Musikfest Berlin 05
31 August – 13 September 2005International concerts of orchestra and chamber music.
To open the annual concert season, the Musikfest Berlin will invite outstanding orchestras, ensembles and soloists to the city of Berlin. The Musikfest is hosted by Berliner Festspiele and the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker and aims to open up a new perspective on developments and artistic innovations in the international world of classical music.
The word “orchestral” is another word for “magnificent sound”, and Musikfest Berlin is intended to give the capital exactly that – a prestigious orchestral festival, full of magnificent sound, with a clear focus on the orchestra and the full ensemble. Moreover, Musikfest Berlin will also raise the question of the purpose and status of the orchestra in the twenty-first century. This question is particularly topical at a time when many ensembles are faced with difficulties, and radio stations appear to be prepared to dispense with their orchestras.
Musikfest Berlin will not only embrace the usual repertoire and tour programmes but also focus on unusual works and historical performance practices, as well as looking at the relationship between contemporary and ancient music, and the crossing of musical borders.
Musikfest Berlin has developed from the former “Festwochen” and thus looks back on a long and successful history, but as Berlin has changed dramatically, so also the music festival has needed to change. I am particularly pleased by our new partnership with the Berliner Philharmoniker. We are deeply grateful to Sir Simon Rattle and the orchestra committees for their valuable suggestions and generous provision of venue. Also, I am grateful to Volkswagen Bank for their special support in connection with the guest performance by the New York Philharmonic.
The main thematic focus of this first Musikfest Berlin will be Eastern European music, and especially Czech music. Orchestras and artists from around the world – the Czech Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, to name only a few – will bring international renown and sparkle to the festival. Performances by the SWR Sinfonieorchester, the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin will mark further highlights. One very special highlight will certainly be the concert performance of Janácek’s “Jenufa” by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle, while the Freiburger Barockorchester will present world premieres of works by new composers, pointing the way to the future.
May you enjoy what you hear and discover!
Joachim Sartorius
Director Berliner Festspiele
