At a New York studio, four string instruments carried me on a journey through time, their sounds clear and unclouded by audience noise. Lang invited us to experience the beauty of sound itself, and the repeated notes evoked vivid memories of steppes, winter winds, and morning mist with swans. Though the sounds traveled, they returned to their origin, and when the concert ended, even everyday noises seemed musical—until morning, when the world returned to normal.
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Franz Welser-Möst, stand on the Carnegie stage with his Cleveland Orchestra in January 2024. The guy on his left side is the new Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Lieber Franz 親愛なるフランツ
Franz came to Cleveland in 2002 and has returned nearly every year, bringing thrilling programs of Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. I once watched Beethoven’s Seventh at Carnegie, where his fast tempo pushed the orchestra to its limits yet never collapsed. Franz embodies the composer’s spirit, patiently guiding the orchestra without imposing himself, making each performance feel immersive and timeless. Even a short piece, like Bartók, can capture the audience completely, as if transported on a multi-year journey. Cleveland remains my favorite orchestra for how it conveys the music’s soul.
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Bach x YMO: Space Travelers バッハとYMOの宇宙旅行
Bach’s son and Hosono resemble each other in appearance, and their music is similar as well.
Released in ’79, Technopolis by YMO features synthesizers mainly handled by Sakamoto, with Hosono on bass. In the middle section, Hosono adds a wriggling, almost octopus-like obbligato over Sakamoto’s part—and it’s incredibly skillful! As you’re marveling at Sakamoto’s playing too, the musical scene shifts, and that wriggling line seems to run through your body.
Moreover, amid the solemn electronic programming, certain passages emerge with restraint and subtle expression—this controlled nuance calls to mind the harpsichord music of Bach’s son in the 17th–18th centuries.
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Sound and Sumo: Sparkle of the Wildness 音と相撲はワイルドな衝突
I love both music and sumo, and during the July tournament I suddenly recalled the third movement of Bruckner’s Seventh. The crescendo before the winds enter felt like driving an opponent to the edge, the timpani tremolo sharpening the tension until the decisive moment. Then the swirling strings crashed in—like a perfectly timed throw—where wild energy met the vast illusion of the orchestra.
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Mao Fujita: Verbier Festival 2024
Mao Fujita, born 1998 in Tokyo and 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition second prize winner, first impressed me in 2022 at Verbier performing Mozart. After Pollini’s cancellation, he appeared at Carnegie Hall in January 2023, moving me deeply, especially with Schumann. His playing blends gentleness with intense passion, conveying strictness, sorrow, and fear with fragile yet powerful expression. Unlike others, his energy feels fresh and unique, making live performances of any repertoire vividly immersive and highly anticipated in 2024.
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Pletnev: Mozart Chatting to Us in Verbier
I looked at his review, but everyone is terrible at describing his art. But here, Pappano and the Orchestra are all chatting with each other as if Mozart is chatting with us.
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Stockhausen: The ultimate world of space walking
As if thrown into space
The ultimate world of space walking
まるで宇宙に放り出されたような感覚。究極の宇宙遊泳世界を是非ご堪能下さい。
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“Music is always profoundly human,” Wolfgang Rihm, An Obituary by Berliner Philharmoniker
Wolfgang Rihm, An Obituary by Berliner Philharmoniker
“Create sound events with a mind of their own.”
“Music is always profoundly human.”
“Even my fears, my anxieties and, of course, euphoria.”
Rihm was a composer who was not afraid to show vulnerability within his creative process.
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What makes a good listener? - Music Critic, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim argues that attentive listening—especially to complex instrumental music—trains the mind to follow multiple layers simultaneously, quiets distractions, and strengthens our capacity to truly listen in daily life. Music thus becomes both entertainment and essential mental exercise.
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Pianist Alexandre Kantorow, Hard to miss new generation
"The stereotype is that competitions mint quick-fingered but mindless virtuosos, while the Gilmore rewards more mature, idiosyncratic artists. To win both the Tchaikovsky and the Gilmore suggests Kantorow has technical security as well as something to say." By Zachary Woolfe
In 2019, at age 22, Alexandre Kantorow became the first French pianist to win the Tchaikovsky Competition's First Prize, as well as the Grand Prix, awarded only three times before in the competition's history. Hailed by critics as the“reincarnation of Liszt” (Fanfare Magazine), he received the Gilmore Artist Award 2024, considered one of the most prestigious international piano prizes,and awarded only every 4 years. He is the first French artist and youngest winner of the Gilmore Artist Award.
