Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor SUZANNA MELKI, Julian Rachlin /violin/

 

“Unmatched for podium presence” (New York Classical Review) and with an “ability to create viscerally arresting performances” (LA Times).

2018/19 marks Susanna Mälkki’s third season as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, with highlights set to include Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, the world premiere of a new work by Enno Poppe, and – following a highly successful tour to Salzburg and Paris with cellist Truls Mørk in May 2018 – a tour of Central Europe with violinist Pekka Kuusisto, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Vienna’s Konzerthaus among the venues. Following an acclaimed first season as Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mälkki launches 2018/19 with the world premiere of Steve Reich’s Music for Ensemble and Orchestra; other projects include Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie and a staged performance of Sibelius’s The Tempest in collaboration with The Old Globe. Mälkki was previously Principal Guest Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra (2013-17) and Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (2006-13).

A guest conductor at the highest level worldwide, 2018/19 sees Mälkki return to the Wiener Symphoniker and Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien (as a Wiener Konzerthaus “Portrait” artist), hr-Sinfonieorchester, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, among others. Recent engagements include the Berliner Philharmoniker, London Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic orchestras, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and her Czech Philharmonic Orchestra debut. Mälkki has previously worked with The Cleveland, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia, New World Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony (returning in October 2018), BBC Symphony (BBC Proms) and Oslo Philharmonic orchestras, London Sinfonietta, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Teatro La Fenice.

Besides her achievements as an outstanding conductor in her own right, Finland’s Susanna Mälkki has been a groundbreaking pioneer for female classical music conductors. She has been the only female music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain since its creation in 1976 by Pierre Boulez and is the first female principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since the position was established in 1981. In the 136-year history of the Metropolitan Opera, she has been the fourth woman to ever conduct in the renowned opera house and the first to conduct a Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcast. 

Concert programme:
Richard STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier op. 59
Jean SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor op. 39
Sergei PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor op. 63

 

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) is considered one of the world’s finest orchestras; it is often lauded alongside the Berlin Philharmonic as Germany’s best orchestra.

Various conductors have shaped the identity of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. However, the prevailing opinion is that it was Mariss Jansons, Artistic Director of the orchestra since 2003, who raised the sound of the orchestra to a new level. He himself has said: “For me as a conductor it’s like driving a Rolls-Royce. This orchestra can, quite simply, do everything.”

 

The orchestra was founded by conductor Eugen Jochum in 1949. Its subsequent frequent touring soon solidified the Orchestra’s international renown.

 

From its conception, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra has championed contemporary music. As part of the Musica Viva concert series, composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, Luciano Berio and many others have conducted the orchestra.

 

More recently, the orchestra has also turned its attention to early music, collaborating with experts in historical performance practice with guidance from the likes of John Eliot Gardiner, Giovanni Antonini and Thomas Hengelbrock.

 

“Another person may learn a new piece, maybe, in two weeks. I would rather do it in a year. Not because I’m a bad musician. It’s not a case of speed, but of what I want to say with the music. It’s about enriching your life with music, your whole life long. Because life is too short to uncover all the secrets of the great composers.”

 

So says Julian Rachlin (1974), who is often named as one of the most exciting, inspiring contemporary musicians. Rachlin is a virtuoso violinist who has been making music with leading classical musicians since he was in his teens (after his first international success in the Eurovision Young Musician of the Year competition in 1988, Julian became the youngest ever soloist to play with the Vienna Philharmonic). Since this pivotal moment in his career, Rachlin has been purposefully and imaginatively developing his performative skills, with ventures into viola performance and conducting. Because of this incredible dexterity, in Krzysztof Penderecki’s Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, which was dedicated to Rachlin, he was able to play three roles, playing both the violin and viola solos as well as conducting.

 

Conductor Daniele Gatti characterised Rachlin as a simple, modest person with a constant thirst for making music. Another giant of conducting, Zubin Mehta, adds that the performer is giving, helpful, and compassionate. Rachlin has founded and managed his own festivals in Dubrovnik and Palma de Mallorca. He has lead the Orchestra and has taken the role of Head Guest Conductor in England, Finland and Norway In this season alone he has conducted the orchestras of Vienna, Pittsburgh, Berlin, Zagreb, Moscow, Saint Petersburg among others, and has performed as a soloist with Mariss Jansons, Manfred Honeck, Christoph Eschenbach and Myung-whun Chung.

 

With concerts taking place in the historic cities of Riga and Jurmala, the Riga Jurmala Music Festival features four weekends throughout the summer. A leading international orchestra and conductor anchor each weekend, offering a range of symphonic concerts and recitals that feature leading stars and young up-and-coming talent.

 

More information: www.riga-jurmala.com