Saturday Combination

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15.30 pm · Rudolf Buchbinder Hall

Rudolf Buchbinder, born in Litoměřice in the Czech Republic in 1946, opens the series of chamber concerts in «his» hall with music from his native country. «Tromp Miniature» by Bryce Dessner – guitarist with The National and a contemporary composer who has made waves by transcending conventional genre boundaries – launches an afternoon that evokes happier times. Long before his murder in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, Pavel Haas, the star pupil of Leoš Janáček, composed his string quartet «From the Monkey Mountains», a work that celebrates the beauty of his homeland. Finally, Bohemian joie de vivre flows from Dvořák’s Piano Quintet: pure happiness in sound.

MY COUNTRY
19.30 pm · Wolkenturm

Of course, the «Vltava» – but also so much more: Semyon Bychkov, the celebrated chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic with its rich tradition, describes Bedřich Smetana’s cycle «Má vlast» (My Country) as the true «Bible of Czech national culture». This musical celebration of the myths, history, and landscapes of the «homeland» named in the title also tells the story of how music finds its way into our hearts and becomes a deeply personal home for us all. In the Late Night session, the Janoska Ensemble explores the many musical threads connecting the Vltava and the Danube.

TIES OF LOVE
15.30 pm · Rudolf Buchbinder Hall

Love is best sung about in pairs: Christiane Karg and Patricia Nolz join their magnificent voices for a programme of songs and duets from German and French Romanticism. It is about joy and sorrow, and all the facets of love, set to music by the great song masters of the 19th century. Mendelssohn, Brahms, the Schumanns, Dvořák, Chausson, and Fauré – each poured their most intimate thoughts into these little vocal gems, brought to life by two outstanding interpreters of song, accompanied by the eminent pianist and song accompanist Joseph Middleton. Bon appétit.

SOUNDS OF CELEBRATION
19.30 pm · Wolkenturm

In August 2007, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) became the first guest orchestra to perform at the Wolkenturm in Grafenegg. Twenty years later, the LSO returns to perform Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto with Rudolf Buchbinder – a true celebration. The guests from England, conducted by Susanna Mälkki, will also be performing Steve Reich’s «Music for Ensemble and Orchestra». Premiered in Los Angeles under Mälkki’s direction, this gripping work builds a bridge from the Baroque concerto grosso to the 21st century. The evening concludes with an electrifying Late Night session hosted by Steve Reich admirer and brilliant electric guitarist and composer Bryce Dessner (The National).

BEETHOVEN'S VIOLIN SONATAS
15.30 pm · Rudolf Buchbinder Hall

Everything leads up to the extraordinary «Kreutzer Sonata», named after the violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer. In this work, Ludwig van Beethoven moved away from the dominance of the piano and finally gave the violin an equal, highly virtuosic role. It is an irony of history that Kreutzer himself declared the piece – now a touchstone for all the greats of the profession – to be unplayable.  The name, however, has endured … Naturally, Grafenegg has brought together two virtuosos for three of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano and violin: Japanese pianist and Grafenegg debut artist Mao Fujita, and longtime Grafenegg friend Renaud Capuçon.

A HERO'S LIFE
19.15 pm · Wolkenturm

Strauss was 34 when he composed «A Hero’s Life». He dedicated his tone poem to one of the world’s finest orchestras and its conductor: the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the then 27-year-old Willem Mengelberg. Klaus Mäkelä will be 31 when he comes to Grafenegg with the Amsterdam Orchestra as their chief conductor. Piano star Yunchan Lim joins the ranks of the great young musicians with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4. And the gifted violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich proves at the Late Night session that a single violin can captivate an entire hall.

THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS
15.30 pm · Rudolf Buchbinder Hall

Once upon a time? No – it’s happening now, at this very moment! Johanna Arrouas is the narrator, Les Siècles the acclaimed period-instrument ensemble, and French artist Grégoire Pont draws his enchanting animated picture stories live to the music, blending them with voice and sound to reach new heights. Maurice Ravel’s little collection of fairy tales, «Ma mère l’oye» (Mother Goose), and the ironic, satirical scenes from «The Carnival of the Animals», penned by Camille Saint-Saëns, offer a dreamlike feast for the eyes and ears – and for audiences of all ages.

VIENNA – PARIS
19.00 pm · Wolkenturm

Philippe Jordan makes his debut as chief conductor of the Orchestre National de France in Grafenegg. The heart of the former music director of the Vienna State Opera, chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and music director of the Opéra National de Paris, beats for Vienna and Paris. The Austrian premiere of the «Rosenkavalier» suite by Philippe Jordan and Tomáš Ille, Maurice Ravel’s «La valse» (The Waltz), and, in between, Ravel’s jazzy Piano Concerto in G major, featuring the exceptional French pianist Bertrand Chamayou: waltzes galore in this labour of love, with «La vie en rose», somewhere between French chanson and Wienerlied, or Viennese Lied, bringing the Late Night programme to a close.