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Daniil Trifonov at Carnegie 12.12.2024
Thanks to WQXR
Program:
RAMEAU: Suite in A Minor from Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin
MOZART: Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 332
MENDELSSOHN: Variations sérieuses
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"
Encores:
GREEN: "I Cover the Waterfront" (after Tatum)
SCRIABIN: Andante from Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 23
MOMPOU: Variations on a Theme of Chopin: Var. 9. Valse
Happy 80's! Maria João Pires Bach Works
BRSO: Maria João Pires celebrates her 80th birthday!
BRSO: Maria João Pires - Mozart Piano Concerto No 9
On July 23, 2024, the pianist Maria João Pires celebrates her 80th birthday!
At the end of June, she was a guest of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and played the Piano Concerto in E-flat major, KV 271 ("Jenamy") by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart under the direction of Giovanni Antonini.
We were allowed to accompany the concert in the dress rehearsal.
Recording
"I have no hesitation in declaring Maria João Pires—a pianist without a trace of narcissism—among the most eloquent master musicians of our time." (Bryce Morrison). Gramophone.co.uk.
Reference System
“stand aside and let the music through.”
“I constantly heard such a wealth of inner detail being revealed from some of my favorite recordings.”
“If I wanted everything to sound good no matter what, I would have bought that old McIntosh 275 so many years ago.”
“I get my warm, lush and fuzzy feels and at the same time I hear deeper into the music than ever before. For me, that sound has become my recipe for happiness.”
Mojo2
Spendor S3/5R2
Concerts 2024-2025
The season includes pianists Daniil Trifonov (Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Barber) and Yulianna Avdeeva (Chopin, Liszt), Mao Fujita (Yashiro, Scriabin, Beethoven, Liszt, Mozart), Mitsuko Uchida (Beethoven, Schubert, Kurtág, Schumann), Evgeny Kissin (Beethoven, Chopin, Shostakovich), and Nina Stemme with Roland Pöntinen (Elgar, Weill, Wagner). Major orchestras appear as well: the New York Philharmonic with Susanna Mälkki (Strauss, Francesconi, Ravel), Berlin Philharmonic with Hilary Hahn and Kirill Petrenko (Rachmaninoff, Korngold, Dvořák, Bruckner), Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov (Dvořák, Janáček), Chicago Symphony with Riccardo Muti (Bellini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky), Vienna Philharmonic with Muti (Schubert, Bruckner, Stravinsky, Dvořák), London Symphony with Antonio Pappano (Walker, Bernstein, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Walton), Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst and Asmik Grigorian (Haydn, Strauss, Janáček, Puccini), and the Boston Symphony with Andris Nelsons plus Mitsuko Uchida and Yo-Yo Ma (Beethoven, Shostakovich). Chamber music highlights include Les Arts Florissants (Charpentier, Lully, Rameau), Concerto Copenhagen (Muffat, Handel, Bach), Yarn/Wire and Theatre of Voices with premieres by Wubbels, Iannotta, Gordon, Wolfe, and Adams, and an all-Shostakovich recital by Gidon Kremer, Maxim Rysanov, and Gautier Capuçon.
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Franz Welser-Möst + Cleveland Orchestra - Prokofiev
Rudolf Buchbinder, Pianist - Beethoven
Boulez - Mahler on High fidelity
Concert 2023-2024
The 2023–2024 concert season featured a stellar lineup of performers. Joyce DiDonato starred as Sister Helen Prejean and Ryan McKinny as Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at the Met, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Riccardo Muti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn, Strauss, and the New York premiere of Philip Glass’s The Triumph of the Octagon. Pianists Jonathan Ware, Sergei Babayan, Anna Vinnitskaya, Schaghajegh Nosrati, and Sir András Schiff showcased programs spanning Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, and Alkan. Joana Mallwitz conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Kodály, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert, bringing vibrant energy and interpretive insight. These performances highlighted both established and emerging artists, emphasizing technical mastery, emotional depth, and a commitment to blending classical masterpieces with contemporary works, creating a dynamic and engaging season.
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Klaus Mäkelä, 28, to Lead American Top Orchestra
Mäkelä will become the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
He said it has “that intensity — that same sound from the past.”
This is article from New York Times by Javier C. Hernández
“You felt as if anything you would ask, they could actually improve and do more,” he said, recalling his recent guest appearances there. “For a conductor, that is a very, very special feeling because you see that there really are no limits to what you can achieve.”
The orchestra hopes that Mäkelä can help attract new audiences to classical music, including younger concertgoers.
