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Level 5 Function Room, Southbank Centre 23 Jan 2011
Sunday 23 Jan 2011 / 10:30 / Level 5 Function Room, Southbank Centre
Malcolm Gillies presenter
A day of talks and music by leading musicologists and specialists in the life and music of Béla Bartók, led by Series Consultant Malcolm Gillies.
Royal Festival Hall, London 27 Jan 2011
Thursday 27 Jan 2011 / 19:30 / Royal Festival Hall, London
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
BARTÓK Kossuth
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 1
BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin (complete)
Esa-Pekka Salonen has chosen to open Infernal Dance with a programme featuring two of Bartók’s most extraordinary works. The tone poem Kossuth was Bartók’s first major orchestral work, and a dramatic statement of intent; it celebrates the life of its eponymous hero, one of Hungary’s most vivid national legends. The ballet-pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin, profoundly influenced by Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Firebird, is raw, dangerous, exotic and elemental: frenzied music, percussive, sensuous and violent, telling a shocking story of desire and death. This evening’s performance features the full ballet score, which is rarely performed.
This concert is supported by the Edwin Fox Foundation
Also this evening: 6pm Pre-concert talk, Royal Festival Hall. Malcolm Gillies introduces this evening’s programme. FREE admission.
The Anvil, Basingstoke 28 Jan 2011
Friday 28 Jan 2011 / 19:45 / The Anvil, Basingstoke
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
BARTÓK Kossuth
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 1
BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin (complete)
See 27 Jan concert for more information.
Also this evening: Pre-concert talk, The Anvil, Basingstoke. FREE admission.
Royal Festival Hall, London 10 Feb 2011
Thursday 10 Feb 2011 / 19:30 / Royal Festival Hall, London
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Attila Fekete tenor
Michele Kalmandi bass
Coro Gulbenkian
BARTÓK Cantata profana
BARTÓK Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
This evening’s programme pairs two of Bartók’s most important works with one of the seminal musical icons of the 20th century. Cantata profana is a choral work on a truly monumental scale, rarely performed due to the sheer scale of its vocal and orchestral writing. By contrast with this rich tapestry of choral sound, the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta is sparse, eerie and other-worldly, using rhythmic power rather than melody to communicate its themes. The same rhythmic dominance, albeit a far more primal version, could also be said to characterise The Rite of Spring; Stravinsky’s ballets had a major influence on Bartók’s compositional style.
This concert is supported by members of the Conductors’ Circle.
Also this evening: 6pm Pre-concert talk, Royal Festival Hall. Malcolm Gillies introduces the evening's programme. FREE admission.
Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music 15 Feb 2011
Tuesday 15 Feb 2011 / 18:00 / Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music
DOHNÁNYI Sextet in C
ENESCU Légende
BARTÓK Piano Quintet
Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music 22 Feb 2011
Tuesday 22 Feb 2011 / 18:00 / Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music
KODÁLY Sonata for Solo Cello
ENESCU Impressions d'enfance
BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1
BARTÓK Sonata No. 1
Royal Festival Hall, London 23 Jun 2011
Thursday 23 Jun 2011 / 19:30 / Royal Festival Hall, London
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Christian Tetzlaff violin
KODÁLY Dances of Galanta
BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra is probably his best-known work. Written in 1943 and one of his final works, all the hallmarks of Bartók’s music are here: fierce rhythmic energy, vivid extremes of colour, folk themes interwoven with glorious melodies. It is a spectacle in every sense, and one that demands a virtuoso display from the entire orchestra. It is performed alongside the dazzling Dances of Galanta by Bartók’s close friend and collaborator Zoltán Kodály; and Bartók’s lyrical Violin Concerto No. 2, another late work, and in essence an extended series of melodic variations.
Also this evening: 6pm Music of Today, Royal Festival Hall. A portrait of György Kurtág conducted by Baldur Brönnimann and presented by Julian Anderson. FREE admission.
The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, London 23 Jun 2011
Thursday 23 Jun 2011 / 22:00 / The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, London
A performance by Hungarian folk group Muzsikás. The first Hungarian folk ensemble accepted by the classical music scene, Muszikás fuse traditional Hungarian music with the classical compositions of Bartók, Kodály, Kurtág and Ligeti.
FREE EVENT
The Anvil, Basingstoke 24 Jun 2011
Friday 24 Jun 2011 / 19:45 / The Anvil, Basingstoke
A performance by Hungarian folk group Muzsikás. The first Hungarian folk ensemble accepted by the classical music scene, Muszikás fuse traditional Hungarian music with the classical compositions of Bartók, Kodály, Kurtág and Ligeti.
