Symphony No. 39 is the first of a set of three (his last symphonies) that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed on 25 July and No. 41 on 10 August. Nikolaus Harnoncourt argues that Mozart composed the…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 425, also known as the Linz Symphony during a stopover in the Austrian town of Linz as he and his wife travelled back home to Vienna from Salzburg in late 1783. The entire symphony was…

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most frequently performed ballets at the Prague National Theater. Petr Zuska, artistic director of the Czech National Ballet, puts an emphasis on the cause of prejudice and blood feuds between the Montagues and Capulets…

Violinist, composer and conductor, living through two world wars, caught between east and west, capitalism and communism: The remarkable and glittering life of German artist Paul Dessau is more than a good story – it cries out for the medium of film…

Legendary recording by Yehudi Menuhin from the Charlie Chaplin Studios, Hollywood, 1947 In 1947, the first concert film in film history was shot in Hollywood: Concert Magic. Yehudi Menuhin and other internationally renowned performers performed…

Songs and music from hidden film treasures, the sound of nostalgia on film. A series of beautiful, romantic songs from iconic love scenes are performed by singers from the Danish National Vocal Ensemble accompanied by cello, piano, saxophone, and…

Fostering young musical talents was particularly dear to Claudio Abbado’s heart. Abbado founded the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 2003. In this orchestra, he united the world’s best young musicians from youth orchestras. The Lucerne Festival…

The Danish Radio Big Band has joined forces with Curtis Stigers to celebrate the iconic legendary Frank Sinatra concerts that took place at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. The concert presents the most beloved evergreens from the American songbook of…

The Waldbühne Concert given by the Berliner Philharmoniker marks the end of the 2009/10 season. More recently visitors to the orchestra’s Waldbühne concerts have been regaled by some of the greatest opera singers of our age, including such operatic…

What made Claudio Abbado stand out was his unpretentious, noble character, his democratic understanding of music making and his ability to celebrate the live moment on stage. Claudio Abbado empathized with his musicians. In order to be able to…