Giedrė Šlekytė, Jakub Hrůša, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin stepping in for Daniel Barenboim for the upcoming Staatskapelle Berlin tour to Canada and the USA
Press release of 17 November 2023
Due to health reasons, Daniel Barenboim unfortunately has to withdraw from the upcoming Canada and USA tour, that leads the Staatskapelle Berlin to Toronto, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia from 25th November – 3th December 2023, with a program dedicated to the Brahms cycle.
Daniel Barenboim: »It is with great regret that I need to withdraw from the Staatskapelle Berlin’s upcoming concert tour to Canada and the USA. I was very much looking forward to returning to this tour but my health simply does not allow me to undertake the strenuous transatlantic travel and the many domestic trips required for this tour. I am thankful for everyone’s understanding and good wishes.«
We send all our best wishes to Maestro Barenboim, and are incredibly grateful to not one, but three fantastic conductors, who will be stepping in for the six concerts:
For the kick-off concerts in Toronto on 25th and 26th November we are fortunate to present a very special double debut: Giedrė Šlekytė, one of the rising stars of a new generation of European conductors, will make her North America debut together with the Staatskapelle Berlin. At the same time, the two sold out concerts mark the orchestra’s first ever Canadian appearances in its long history. The Maestra’s and orchestra’s recent appearance in Berlin this November was celebrated by the audience and press: »Barely a generation has passed since women entered the male domain of top orchestras […] Today, there are plenty of them at the most sought-after podiums, each more interesting than the other. Giedrė Šlekytė stands out in terms of energy, passion and determination. […] Her symphonic debut with the Staatskapelle Berlin can only be described as brilliant« (Der Tagesspiegel). Both Giedrė Šlekytė and the Staatskapelle Berlin are excited to continue their collaboration, and write a bit of music history together.
Then on 28th November, just weeks after making his US operatic debut with JENŮFA for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and a much-loved regular guest-conductor with the Chicago Symphony, Jakub Hrůša will make his debut with the Staatskapelle Berlin in Chicago. Hrůša is the 2023 Opus Klassik Conductor of the Year and incoming Music Director of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden from 2025. He is also Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
The following concerts in New York on 30th November and 1st December as well as the final concert in Philadelphia on 3rd December will see a long-awaited reunion: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, currently the Music and Artistic Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as Music Director of the Orchestre Métropolitain and the Metropolitan Opera, will return to the podium of Staatskapelle Berlin for the first time in 10 years.
Looking back on a more than 450-year-old history, Staatskapelle Berlin is one of the world’s oldest and most storied orchestras. With the four Brahms symphonies, audiences will experience an orchestra »nurtured and honed for a quarter of a century in music it was born to play« (Gramophone).
»It has been six years, since the Staatskapelle Berlin last performed in the USA. We are excited to finally return, and it’s a great honor for us, to bring the Brahms cycle to four music metropolises across the States and Canada. We immensely look forward to the musical encounters - with three great conductors, as well as with the Canadian and US audiences. Audiences, we have a long-standing special relationship with, that we are grateful to re-visit. We are also very happy to form new bonds, when it comes to Toronto, where we will appear for the first time ever in our long history. We can’t wait to go on this special musical journey together with you«, Matthias Schulz.
STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN CANADA AND USA TOUR
Toronto: Koerner Hall
Conductor: Giedrė Šlekytė
Nov 25, 8:00 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 73
Symphony No. 1 in C minor op. 68
Nov 26, 3:00 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 90
Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98
Chicago: Symphony Center
Conductor: Jakub Hrůša
Nov 28, 7:30 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 90
Symphony No. 1 in C minor op. 68
New York: Carnegie Hall
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Nov 30, 8:00 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 73
Symphony No. 1 in C minor op. 68
Dec 1, 8:00 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 90
Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98
Philadelphia: Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Dec 3, 7:30 pm
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 90
Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98
The Staatsoper would like to thank the Friends and Sponsors of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, especially the American Friends, and its main partners BMW and the Hilti Foundation for their support.