Recital Hall, Royal College of Music 28 Jun 2011
Tuesday 28 Jun 2011 / 18:00 / Recital Hall, Royal College of Music
KODÁLY Serenade
ENESCU Sonata No. 3 in A minor
LIGETI 10 Stücke
BARTÓK Sonata No. 2
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 18 Oct 2011
Tuesday 18 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 1 Sz.40
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 3 Sz.85
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 5 Sz.102
Part of the Southbank Centre International Chamber Music Season.
Bartók’s masterful quartets have been a staple of the Takács Quartet’s repertory for decades. With a shared Hungarian heritage, the ensemble, Associate Artists at Southbank Centre, has a close affinity to his music.
Inspired by the raw folk music of his own country and elsewhere, Bartók breathed new life into the string quartet by using innovative techniques to conjure up entirely new soundworlds. The harmonically adventurous ideas, fluctuating tempi and folk melodies of his six quartets still dazzle and inspire today.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 19 Oct 2011
Wednesday 19 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 2 Sz.67
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 4 Sz.91
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 6 Sz.114
Part of the Southbank Centre International Chamber Music Season.
Bartók’s masterful quartets have been a staple of the Takács Quartet’s repertory for decades. With a shared Hungarian heritage, the ensemble, Associate Artists at Southbank Centre, has a close affinity to his music.
Inspired by the raw folk music of his own country and elsewhere, Bartók breathed new life into the string quartet by using innovative techniques to conjure up entirely new soundworlds. The harmonically adventurous ideas, fluctuating tempi and folk melodies of his six quartets still dazzle and inspire today.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham 21 Oct 2011
Friday 21 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson
Michelle DeYoung
Nick Hillel Director
DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
JANAČÉK Sinfonietta
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The extraordinary Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Bartók's only opera, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Its world is sinister, dark and deeply disturbing. There are just two voices throughout, Duke Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, and the entire one-act opera takes place in the hall of its castle. Judith opens the hall's seven doors, one by one; each door reveals its own horror. In one, a torture chamber; in another, an armoury filled with bloody weapons; and in another, a garden where blood stains the plants' leaves. The final door opens and reveals Bluebeard's three former wives, who step forward and receive Judith into their eternally imprisoned group. This is chilling, psychological drama, one of the great achievements of 20th century music.
This production has been created by the Philharmonia Orchestra in collaboration with digital artist collective Yeast Culture. Specially created films will be used as video projections onto unusual projection surfaces, surrounding the Orchestra as it performs Bartók's score. These immersive projections create an evocative atmosphere that suggests the different rooms in Bluebeard's castle and the emotions of the two protagonists.
A Philharmonia Orchestra production in collaboration with Yeast Culture
A co-commission with the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon and Konzerthaus Dortmund
Also this evening: Pre-concert talk
Gulbenkian Hall, Lisbon 24 Oct 2011
Monday 24 Oct 2011 / 21:00 / Gulbenkian Hall, Lisbon
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson
Michelle DeYoung
Nick Hillel Director
JANAČÉK Sinfonietta
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The extraordinary Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Bartók's only opera, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Its world is sinister, dark and deeply disturbing. There are just two voices throughout, Duke Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, and the entire one-act opera takes place in the hall of its castle. Judith opens the hall's seven doors, one by one; each door reveals its own horror. In one, a torture chamber; in another, an armoury filled with bloody weapons; and in another, a garden where blood stains the plants' leaves. The final door opens and reveals Bluebeard's three former wives, who step forward and receive Judith into their eternally imprisoned group. This is chilling, psychological drama, one of the great achievements of 20th century music.
This production has been created by the Philharmonia Orchestra in collaboration with digital artist collective Yeast Culture. Specially created films will be used as video projections onto unusual projection surfaces, surrounding the Orchestra as it performs Bartók's score. These immersive projections create an evocative atmosphere that suggests the different rooms in Bluebeard's castle and the emotions of the two protagonists.
A Philharmonia Orchestra production in collaboration with Yeast Culture
A co-commission with the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon and Konzerthaus Dortmund
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 25 Oct 2011
Tuesday 25 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Mikk Murdvee conductor
Meng Yang Pan
BARTÓK Divertimento
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Symphony No.4 (Symphonie concertante for piano & orchestra)
BARTÓK Two Portraits
BARTÓK Four Orchestral Pieces
Meng Yang Pan performs Karol Szymanowski's Symphonie Concertante with the RCM Symphony Orchestra, as part of the Philharmonia's series Infernal Dance - Inside the World of Béla Bartók. Szymanowski was a Polish contemporary of Bartók, who also drew many musical influences from the traditional music of his country, developing a uniquely rhapsodic style of writing. The concert also features other works by Bela Bartók performed by the RCM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mikk Murdvee.
