Eleonora Gelmetti is our social media manager. She recommends the second episode of “Berlin Tracks” with Giorgi Gigashvili on January 10: 

“For me, this series is especially exciting because it brings musicians from the Berlin and beyond with a wide variety of musical roots to our concert hall. I'm particularly looking forward to Giorgi Gigashvili and am excited to hear how his mix of classical, pop, and electronic music will sound live. I think it's great that the programme is so experimental. Shostakovich and then Rosalía might be a rather daring combination, but that's exactly why it's so cool. With his relaxed, open way and his great musical curiosity, Giorgi definitely has the right energy for that.”

Principal bass clarinetist Norbert Möller warmly recommends our “Tutti Pro” concert on January 16. As part of this initiative by Jeunesses Musicales Germany and unisono, professional orchestras sponsor outstanding youth orchestras by giving  lessons and workshop and play side by side in a concert each season:

“The close connection between the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Music High School goes back decades, when our orchestra was still called the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester and the school was a special school for music in the GDR. The instrumental teaching was primarily provided by orchestra colleagues, including some from our orchestra. Quite a few of the graduates now play with us or have found their way into other renowned orchestras.

I myself was a student at this school in the 1970s, and I have now been teaching clarinet, chamber music, and orchestral playing there for decades. I consider myself fortunate that my students will be sitting next to me at this concert. Louis, for example, who will play principal clarinet in the Rosenkavalier Suite, played his very first clarinet notes with me. Now, after hundreds of intensive lessons over nine years and an estimated 7,000 hours of individual practice, he is one of the best young musicians in the country. 

The soloist of the concert on vibraphone and marimba, percussionist Alexej Gerassimez, is also a former student. He has since made a name for himself as a composer for his instruments, so we will be playing not only works by Korngold and Strauss, but also by him.”

Kana Himeno, our communications/marketing team assistant, is particularly looking forward to the recital by our Artist in Residence Alice Sara Ott on January 26:

“When I heard one of John Field's Nocturnes for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the music. Contrary to what I had previously thought, he is the inventor of this form, which even allows me to forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the subway for a moment. The Nocturnes awaken childhood memories in me: Anyone who has ever walked through the alleys full of neon signs in Japan in the evening may remember, as I do, the associated feeling of being protected yet lonely, which is very familiar to me.  As someone who grew up in Germany and only visited most of my family there during the summer holidays, I can identify very well with the idea behind Field's music. Alice Sara Ott's recording appeals to me in particular because she even manages to bring a gaming backdrop into the world of classical music with an LED screen in a video.

In keeping with the Nocturnes, I am looking forward to an early and a late Beethoven sonata, two works that deviate somewhat from the clichéd image of Beethoven - especially No. 19, which was probably not intended for publication. Therefore, for me, it has something intimate about it, like deleted scenes from a movie. Let yourself be surprised by the memories that will be awakened in you on this cold Berlin evening!”