Schedule of events - Pierre Boulez Saal

In his diverse solo program, Emmanuel Pahud combines selected fantasies for flute by Georg Philipp Telemann with equally demanding works by a group of contemporary composers, all written for him over the last few years

Inspired by Stravinsky’s idea for The Soldier’s Tale to be “read, played, and danced” by a traveling theater troupe, director Dan Tanson has reimagined the piece in a staging tailormade for the Pierre Boulez Saal’s 360-degree setting. Following its successful premiere in February 2019, the production returns for four more performances. Performance duration: c. 60 minutesAge 6 and olderIn German

The Heath Quartet, heard in three concerts over the course of the season that highlight many different aspects of the ensemble’s artistry, explores a multitude of musical textures in this program.

In the summer of 1917, Leoš Janáček met Kamila Stösslová, a young woman almost 40 years his junior. His passionate love for her remained platonic, but it inspired a number of works written over the following years—most notably the Second String Quartet of 1928, in which Janáček told the story of this relationship, entirely without words.

It seems almost impossible to imagine German lied without Goethe. Spoken and sung, Goethe’s words provide the theme of this third and final Lied und Lyrik program with Christoph Prégardien, Julius Drake, and actor Udo Samel.

The mysterious character of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is at the center of the program presented by the Berlin Staatskapelle String Quartet and soprano Sarah Aristidou.

Following an all-Ligeti program in December, the Boulez Ensemble’s second “monothematic” concert this season is focused on the music of Arnold Schoenberg.

On two consecutive days in April, Sir András Schiff performs Johann Sebastian Bach's six French Suites. The English Suites, written a few years earlier, will be heard in June.

The ensemble Les Vents Français brings together five of today’s most accomplished wind virtuosos. Together with pianist Éric Le Sage, the ensemble has premiered Philippe Hersant’s Osterlied and Thierry Escaich’s Mechanic Song, two works that will be heard as part of its Pierre Boulez Saal debut.

Kian Soltani has been a regular guest at the Pierre Boulez Saal since its opening in 2017, performing here in various formations. He now curates an entire program dedicated to his own instrument.

Following their moving performance of George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children at the Pierre Boulez Saal in March 2020, Zubin Mehta, Mojca Erdmann, and the Boulez Ensemble reunite to once again present this fascinating score.

Conducted by the composer, Nathalia Milstein and the Boulez Ensemble present Matthias Pintscher's first piano concerto NUR together with works by Mozart and Schoenberg.

"With their annual concerts, the chamber ensembles of the Vienna Philharmonic bring specific Viennese sound and the highest levels of virtuosity to the Pierre Boulez Saal. This season’s program is centered around works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—who made Vienna his home for the last ten years of his life."

"In March 2019, clarinetist David Krakauer and pianist Kathleen Tagg joined forces with video artist Jesse Gilbert at the Pierre Boulez Saal to create a new and expanded version of their project Breath & Hammer. The program now returns for two nights only."

"The biography of Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536) serves as the starting point for a fascinating journey into the world of the Renaissance with the Orlando Consort."

Sergey Malov's debut at the Pierre Boulez Saal offers a rare opportunity to experience Bach's six Suites for Solo Cello in a new light.

Hear the students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie perform live at the Pierre Boulez Saal.

After performing violin sonatas by Béla Bartók and Johannes Brahms, Michael Barenboim switches to the viola for the second half of his duo recital with Nathalia Milstein, exploring the different characters and colors of these two members of the string instrument family side by side.

Daniil Trifonov sets out on an extraordinary journey through the piano literature of the 20th century: performing one seminal work from each decade, he reveals its breathtaking stylistic diversity and rapid development.

Alina Ibragimova is joined by her duo partner Cédric Tiberghien in a program that pairs violin sonatas by César Franck and Claude Debussy with music by Igor Stravinsky and Karol Szymanowski

Andrew Norman’s Suspend is inspired by the life and works of Johannes Brahms. Brahms's late Piano Pieces Op. 118 open Emanuel Ax’s recital program which also includes selected works by Frédéric Chopin.

Radek Baborák and Denis Kozhukhin open their concert, for which they are joined by violinist Dalibor Karvay, with Schumann’s romantic Fantasy Pieces. The remainder of the program focuses on horn music of the 20th century.

Joined by his piano partner Mzia Bachtouridze, Ildar Abdrazakov takes on Shostakovich’s 1974 Michelangelo Suite and selected works by Modest Mussorgsky, including the Songs and Dances of Death.

With performances of more than a thousand newly commissioned works, groundbreaking collaborations with artists from many other disciplines, and a strong commitment to nurturing new generations of musicians, the Kronos Quartet has redefined the role of the string quartet for the late 20th and 21st centuries. The live documentary A Thousand Thoughts employs sound, images, and words to immerse viewers and listeners in this musical cosmos.

Few contemporary performers on the kamancheh, the Persian “spiked fiddle,” have been more influential than Kayhan Kalhor, an acclaimed virtuoso on his instrument for several decades. He is joined by Behnam Samani, one of the undisputed masters of traditional Persian percussion instruments, including the goblet drum tombak.

One of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Gidon Kremer has enjoyed a close artistic partnership with Lithuanian cellist Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė for many years. At the Pierre Boulez Saal, they are joined by rising pianist Alexandre Kantorow.

Two musicians from different generations meet at the Pierre Boulez Saal, challenge each other, and leave their musical comfort zones.

Hear the students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie perform live at the Pierre Boulez Saal.

"As a composer and improviser,” says Uri Caine, “I enjoy the push and pull between structured composed music and free improvisation.” Both aspects of Caine’s artistry will be on display in his first Pierre Boulez Saal appearance.

For his first solo recital at the Pierre Boulez Saal, English tenor Ian Bostridge is joined by Sir Antonio Pappano to perform Schubert’s “spine-chilling songs”—as the composer himself once described his Winterreise.

Hear the students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie perform live at the Pierre Boulez Saal.

"“Parental Leave” concerts are aimed at all new mothers and fathers (as well as uncles, aunts, grandparents…) who would like to experience music together with their babies in a relaxed setting. In seven morning programs, each approximately 45 minutes long, Pierre Boulez Saal artists perform excerpts from their current repertoire."

In December 2019, Maurizio Pollini made his celebrated Pierre Boulez Saal debut with works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Schoenberg. Now the legendary Italian pianist returns to perform another solo recital.

"Following his two performances of the French Suites in April, Sir András Schiff now completes his multiyear cycle with the English Suites, the earliest of Bach’s major collections for keyboard instruments."

Toward the end of the season, the Boulez Ensemble once more explores a range of repertoire, from the 17th century to the present.

Acclaimed around the world for their standard-setting performances of Josquin’s works, the Tallis Scholars and their music director Peter Phillips now bring an extraordinary project to the Pierre Boulez Saal to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the composer’s death and to close the season: Over the course of four days, they will perform Josquin’s complete masses in what will be the ensemble’s first-ever cyclical presentation of these works.