“There is nothing wrong with old people,” Mäkelä said. “But of course, ideally, we would have a very wide-ranging diverse audience.”
During his tenure, Mäkelä said he hoped to tackle standard repertoire like Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, as well as less commonly performed works like Monteverdi’s “Vespro della Beata Vergine” and William Walton’s choral work “Belshazzar’s Feast.”
He also said he would make commissioning new pieces a priority, naming Unsuk Chin, Thomas Larcher, Andrew Norman and Anna Thorvaldsdottir as some of his favorite contemporary composers.
“I feel that we can have a completely new chapter for the orchestra in terms of repertoire, in terms of developing the same amazing sound,” he said, “but having it as flexible as possible.”
The Chicago Symphony is also working to bring more women and people of color into the ensemble. The orchestra has 59 men and 34 women, and only a few Black and Latino members.
Because the pandemic delayed auditions, the orchestra has an unusually high number of vacancies, 15, which Mäkelä said was an “opportunity for change.” He will start weighing in on auditions immediately, the orchestra said.
Mäkelä, who trained at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, said some of his models were Esa-Pekka Salonen, a fellow Finn who recently announced he was stepping down from the San Francisco Symphony, pointing to his experiments with music and technology. And he expressed admiration for Kirill Petrenko, the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, saying he had shown courage in programming.
マケラがシカゴ交響楽団の音楽監督に就任する。
彼は「過去からのあの音、あの強烈さがある」と語った。
これはニューヨーク・タイムズのハビエル・C・ヘルナンデスによる記事である。
「何をお願いしても、オーケストラは実際にそれを改善し、さらに高めることができると感じました」と彼は最近の客演を振り返りながら述べた。「指揮者にとって、これは非常に特別な感覚です。達成できることに本当に限界がないとわかるのです。」
オーケストラは、マケラ氏が若い聴衆を含む新しいクラシック音楽のファンを引きつける手助けになることを期待している。
「年配の方々に問題があるわけではありません」とマケラは述べた。「しかし理想的には、幅広く多様な聴衆を迎えたいと考えています。」
就任期間中、マケラ氏はマーラーの『復活』交響曲やバッハの『マタイ受難曲』などの定番レパートリーに取り組むだけでなく、モンテヴェルディの『聖母マリアの晩課』やウィリアム・ウォルトンの合唱作品『ベルシャザールの饗宴』といった、あまり演奏されない作品にも挑戦したいと語った。
さらに、新作委嘱を優先事項とし、好きな現代作曲家としてチン・ウンスク、トーマス・ラルヒャー、アンドリュー・ノーマン、アンナ・ソルヴァルズドッティルの名前を挙げた。
「オーケストラにとって、レパートリーや音色の発展という面で、まったく新しい章を開くことができると感じています」と彼は述べた。「同じ素晴らしい音を保ちながら、可能な限り柔軟にしたいのです。」
シカゴ交響楽団はまた、女性や有色人種のメンバーを増やす取り組みも進めている。現在のメンバーは男性59人、女性34人で、黒人やラテン系のメンバーはわずかである。
パンデミックの影響でオーディションが遅れたため、オーケストラには通常より多い15の空席があり、マケラ氏はこれを「変革のチャンス」と語った。オーケストラによれば、彼はすぐにオーディションの審査に関わり始めるという。
ヘルシンキのシベリウス・アカデミーで学んだマケラ氏は、モデルとしてフィンランド出身のエサ＝ペッカ・サロネンを挙げた。サロネンは最近サンフランシスコ交響楽団を退任すると発表しており、音楽と技術の実験的取り組みを参考にしている。また、ベルリン・フィルの首席指揮者キリル・ペトレンコに対しては、プログラム編成において勇気を示したことに敬意を表している。
Balse Concerti 2025 LA
The LA Phil’s 2024–2025 season features Robin Ticciati with Lisa Batiashvili (Beethoven Violin Concerto, Dvořák Symphony No. 8), Susanna Mälkki (Schubert “Unfinished,” Saariaho HUSH, Strauss), Gustavo Dudamel with Sasha Cooke (Mahler songs and Symphony No. 5), and Joana Mallwitz with Augustin Hadelich (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Schubert Symphony No. 9). Emmanuelle Haïm leads Le Concert d’Astrée in Handel’s The Triumph of Time and Disillusion, Esa-Pekka Salonen with Pierre-Laurent Aimard explores Boulez, Debussy, and La mer, and Evgeny Kissin gives a solo recital of Beethoven, Chopin, and Shostakovich.
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