The German orchestra has scheduled performances at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval in Sintra on the 23rd and at the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon the following day.
The Berlin Symphony Orchestra’s appearances in Sintra and Lisbon are part of the “Europa Sinfónica” cycle of the 18th Darcos Season, which opens on the 13th at the Philharmonie hall in the German capital.
The program for these three concerts features the overture of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni,” Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, and the German premiere of Nuno Côrte-Real’s “Sinfonia 2022,” which the Symphony Orchestra will perform for the first time.
The “Sinfonia 2022,” premiered two years ago at the Teatro Nacional de S. Carlos in Lisbon, is described by Ensemble Darcos as “a work of deep and reflective character, addressing violence and future uncertainty, expressing the composer’s personal and spiritual vision of current events.”
In Berlin, the piece concludes a concert program that, according to the ensemble, highlights the character of each work: Mozart’s overture “masterfully combines elements of comedy and tragedy, reflecting the duality of good and evil, the central theme of the opera”; while Brahms’ Symphony “with its grand musical architecture, conveys emotions of tension, serenity, and optimism.”
Composer and conductor Nuno Côrte-Real, quoted in a statement released today, notes that “it is a true privilege” to conduct his work, as well as Brahms’ symphony, in Berlin: “Undoubtedly, it will be a milestone in my career, and a musical discovery that will not leave me.”
Ensemble Darcos remarks that the Berlin Symphony Orchestra “is celebrated for its musical excellence and its ability to interpret works of great complexity, having been led by renowned conductors throughout its history,” and “is characterized by presenting a program of classical and contemporary pieces reflecting the richness of its repertoire.”
The Berlin Symphony Orchestra originated from two other orchestras from the German capital – the Berliner Symphonisches Orchester and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester – and was founded in 1966. Its first concert took place in the following year, marking the opening of the 1967-1968 season. Carl August Bünte was its first principal conductor.
