Kazuki Yamada, Leif Ove Andsnes

This programme turns our orchestral toy store on its head: under the baton of Kazuki Yamada, we are delighted to dive into the colourful and enchanting fantasy world of childhood with a work by Debussy inspired by the illustrator André Hellé in 1913. Hellé once said: »Toy boxes are actually cities where toys live like real people«. And he added somewhat ironically: »Or perhaps cities are nothing but toy boxes where people live like toys«. For the wonderful composition »La boîte à joujoux«, we fetch a pretty doll, a tin soldier and a rowdy jumping jack from the musical box and bring this wonderful bedtime story to life on stage. The poetic world of children was also a fertile source of inspiration for Bizet: in 1871, he created the piano cycle »Jeux d'enfants«, a charming collection of small, concise genre pieces – and with the help of his skilful orchestration, we will bring a whirling top spinning on the podium in this little suite. We open with Leif Ove Andsnes performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, in which the composer apparently gave free rein to his inner child during the premiere in 1803: He always presented the solo part of his artistic calling cards from memory, but as was customary for the audience at the time, the sheet music was laid out on the piano, which he had scribbled down hurriedly as »quite incomprehensible hieroglyphics«. This made the page turners sweat profusely – which, according to contemporary reports, apparently amused Beethoven »delightfully«.

Tickets: from 25.08.2025 10 a.m.