Greeting

Last year, our projects within Musikfest Berlin were the first to take place at the Philharmonie after months of closed cultural institutions. The exceptional circumstances and the great intensity of many concerts have rendered them unforgettable. In 2021, our troubles are not yet over, but our passion and conviction that art and culture must play a significant role – especially in difficult times – are great and have lent wings to our planning and preparation.

In continuation of the former Berliner Festwochen, Musikfest Berlin was also initiated as a workshop for ideas and a forum of cultural dialogue to facilitate the dialogue between tradition and international modernism. In 2021, Musikfest Berlin will once again venture forth to build bridges between musical epochs – from 16th century works to world premieres of new works by composers including Heiner Goebbels, Cathy Milliken, Wolfgang Rihm and Jörg Widmann. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s death, Musikfest Berlin will pay tribute to one of the outstanding composers of the 20th century with a comprehensive programme focus: Numerous works will resound over the three weeks of the festival, including several rarities and discoveries.

The Berliner Philharmoniker are very happy to be able to contribute two interesting programmes to Musikfest Berlin. Conducted by Jakub Hrůša, they will perform Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 (“Romantic”) and combine it with the premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s “Keyframes for a Hippogriff – Musical Calligrams in memoriam Hester Diamond”. We had already been very much looking forward to the world premiere of this work by the Austrian composer in 2020 – this year, it can finally take place. The second programme by the Berliner Philharmoniker will be conducted by our Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko. It will feature Stravinsky’s colourful and fairytale-like ballet music “L’Oiseau de feu” and the harrowing “Concerto funebre” by Karl Amadeus Hartmann, which was created immediately after the outbreak of the Second World War. The Moldavian violinist Patricia Kopatschinskaja, who is artist-in-residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker this season, will perform Hartmann’s violin concerto. And the Karajan Academy will also make an important contribution with a programme that will present new and the latest contemporary music under the musical direction of Matthias Pintscher.

I would like to wish Winrich Hopp and his team as well as all participating artists a successful festival. And I hope that you, dear members of the audience, will find joy and inspiration in the concerts of this year’s Musikfest Berlin.

Andrea Zietschmann
General Manager Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation