Season Opening Concert

The season opener isn't all about the waltz - but this dance, born in the late 18th century, does set the tone for the first half of the programme. The Konzerthausorchester and Joana Mallwitz sweep through waltz sequences from Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier", his celebrated "comedy for music". Maurice Ravel's "La Valse" from 1920 carries darker undertones - part danse macabre, part ironic farewell to the 19th century. The chief conductor and orchestra stay in dance mode with excerpts from Prokofiev's rhythmically intricate, richly scored ballet "Romeo and Juliet".

Between these works, the new composer-in-residence Unsuk Chin introduces herself with "Subito con forza" ("suddenly, with force"; 2020). The piece is full of allusions to Beethoven and connects to the symphonic cycle Joana Mallwitz will conduct around the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death in 2027. Chin herself describes it as "a personal homage to arguably the first modernist composer in music history".

The concert will be broadcast live at the open-air cinema Freiluftkino Friedrichshain.

Programme:
Richard Strauss - Waltz sequences from the opera "Der Rosenkavalier" op. 59
Maurice Ravel - "La Valse" - Poème choréographique for orchestra
Interval
Unsuk Chin - "Subito con forza" for orchestra
Sergei Prokofiev - "Romeo and Juliet" - Suites Nos. 1 and 2 from the ballet music op. 64 (excerpts)