Tag Archives: Staatskapelle Berlin

A love letter from Berlin as Barenboim and the Staatskapelle make Elgar their own

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Prom 2: Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin **** Nobilmente (It.). Nobly, in a noble style. As a musical term, it’s almost exclusively associated with the works of Sir Edward Elgar, who first employed it in his piano transcription of the Enigma Variations. The score to his Symphony no. … Continue reading →

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Lacking a sense of abandon: Cranko’s Onegin at Staatsballett Berlin

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Onegin *** Staatsballett Berlin, Schiller Theater, 8th October 2015 “Happiness was once so near us.” That line from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin  should be crushing, the tender moment when Onegin and Tatyana realise what could have been. That final … Continue reading →

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Dud bullet: Thalheimer’s Freischütz fires blanks at Staatsoper Berlin

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Weber: Der Freischütz *** Staatsoper Berlin, 6th October 2015 The Wolf’s Glen scene in Weber’s Der Freischütz is terrifically difficult to stage – a supernatural centrepiece to a folkloric opera. Director Michael Thalheimer circumvents this in his Staatsoper Berlin production by … Continue reading →

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“Spirit of delight”: Staggering Elgar from Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky/Elgar: Staatskapelle Berlin/Barenboim **** Royal Festival Hall, 21st April 2015 London has been fortunate to host two great Berlin orchestras exploring repertoire unfamiliar to them in recent months. In February, the Berliner Philharmoniker dipped its toes into icy Sibelian waters, … Continue reading →

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Turgid tempi hamper Barenboim’s Rheingold

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Mark Pullinger

Prom 14: Das Rheingold *** Staatskapelle Berlin, Barenboim, Royal Albert Hall, 22nd July 2013 ‘A sultry haze hangs in the air,’ remarks Donner towards the finale of Das Rheingold. He wasn’t wrong. In a Royal Albert Hall sweltering like Nibelheim’s furnaces, … Continue reading →

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