Organization

Conductor

Claudio Abbado

Singer

Bass

Anatolij Kotscherga

Orchestra

Berliner Philharmoniker

1996 Europakonzert from St. Petersburg with Claudio Abbado

There are not many opera houses that deserve the attribute “legendary”, but the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg is certainly one of them. In 1996, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Claudio Abbado held their Europakonzert there, presenting a Russian-German programme full of colour and verve – which included Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet (which had received its premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre) and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

1996 Europakonzert from St. Petersburg with Claudio Abbado: Concert Various

Public

Concert

Approved

There are not many opera houses that deserve the attribute “legendary”, but the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where both Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker received their premieres, is certainly one of them. So it was a special experience for the Berliner Philharmoniker and Claudio Abbado to perform their European Concert on this stage in 1996. 

At the same time, the musicians celebrated a small anniversary, as it was one hundred years ago that the orchestra had performed in Russia for the first time, as part of the festivities for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. With reference to their hosts, the musicians opened the concert with excerpts from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, which had also been given its premiere there. The Russian-themed part of the concert closed with a powerful performance of the Cavatina from Rachmaninov’s opera Aleka by Anatoli Kotscherga. 

The second part of the concert with Beethoven’s Violin Romances is linked to the Cavatina in as far as they also bring operatic scenes to mind with their shifting between beauty of sound and dramatic expression. The soloist is Kolja Blacher, who was first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker from 1993 to 1999. The concert came to a close with Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, whose piano reduction Beethoven had dedicated to the Russian Tsarina Elisabeth Alexeyavna. In the words of BBC Music Magazine, the work was given “an exhilarating [performance] characterised by glossy strings and sprightly wind solos”.

English

1996 Europakonzert from St. Petersburg with Claudio Abbado by Various, From (1996/1996), Conductor Claudio Abbado

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues