Sweet sorrow: an excellent Roméo et Juliette at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 13 September 2019

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“Kate Lindsey, singing with firm rich tone, brought soulful intensity to the Strophes”

Reviewed at Philharmonie: Großer Saal, Berlin on 12 September 2019

Berlioz, Roméo et Juliette, choral symphony

Kate Lindsey, Mezzo-soprano

Andrew Staples, Tenor

Shenyang, Bass-baritone

Rundfunkchor Berlin

Gijs Leenaars, Choirmaster / chorus director

Berliner Philharmoniker

Daniel Harding, Conductor

Petrenko and Serebrennikov forge a new Ring in Salzburg

Phillip Richter, 1st April

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s much-anticipated return to Salzburg gets off to an impressive musical start. Kirill Serebrennikov’s staging raises numerous questions, but answers few of them.

****1

Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 9th November

On their Asian tour, the Berliner Philharmoniker reaffirms its renown in a concert of Schumann and Brahms at the Seoul Arts Center.

*****

Pitch perfect: Petrenko conducts Dusapin, Zimmermann and Brahms

Elena Luporini, 17th September

At this year's Musikfest Berlin, Kirill Petrenko conducts his Berliner Philharmoniker in a devilishly intricate programme.

****1

A place to call our own: Marin Alsop in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 22nd February

For her debut at the head of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Marin Alsop reflects on what a ‘home’ is through works by Tarkiainen, Dean, Copland and Villa-Lobos.

****1

Robertson conducts the German premiere of Srnka's Superorganisms

Elena Luporini, 13th February

At the Philharmonie, David Robertson steps in for Kirill Petrenko for a concert all about the wonders of nature, featuring Varèse, Srnka and Beethoven.

****1

Berlin Phil à la hongroise with Seong-Jin Cho

Elena Luporini, 9th December

The Berlin Phil celebrates Seong-Jin Cho's recently inaugurated residency with a Hungarian-themed chamber concert.

****1

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Hugo Shirley

Hugo Shirley is a Berlin-based writer and musicologist. He has written widely as a critic in the UK, including for The Spectator, the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph, and has held editorial posts at both Opera and Gramophone. He was editor of 30-Second Opera (Ivy Press, 2015) and has a PhD in musicology from King's College London, where his thesis focused on Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Sweet sorrow: Daniel Harding conducts an excellent Roméo et Juliette at the Philharmonie