during a Taekwondo match, it prompted him to reconsider his future. He went on to study conducting with Alexander Titov in St Petersburg, attended masterclasses with Neeme Järvi and Jorma Panula, and met Mariss Jansons, who became his most important mentor.
Nelsons’ career initially took him to positions as music director of the Latvian National Opera and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Today he conducts orchestras such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic on a regular basis. He is passionately devoted to a wide range of musical styles. Whether Classical, Romantic, Modern, or contemporary repertoire, Andris Nelsons conveys powerful emotions through his conducting. At the same time, his approach is thoughtful and precise: “My entire conducting life consists of identifying the places where energy, technical guidance, or support is needed so that the orchestra achieves the best possible musical result.”
Benjamin Beilman
Last year, Benjamin Beilman made his acclaimed debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker during their US tour, performing in Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor. The American violinist has long been regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. According to The New York Times, his tone ranges from “muscular with a hint of violence” to “pure poetry,” as The Strad describes it. With his remarkable ability to transform music into gripping sonic dramas, he captivates audiences in both classical and contemporary repertoire – as a soloist with major orchestras around the world, as a chamber musician, and in duo performances with Steven Osborne.
He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he has served on the faculty since 2022, and at the Kronberg Academy under Christian Tetzlaff. Among his many awards are a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the London Music Masters Award. His instrument – a Guarneri violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation – was previously played by legendary violinists such as Eugène Ysaÿe and Isaac Stern. For Beilman, music is “an exploration of what defines us as human beings. For me, classical music is the most sophisticated language, the most refined palette, and the most concentrated way to convey a message. It is also the best way to understand oneself.”
Jan Liebermann
In spring 2024, Jan Liebermann attracted considerable attention when he performed all six of Johann Sebastian Bach’s trio sonatas in several concerts – entirely from memory. Nearly an hour and a half of music, these works represent a true challenge for any organist. The young newcomer immediately turned to his next major undertaking: Marcel Dupré’s highly virtuosic Trois Préludes et Fugues, which he likewise performed multiple times from memory. The organist from Upper Franconia, who shares his enthusiasm for “his” instrument with thousands of followers on social media, is helping to refresh the organ’s somewhat dusty image: “Social media is a fantastic stage – bigger than any concert hall or church – and at the same time a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the wider world.”
Born in 2005, Liebermann first studied piano before being accepted in autumn 2022 as a young student at the Hochschule für Musik in Mainz. Since the winter semester of 2025/26, the prizewinner of numerous competitions has been studying organ and church music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. He was recently the first organist ever to receive the Deutschlandfunk Sponsorship Award at the Musikfest Bremen. “My goal is to become a concert organist and perform all over the world. It is an overwhelming feeling to play in front of an audience – on as many instruments as possible, in many countries and cultures.” With these concerts, he makes his debut as an organist with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
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