The Anvil, Basingstoke 26 Oct 2011
Wednesday 26 Oct 2011 / 19:45 / The Anvil, Basingstoke
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The extraordinary Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Bartók’s only opera, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Its world is sinister, dark and deeply disturbing. There are just two voices throughout, Duke Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, and the entire one-act opera takes place in the hall of his castle. Judith opens the hall’s seven doors, one by one; each door reveals its own horror. In one, a torture chamber; in another, an armoury filled with bloody weapons; and in another, a garden where bloody stains the plants’ leaves. The final door opens and reveals Bluebeard’s three former wives, who step forward and receive Judith into their eternally imprisoned group. This is chilling, psychological drama, one of the great achievements of 20th century music.
Also this evening: Pre-concert talk, The Anvil, Basingstoke. FREE admission.
The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, London 27 Oct 2011
Thursday 27 Oct 2011 / 12:00 / The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, London
Performers from the Royal College of Music
BARTÓK Mikrokosmos
This unique 6-hour event includes what is believed to be the first ever complete UK performance of Bartók’s Mikrokosmos for solo piano – a set of 153 piano pieces written over 13 years, ranging from very easy studies for beginners to devilishly complicated dances. RCM performers will present not only the complete Mikrokosmos but all of Bartók’s other piano works, as well as selections from his Violin Duos.
For detailed timings check back from September 2011
FREE EVENT
Royal Festival Hall, London 27 Oct 2011
Thursday 27 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Royal Festival Hall, London
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay violin
Mark van de Wiel clarinet
BARTÓK Contrasts
BARTÓK Suite The Wooden Prince
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 2
For Bartók the world of fairytale was often a dark and dangerous one. The mysterious Mandarin dies in a violent sexual frenzy; Bluebeard’s castle is a living prison. Only in the ballet The Wooden Prince, written between 1914 and 1917, did Bartók allow love to triumph over adversity. The Wooden Prince was a huge success at its première, and is notable for its extraordinarily large orchestral forces, the biggest Bartók ever wrote for; this evening’s performance features the orchestral suite from the ballet music, alongside the percussive sonorities of the Second Piano Concerto, the seminal chamber work Contrasts and the folk rhapsody of the Dance Suite.
This concert is supported by the Edwin Fox Foundation
Also this evening: 6pm Pre-concert talk, Royal Festival Hall. Malcolm Gillies introduces this evening's programme. FREE admission.
Centro Cultural Novacaixagalicia, Vigo 30 Oct 2011
Sunday 30 Oct 2011 / 19:00 / Centro Cultural Novacaixagalicia, Vigo
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
Auditorio Nacional, Madrid 31 Oct 2011
Monday 31 Oct 2011 / 19:30 / Auditorio Nacional, Madrid
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
Auditorio Nacional, Madrid 1 Nov 2011
Tuesday 1 Nov 2011 / 19:30 / Auditorio Nacional, Madrid
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music 2 Nov 2011
Wednesday 2 Nov 2011 / 18:00 / Parry Rooms, Royal College of Music
ENESCU Cantabile et Presto
DOHNÁNYI Piano Quintet No. 2 in E flat minor
BARTÓK Sonata for violin BB124 (original version)
Royal Festival Hall, London 3 Nov 2011
Thursday 3 Nov 2011 / 19:30 / Royal Festival Hall, London
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
Nick Hillel Director
DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The extraordinary Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Bartók's only opera, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Its world is sinister, dark and deeply disturbing. There are just two voices throughout, Duke Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, and the entire one-act opera takes place in the hall of its castle. Judith opens the hall's seven doors, one by one; each door reveals its own horror. In one, a torture chamber; in another, an armoury filled with bloody weapons; and in another, a garden where blood stains the plants' leaves. The final door opens and reveals Bluebeard's three former wives, who step forward and receive Judith into their eternally imprisoned group. This is chilling, psychological drama, one of the great achievements of 20th century music.
This production has been created by the Philharmonia Orchestra in collaboration with digital artist collective Yeast Culture. Specially created films will be used as video projections onto unusual projection surfaces, surrounding the Orchestra as it performs Bartók's score. These immersive projections create an evocative atmosphere that suggests the different rooms in Bluebeard's castle and the emotions of the two protagonists.
A Philharmonia Orchestra production in collaboration with Yeast Culture
A co-commission with the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon and Konzerthaus Dortmund
This concert is supported by the Edwin Fox Foundation
Also this evening: 6pm Pre-concert talk, Royal Festival Hall. Malcolm Gillies introduces this evening's programme. FREE admission.
