A GERMAN APPROACH
BERLIN SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
ORCHESTRA
Dubai, UAE
Join us on Tuesday 17th May for a concert with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Conrad Van Alphen. This performance features the renowned German oboist Albrecht Mayer, with the evening’s programme featuring works by Stravinsky, Shor, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. This concert takes place as part of the InClassica International Music Festival, and is presented by SAMIT Event Group.
Conrad van Alphen has gained tremendous popularity with orchestras and audiences alike for his visionary interpretations which he craftly directs in his energetic, efficient, kind and communicative performance style.
Equally at ease with the classical genre as with large symphonic repertoire Conrad van Alphen boasts an impressive array of appearances with orchestras such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Bochumer Symphoniker, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Orchestra, Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Bogota Philharmonic, Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Budapest Symphony Orchestra Mav, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and many more.
At the turn of the millennium Conrad founded Sinfonia Rotterdam, of which he remains chief conductor and artistic director. The orchestra presents successful concert series at de Doelen in Rotterdam, Amare in The Hague and at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Under Conrad’s energetic leadership Sinfonia Rotterdam is regularly invited to perform in venues and festivals around Europe and intercontinentally tours to Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Chile, China and Russia.
Read MoreSoloists of the highest calibre hail Conrad for his masterful concerto accompaniments, to mention only a few: Mikhail Pletnev, Maxim Vengerov, Nikolai Lugansky, Ronald Brautigam, Alexei Volodin, Simone Lamsma, Alena Baeva, Alban Gerhardt and Mischa Maisky.
For four years Conrad van Alphen was chief conductor of the Russian State Safonov Philharmonic Orchestra. As former Artist of the Moscow Philharmonic Society he regularly conducted the major Moscow orchestras in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the legendary Tchaikovsky Hall.
Conrad van Alphen was born and bred in South Africa. After moving to The Netherlands at the age of 26 he joined the double bass section of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academie Antwerp, whilst continuing his conducting studies with Eri Klas and Roberto Benzi.
- Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Sinfonia Rotterdam
- Programmer Festival van Zeeuwsch Vlaanderen
“Bright feast for the senses: Montreal music lovers can boast of having witnessed one of the most brilliant feats of their symphony orchestra, which delivered a performance of rare elegance. The charismatic conductor Conrad van Alphen breathed an impressive breath of fresh air into Rachmaninov’s majestic Second Symphony”
Review Montreal Symphony Orchestra
When the subject turns to oboists, his name is now de rigueur: Albrecht Mayer. His playing has both listeners and critics raving, with expressions like “divine spark” or the “miraculous oboe” that the German player has elevated to become an “instrument of seduction”. He studied with Gerhard Scheuer, Georg Meerwein, Maurice Bourgue and Ingo Goritzki and began his professional career in 1990 as principal oboist of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Since 1992 he has occupied the same position with the Berlin Phiharmonic. It’s no wonder that Albrecht Mayer ranks today among the most sought-after oboists and has appeared as a soloist with Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Along with his solo projects, Mayer considers it important to find time for chamber music. He has no dearth of requests and opportunities, and performs regularly with partners such as the pianist Hélène Grimaud, Leif Ove Andsnes and the bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, with whom he recorded a CD of Bach cantatas.
In his search for new repertoire for his instrument, he is constantly fascinated by the idea of lending his voice (that of the oboe) to “foreign” works — pieces written for other instruments or for singers. Having sung as a child for many years in the Bamberg Cathedral Choir, he is especially attracted to the human voice, as the most “natural” of all instruments. He’s already provided convincing proof of that claim in the recording Lieder ohne Worte — Bach transcriptions for oboe and orchestra, in which the Baroque style and bel canto are delightfully combined. The CD immediately entered the German classical charts at number 2. His CD In search of Mozart recorded with Claudio Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra made it to the top of the German classical charts, the recording New Seasons presents music by George Frederic Handel in a stunning new light. In August 2008, the oboist’s album In Venice was released by Decca, featuring Baroque oboe concertos from Venetian composers. Another CD with works by J.S. Bach has been released by Decca in autumn 2009, followed by “Bonjour Paris” in autumn 2010 and his CD “Songs of the Reed” in January 2012, both also released by Decca. His album “Let it snow” with the King’s Singers has been released by Deutsche Grammophon in autumn 2013. His albums “Lost and Found”, “Bach – concertos and transcriptions”, “Vocalise” and “Tesori d’Italia” for Deutsche Grammophon came out in spring/autumn 2015, winter 2016 and autumn 2017. His latest, extremely successful Mozart album was published in 2021.
Albrecht Mayer has been elected “Instrumentalist of the Year“ and was rewarded with an ECHO Klassik Prize by the German Phono-Akademie in 2004, 2008 and 2010; in December 2006 Albrecht Mayer was awarded the E.T.A.-Hoffmann Prize by his German hometown Bamberg. Last year he entered the Gramophone „Hall of Fame“ and received the Kulturpreis Bayern.
Albrecht Mayer plays an oboe and oboe d'amore by Mönnig.
For more than five decades, the Berliner Symphoniker have been an integral part of Berlin's musical and cultural life and have enriched the German orchestra landscape. Since 1990 they have been the orchestra for all Berliners.
In addition to the popular and long-established symphony concerts that take place in the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berliner Symphoniker perform throughout Berlin and the surrounding area: They are regular guests at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the University of the Arts, the Berlin Cathedral, the Kulturbrauerei and the Chorin Monastery, among others. With guest performances in Europe and tours to North and South America, Africa and Asia as well as appearances at international festivals (including in France, Italy, Austria, Spain and Israel), the Berliner Symphoniker have presented themselves successfully worldwide and see themselves as Berlin's cultural ambassadors.
In addition to the classical, wide-ranging and popular range of concerts, the repertoire of the Berliner Symphoniker also includes special rarities - unknown and forgotten works as well as contemporary compositions.
Music communication as a special focus has always been a trademark of the orchestra. It was the Berliner Symphoniker, for example, who were the first orchestra in Berlin to develop a music education profile with school concerts and children's and family concerts and who established and promoted work with young people in the long term. Numerous CD recordings and television recordings round off the multifaceted work of the Berliner Symphoniker.
