
16 Sep 1954

La Gazza Ladra Overture
In this short, Johnny Green leads the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the overture to Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra".
There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. The complete recording of all five works with Mitsuko Uchida and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the most spectacular projects of the Berliner Philharmoniker during the Rattle era – and at the same time the highlight of the collaboration between the orchestra and the pianist, which began in 1984.

Piano

Conductor

16 Sep 1954

In this short, Johnny Green leads the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the overture to Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra".

23 Dec 2016

Ian Hislop and John Eliot Gardiner reveal the story behind Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Described as the 'greatest 'great' piece ever written,' its opening notes are among the most recognisable in history. But no one really knows what Beethoven was trying to express with this piece. The traditional wisdom is that he is railing against fate and his deafness. But John Eliot believes the music expresses Beethoven's belief in the French Revolution. This is turbulent music from a turbulent man living in a turbulent age. John Eliot and Ian Hislop bring to life the exciting and dangerous times that shaped Beethoven personally and creatively.
07 May 2024
Conductors Andris Nelsons, Klaus Mäkelä, Riccardo Chailly, and Petr Popelka will take turns conducting the four movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This concert event celebrates the bicentennial of the premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece.

28 Jul 2018

One of the most popular live acts in the world, the King of the Waltz André Rieu has announced that his 2018 Maastricht concerts will be screened in over 2000 cinemas worldwide across the weekend of 28th – 29th July, as he performs his hometown shows this year with a celebration of love. ‘Amore, My Tribute to Love’, is the renowned violinists tribute to his love for music, and his love for both of his families; his wife and children, and of course for his Johann Strauss Orchestra, who he has performed with for over 30 years.

10 Oct 2021

For Mahler, symphonies always were a means of interpreting the most convoluted philosophical problems that couldn’t be resolved verbally. The ambitious structure of the five-part Fifth Symphony spans from the Funeral March to the roaring finale. It is a forthright attempt to resolve the tragic conflict with the surrounding world. The brilliant fourth part of the symphony, Adagietto, resembles a beautifully mysterious flower that every conductor reimagines in their own style. As one of the twentieth century’s most influential maestros, Mahler redefined the conductor’s role. For him, the conductor is just as integral to his own musical works as they are to the composer. When a maestro steps onto the podium and opens the score, he recreates musical universes from scratch. Teodor Currentzis and the musicAeterna orchestra have performed Mahler’s symphonies around the world for many years. The Fifth Symphony has earned its place as one of the highlights of the cycle.

20 Oct 2017

For their annual season end concert, the Berliner Philharmoniker take the audience on a dreamy, magically journey through the river Rhine with Schumann’s beloved 3rd Symphony Rhenish. Pieces from Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen under the baton of dynamic conductor Gustavo Dudamel complete this evening.

17 Nov 2022

On Air presents Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, performed by the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Peter Breiner, and recorded at BBC Television Centre. Expertly brought to life by some of the world's most sought-after classical musicians, The Firebird comprises 74 musicians: 51 string, 11 brass, 8 woodwind and 4 percussion. Available now to watch on demand in cinematic quality.

17 Nov 2022

On Air presents Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, performed by the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Peter Breiner, and recorded at BBC Television Centre. Expertly brought to life by some of the world's most sought-after classical musicians, the ensemble comprises 93 instruments: 51 string, 16 woodwind, 20 brass and 6 percussion. The full performance is available to watch on demand in cinematic quality.

