Kirill Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky and two world premieres

Kirill Petrenko (photo: Monika Rittershaus)

Kirill Petrenko continues his acclaimed interpretations of the music of Peter Tchaikovsky with the symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini, which pays passionate and moving homage to the lovers from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Beforehand, the conductor introduces two composers, both of whom have found their own distinctive musical language. The American Julia Wolfe draws her inspiration from classical, folk and rock music, creating works with evocative appeal. The music of the Swedish composer Lisa Streich is subtle and rich in delicate webs of sound, which are occasionally penetrated by powerful kinetic energy.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Kirill Petrenko conductor

Sebastian Krunnies presentation

Lisa Streich

ISHJÄRTA, commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation (Première)

Sebastian Krunnies presentation

Julia Wolfe

Pretty commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, the Houston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Première)

Sebastian Krunnies presentation

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Francesca da Rimini, Fantasy for orchestra, op. 32

Introduction

For this concert, there will be no introduction beforehand. Instead, we are very happy to offer a special introductory format during the concert: the two composers of the world premieres, Julia Wolfe and Lisa Streich, will introduce you to their works in conversation with principal conductor Kirill Petrenko and violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker Sebastian Krunnies.

Dates and Tickets

Biographies

Kirill Petrenko

Kirill Petrenko has been chief conductor and artistic director of the Berliner Philharmoniker since the 2019/20 season. Born in Omsk in Siberia, he received his training first in his home town and later in Austria. He established his conducting career in opera with positions at the Meininger Theater and the Komische Oper Berlin. From 2013 to 2020, Kirill Petrenko was general music director of Bayerische Staatsoper. He has also made guest appearances at the world’s leading opera houses, including Wiener Staatsoper, Covent Garden in London, the Opéra national in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and at the Bayreuth Festival. Moreover, he has conducted the major international symphony orchestras – in Vienna, Munich, Dresden, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Rome, Chicago, Cleveland and Israel. Since his debut in 2006, a variety of programmatic themes have emerged in his work together with the Berliner Philharmoniker. These include work on the orchestra’s core Classical-Romantic repertoire, most notably with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony when he took up his post. Unjustly forgotten composers such as Josef Suk and Erich Wolfgang Korngold are another of Kirill Petrenko’s interests. Russian works are also highlighted, with performances of Tchaikovsky’s operas Mazeppa, Iolanta and The Queen of Spades attracting particular attention recently.

Exhibition in the Green Room

In cooperation with Deutsche Bank, we offer a guided tour of the exhibition by artist William Kentridge before concert visits.

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Philharmonic moment

Tchaikovsky on the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker