Portál Pražana
Berliner Philharmoniker New Year’s Eve Concert
For the eighth time, the traditional New Year's Eve Gala Concert of the Berlin Philharmonic. Orchestra will be broadcasted live to cinemas all over the world, the Lucerna cinema in Prague being one of them. Ring in the New Year a little bit differently in 2018! The Berliner Philharmoniker is one of the most important symphonic orchestras in the world. Much of their fame is due to the legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan. In the Gramophone's review of The World's 20 Greatest Orchestras, critics rated the orchestra as the second-best in the world.
Orchestra with a long history
The orchestra was founded by 54 musicians in the spring of 1882 under the name Frühere Bilsesche Kapelle. However, during the first five years, the musicians struggled with financial difficulties. In 1887, the concert agent Hermann Wolff, managed to stabilise the situation of the orchestra under the new name Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductors such as Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler were visiting conductors of the orchestra.
For a long time, the orchestra focused exclusively on the interpretation of composers of German classicism and romanticism. Later, it extended its repertoire to world composers. The famous Herbert von Karajan was a conductor until 1989, when he resigned from his post one month before his death. In the years 2002-2018, Sir Simon Rattle was the conductor. From the 2019/2020 season onwards, he will be replaced by the Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko.
A conductor and a pianist at the same time
The conductor of this New Year’s Eve concert is Daniel Barenboim. However, he will also be the soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major. Daniel Barenboim is well known to the Czech audience for conducting Smetana’s Má vlast at the opening of the Prague Spring International Music Festival (Pražské jaro) last year.
On the programme of this year’s gala is Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 26 in D major, “Coronation” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as works of Maurice Ravel, including his famous Boléro.
Concert programme:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 26 in D major, “Coronation”
Maurice Ravel : Rapsodie espagnole (Spanish Rhapsody)
Miroirs No. 4: Alborada del gracioso
Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)
Boléro
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BROADCASTING
Venue: Kino Lucerna, Vodičkova 36, Praha 1
31/12/2018 at 5pm
Tickets CZK 300