April 2010

photo: Marco Borggreve

On 26 April Sylvain Cambreling begins his three year tenure as principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo with a programme of Beethoven, Mahler and Schoenberg. In the 2010/2011 season Sylvain Cambreling will conduct 13 concerts in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya. Maestro Cambreling say that “whilst preserving the orchestra’s traditions he hopes to enrich its personality even more by bringing in a little French blood, and broaden its knowledge of contemporary music."

photo: Kasskara - DG

This month VWM has two projects on the road – Yuri Bashmet and his Symphony Orchestra of New Russia, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Bashmet’s orchestra visits Paris, Cologne and Eindhoven, before moving on to Spain. This is the last instalment of a wider Bashmet project this season in these three cities which has also seen him as conductor and soloist with the Moscow Soloists, concerto soloist with the Mariinsky orchestra and chamber musician with Gidon Kremer and others. Kremer is soloist with the SONR in Schnittke’s Violin Concerto No. 4. Meanwhile the Academy is also on tour in Spain, giving three concerts with conductor Terje Mikkelsen in Orense, Vigo and Santander.

photo: Simon Butterworth

Ilan Volkov makes his conducting with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment this month as he replaces an indisposed Sir Charles Mackerras with performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 in London and Valladolid. The Philharmonia Chorus are joined by soloists Rebecca Evans, Diana Montague, Timothy Robinson and Christopher Purves.

photo: Sheila Rock

Semyon Bychkov makes his début with the Cleveland Orchestra in Ohio with performances of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Dutilleux’s Métaboles and Schumann’s Symphony No 2 in both Cleveland and Oberlin.

photo: Kirill Bachkirov

As part of the International Piano Series at the Southbank, Nikolai Demidenko will perform a recital at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The programme combines some lesser know works by Chopin such as his Bolero and Tarantella with works by Schumann, including his Carnival.

photo: Mathias Bothor

Gustavo Dudamel presents his first festival “Americas and Americans” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic before departing on a US tour with his orchestra. The Los Angeles Philharmonic under Dudamel’s direction will perform concerts across the United States, stopping in San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, Nashville, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City.

photo: Jorgen Gomnes

Two of our artists perform together in Brisbane this month. Eivind Aadland will be conducting the Queensland Orchestra in a performance of De Falla’s Nights in the Garden of Spain with Javier Perianes as the soloist. Other works include Debussy’s Images and Bolero. Eivind Aadland gives two further performances in Brisbane with programmes including Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with Christopher Wrench and Sibelius’ Symphony No 2.

photo: Marco Borggreve

Gérard Korsten makes his début with the Hong Kong Philharmonic with performances of Mozart ‘s Symphony No 25, Tippett’s Fantasia on a Theme of Corelli and Haydn’s Symphony No 104 London.

photo: Céline Gaudier

François-Xavier Roth conducts the comic opera Mignon by Ambroise Thomas this month at Théâtre de l'Opéra Comique with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In the same venue and then touring to Rome and Venice, he will conduct Les Siècles, performing Dubois’ Piano Concerto with soloist Vanessa Wagner and works by Thomas, Rebaud, Auber and Fauré. April will also see his first release on the new label ‘Les Siècles Live’ featuring Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique performed on XIX century original instruments and recorded live at the 2009 edition of the Festival Berlioz at La Côte Saint-André.