17 Nov 2022

On Air presents Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka, performed by the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Peter Breiner, and recorded at BBC Television Centre. Expertly brought to life by some of the world's most sought-after classical musicians, the ensemble comprises 86 instruments: 51 string, 14 woodwind, 16 brass, 4 percussion and 1 piano. Available now to watch on demand in cinematic quality.
27 May 1985
In 1985, cameras take a look inside the Berkshire Music Center, the most prominent pre-professional classical music academy in the US. Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Slatkin and others work with the next generation younger conducting talent.
15 Feb 2015
This documentary portrait, the first television biography of Rattle for 15 years, follows him through an extraordinary year of concerts, oratorios and opera with five different orchestras. We see his rigorous preparation and experience his irresistible dynamism in rehearsal and performance. We will watch him at work with the Berliner Philharmoniker, often described as the world’s leading orchestra. We will also see him with the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment and with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. We see him preparing a score for performance, share his experiences with the players and gain privileged insights into the day-to-day life of a conductor
01 Jun 2008
Very few people really knew Herbert von Karajan. The conductor gave access to his private life only a little circle of strictly loyal people who kept their secrets even long after the maestro’s death. This documentary for the first time shows in the whole dimension the real man Karajan: not only the image of a dandy that he himself had shown to the public, but the unfiltered image of his personality. Newly discovered original film footage from the inner circle shows Karajan’s private life like it really was.

27 Nov 2015

No overview found

29 Jan 2016

No overview found

26 Feb 2016

No overview found

12 Jul 1978

In the 1960s Karl Böhm (1894–1981) had made his mark as interpreter of Mozart with the the Berlin Philharmonic. Yet his recordings with the Vienna Symphony demonstrate a mutual sympathy and deep love for this timeless music. The musicians are razor-sharp in attack, harmony, and release. Böhm's style is minimalist: a firm downbeat, a ruffled hand here and there, a slight sway, no mugging. Occasionally, when quite excited, he gives a little hop but immediately pulls himself on a tight leash.

03 Oct 1978

There are only a couple of DVD recordings of Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Fortunately, this one by Karl Bohm, recorded live in Vienna's Musikvereinssaal, is excellent, as are the other Mozart symphonies on this DVD. Since this disc offers three of the big six last symphonies of Mozart, Nos. 35 (Haffner), 40, and 41 (Jupiter), plus two more, it is an outstanding value. Despite the age of the recordings (1973-74), both the sound and the video are quite good.

16 Feb 2010

Daniel Barenboim is an expert in exploiting the impact of cyclical performances of composers works: This time he focuses his sharp intellect on all six of Anton Bruckners mature symphonies. Der Tagesspiegel described Barenboim's performance of the works with the Staatskapelle Berlin on six nearly consecutive evenings in June 2010 as a superhuman accomplishment and went on to praise how: His Bruckner is conceived and performed very theatrically, like an opera without words. Bruckners famous Romantic Symphony No. 4 forms the prelude to a spectacular DVD series from Accentus Music and Unitel Classica, exploring Bruckners symphonic cosmos.

11 Dec 1984

Between 1981 and 1984 Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahmss orchestral works with the Wiener Philharmoniker to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1983. For the concertos, Bernstein enlisted the services of some of the finest Brahms interpreters of the time: the violoninst Gidon Kremer, the cellist Mischa Maisky and the pianist Krystian Zimerman. Leonard Bernstein, Krystian Zimerman, and the Wiener Philharmoniker, it's very hard to get a better group of musicians for these masterpieces. Mr. Zimerman and Mr. Wolfgang Herzer's piano cello duets in the third movement of Brahms' second is simply tearful.

02 Feb 2010

With nearly 450 years of tradition, the Staatskapelle Berlin is one of the oldest orchestras in the world. Daniel Barenboim has served as its music director since 1992, and in 2000 the orchestra appointed him Chief Conductor for Life. Having already performed important cycles such as Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann together, Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle turned their focus toward Anton Bruckner's last six Symphonies, performed in the Philharmonie Berlin in the course of only one week in June 2010. This music is more serious and more significant than one had thought, the Berliner Zeitung summarized in its review of Daniel Barenboims celebrated Bruckner cycle with the Staatskapelle Berlin. Bruckners unfinished Symphony No. 9 brought to an end, in a poignant manner, the work of one of the greatest symphonic composers of the Classic-Romantic era.