Celibidache: Ravel and Debussy

Be there for a live musical gathering at Munich’s Odeonsplatz in the company of two of the classical stage’s brightest lights! Maestro Lorenzo Viotti, at the helm of the Munich Philharmonic, and virtuoso pianist Yuja Wang invite us to join them at the world-famous open-air venue, beginning the festivities with an electrifying rendition of Rachmaninov's poignant Piano Concerto No. 2. The ensemble then unveils a Spanish-inflected program: Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol leads into Chabrier's España, a "rhapsody for orchestra," before Ravel's perennially beloved Boléro, an undisputed masterpiece of orchestration, ends the concert with flair. Live Concert, performed and aired Friday, July 9, 2021.

Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana, one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls, hosted Gustavo Dudamel and the Münchner Philharmoniker with an unforgettable performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “The Resurrection”. The composer emphasizes life and death in all its terrible and stunning splendour in this overwhelming opus: “There is nothing except the complete substance of my whole life”, he remarked on his all-embracing oeuvre. Gustavo Dudamel, who said it was “a privilege to conduct this work in this unique venue”, and his ensemble were celebrated with more than ten minutes of applause.

Retrospective on a unique moment of great music. In 1982, two immense musicians pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and conductor Sergiu Celibidache combined their talents to perform the “Concerto in G Major” by the legendary Ravel.

Following the success of the Art of Conducting-Great Conductors of the Past, this second edition focuses on a further six of the twentieth century's greatest conductors, complemented by commentary from music personalities who knew the artists firsthand. Rare film clips are also included of Herbert von Karajan, Hermann Scherchen, Andre Cluytens and Vaclav Talich.

The concert on Saturday, July 15, 2017, was opened by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Manfred Honeck. In the first part of the concert, percussionist Martin Grubinger delighted the audience with highlights from his Parade concertos by Tan Dun and Bruno Hartl, among others. In the second part, a concert waltz by Carl Michael Ziehrer was played, as well as his own fantasy based on themes from Antonín Dvořák's fairytale opera "Rusalka" with the popular "Song to the Moon", and the evening ended with a variety suite by Dmitri Shostakovich. On July 16, 2017, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage in the Feldherrnhalle. The chief conductor was Valery Gergiev. Chinese pianist Yuja Wang played one of her absolute favorite concertos: the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Johannes Brahms. And the Russian maestro also contributed Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" in the bombastic orchestral version by Maurice Ravel.