Konzerthaus, Vienna 7 Nov 2011
Monday 7 Nov 2011 / 19:30 / Konzerthaus, Vienna
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Christian Tetzlaff violin
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
Konzerthaus, Vienna 8 Nov 2011
Tuesday 8 Nov 2011 / 19:30 / Konzerthaus, Vienna
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
BARTÓK The Wooden Prince
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
Auditorium de Dijon, Dijon 9 Nov 2011
Wednesday 9 Nov 2011 / 20:00 / Auditorium de Dijon, Dijon
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
Konzerthaus, Dortmund 12 Nov 2011
Saturday 12 Nov 2011 / 20:00 / Konzerthaus, Dortmund
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
Nick Hillel Director
DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The extraordinary Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Bartók's only opera, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Its world is sinister, dark and deeply disturbing. There are just two voices throughout, Duke Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, and the entire one-act opera takes place in the hall of its castle. Judith opens the hall's seven doors, one by one; each door reveals its own horror. In one, a torture chamber; in another, an armoury filled with bloody weapons; and in another, a garden where blood stains the plants' leaves. The final door opens and reveals Bluebeard's three former wives, who step forward and receive Judith into their eternally imprisoned group. This is chilling, psychological drama, one of the great achievements of 20th century music.
This production has been created by the Philharmonia Orchestra in collaboration with digital artist collective Yeast Culture. Specially created films will be used as video projections onto unusual projection surfaces, surrounding the Orchestra as it performs Bartók's score. These immersive projections create an evocative atmosphere that suggests the different rooms in Bluebeard's castle and the emotions of the two protagonists.
A Philharmonia Orchestra production in collaboration with Yeast Culture
A co-commission with the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon and Konzerthaus Dortmund
Philharmonie, Cologne 13 Nov 2011
Sunday 13 Nov 2011 / 20:00 / Philharmonie, Cologne
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Christian Tetzlaff violin
DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
BARTÓK Suite The Wooden Prince
BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2
Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Royal College of Music 15 Nov 2011
Tuesday 15 Nov 2011 / 18:00 / Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Royal College of Music
BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 2 for violin and piano
BERIO Folksongs
PEDRO FARIA GOMES New Work (RCM Composition Faculty commission)
BARTÓK Sonata BB115
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels 14 Nov 2011
Monday 14 Nov 2011 / 20:00 / Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Yefim Bronfman piano
Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay violin
Mark van de Wiel clarinet
BARTÓK Contrasts
BARTÓK Suite The Wooden Prince
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 2
For Bartók the world of fairytale was often a dark and dangerous one. The mysterious Mandarin dies in a violent sexual frenzy; Bluebeard’s castle is a living prison. Only in the ballet The Wooden Prince, written between 1914 and 1917, did Bartók allow love to triumph over adversity. The Wooden Prince was a huge success at its première, and is notable for its extraordinarily large orchestral forces, the biggest Bartók ever wrote for; this evening’s performance features the orchestral suite from the ballet music, alongside the percussive sonorities of the Second Piano Concerto, the seminal chamber work Contrasts and the folk rhapsody of the Dance Suite.
Also this evening: 6pm Pre-concert talk, Royal Festival Hall. Malcolm Gillies introduces this evening's programme. FREE admission.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris 15 Nov 2011
Tuesday 15 Nov 2011 / 20:00 / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Sir John Tomlinson Bluebeard
Michelle DeYoung Judith
BARTÓK Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta
BARTÓK Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The Forge, The Anvil, Basingstoke 18 Nov 2011
Friday 18 Nov 2011 / 19:45 / The Forge, The Anvil, Basingstoke
Brodowski Quartet
SCHULHOFF String Quartet No. 1
SHOSTAKOVICH 2 pieces for string quartet: Elegy and Polka
SCHULHOFF 5 pieces for string quartet
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 4 Sz.91
PIAZZOLLA Four for Tango
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris 27 Jan 2012
Friday 27 Jan 2012 / 20:00 / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Christian Tetzlaff violin
BARTÓK Dance Suite
DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin Suite
The ballet-pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin, profoundly influenced by Stravinsky’s Petruschka and Firebird is frienzed music, percussive, sensuous and violent, telling a shocking story of desire and death. Performed here as the Suite alongside Bartok’s lyrical Violin Concerto No 2 and the folk rhapsody of the Dance Suite.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris 25 Jun 2012
Monday 25 Jun 2012 / 20:00 / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Nikolai Lugansky piano
BARTÓK The Wooden Prince Suite
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3
BARTÓK Concerto For Orchestra
For Bartók the world of fairytale was often a dark and dangerous one. The mysterious Mandarin dies in a violent sexual frenzy; Bluebeard’s castle is a living prison. Only in the ballet The Wooden Prince, written between 1914 and 1917, did Bartók allow love to triumph over adversity. The Wooden Prince was a huge success at its première, and is notable for its extraordinarily large orchestral forces, the biggest Bartók ever wrote for; this evening’s performance features the orchestral suite from the ballet music.
