Building Bridges

Each season, András Schiff, who himself built his international acclaimed career without the springboard of a major competition win, selects three gifted pianists with unique musical personalities and, in cooperation with conc.arts berlin, arranges recitals for them at concert venues and festivals throughout Europe.  The aim is to support the young artists in developing their own sustainable networks and lasting connections in the professional music world. Past seasons have seen the pianists perform in Antwerp, Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Dortmund, Florence, Frankfurt, London, Lugano, Milan, Weimar, Zurich as well as at a variety of prestigious summer festivals. Upcoming highlights include recitals in Bern, Gstaad and Vienna’s Musikverein.

A special focus is the development of the concert programmes, which Sir András Schiff undertakes in intensive consultation with the musicians. The programmes should reflect not only the pianistic skills, but also the artistic curiosity and ideas of the participants. The pianists leave behind authentic musical visiting cards, both for the audience with an affinity for piano music and for the professional world – because artists’ agencies, concert organizers, representatives of the record industry, fellow musicians and specialist journalists are invited to every concert.

The selected musicians have completed their studies and have already participated in various renowned competitions. Nevertheless, they are only at the beginning of their professional careers and with the participation in Building Bridges they are given the chance to shape their professional future in a promising way right from the start. Since 2014, 22 pianists have been supported by the programme and established flourishing careers, including Zoltán Fejévári, Nathalia Milstein, Mishka Rushdie Momen, Nicolas Namoradze and Schaghajegh Nosrati.

With Building Bridges, Sir András Schiff has established a unique model of sustainable promotion of young talent, enabling young pianists to build their own bridges to the professional music world.

VIDEO

PIANISTS 2023/24

Availability upon request
Julius Asal

L. v. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1
B. Bartók: Suite for Piano, Op. 14
J. Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5

Availability upon request
Martina Consonni

D. Scarlatti: Piano Sonata in F major, K. 438, Piano Sonata in D minor, K. 1 – L. 366
F. J. Haydn: Piano Sonata in C major, Hob:XVI:50
F. Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major, Op. posth. 120 – D. 664
R. Schumann: Papillons Op. 2
F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Rondò capriccioso in E minor, Op. 14

Availability upon request
Tomoki Park

J.S. Bach: Four Duets from the third book of Klavierübungen: Duet No.1 in E minor
Heinz Holliger: Lebenslinien, 2021
J.S. Bach: Duet No. 2 in F major
Katherine Balch: New Work, 2023
J.S. Bach: Duet No. 3 in G major
Isang Yun: Shao Yang Yin, 1966
J.S. Bach: Duet No. 4 in A minor
L. v. Beethoven: Hammerklaviersonate, Op.106

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For more information about the projects as well as bios and pictures of the pianists, please click here:

Ensemble Mini

Ensemble Mini is a courageous collective of supersonic soloists from German symphony orchestras that repackages super symphonic music for new audiences.

Often commissioning world premiere arrangements for innovative late-night projects, its mission is to revolutionise the style, sound and setting of classical concerts. This began in 2010 with “mini-Mahler” at Berlin’s Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, followed by “Strauss 150: New Perspectives” at STATTBAD Berlin, “From Russia with Soul” at Griessmühle Berlin and “Bartók Beyond Borders” at Musikbrauerei Berlin.

Joolz Gale founded Ensemble Mini (comprised of soloists from the German orchestras) to build upon his vision to reach new audiences though new concert formats and alternative locations. Projects often include newly commissioned arrangements for ensemble by Joolz Gale himself (incl. Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Bartók’s Dance Suite, Debussy’s La Mer, Bruckner’s 9th, Prokofiev’s 5th and Shostakovich’s 9th & 10th Symphonies), for which he is represented and published by Schott, Sikorski and Boosey & Hawkes.

Remaining plans for 2022 include a return of “Bartók Beyond Borders” on tour as well as Mahler’s 3rd, Debussy’s Images and Bruckner’s 8th, all newly arranged by the ensemble’s artistic director, Joolz Gale.

VIDEO

PRESS

“An ideal case of closeness.”

Tagesspiegel Berlin, 4 August 2021

„The new great things are small… mini is irresistible..“

Tagesspiegel Berlin, 31 July 2021

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2023/24

Availability upon request
GURRELIEDER – Anniversary 150th years Schoenberg
with Joolz Gale, direction // Narrator and soloist TBC // Freigeist choir

Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder was originally composed 1900-1913 for one of the largest ensembles (with 400 people on stage) including 6 soloists, 4 male choirs and large mixed choir. However, in 1921, Schoenberg also arranged “Lied der Waldtaube” for just 17 musicians, performing it in Vienna at Society for Private Musical Performances. In celebration of Schoenberg’s 150th anniversary in 2024, Joolz Gale will “complete” the Gurrelieder for this same ensemble instrumentation (known as “Schoenberg-Besetzung), but with an additional chamber choir and the original cast of soloists. With a total of only 35 artists on stage, this fascinating world premiere project thus adds intimate new light on one of classical music’s grandest works.

A. Schoenberg: Gurrelieder, arr. by Joolz Gale *Premiere*

Availability upon request
BRUCKNER 6,7, 8, 9 – 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner
with Joolz Gale, direction

A. Bruckner:
Symphony No. 6 in A major WAB 106, arr. Gale *Premiere*
Symphony No. 7 E major WAB 107, arr. Gale *premiere*
Synphony No. 8 C minor WAB 108, arr. Gale
Symphony No. 9 in D minor WAB 109, arr. Gale

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Stegreif – The Improvising Symphony Orchestra

Without notes – without conductor – without chairs: Stegreif shows new ways of what a contemporary orchestra can look like today. In radical recompositions, the international musicians combine symphonic music with improvisation and influences from other genres and involve the audience in original spatial concepts. With these innovative concert formats, the young ensemble inspires a growing audience of different target groups.

Since the orchestra was founded in 2015, at least one new concert programme has been developed every year: #freebeethoven, #freeschubert, #freebrahms, #free∃roica, #bfree, #freemahler, #explore_mozart, #explorefreischütz, #bechange. In addition, co-productions have been realised with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the young North German Philharmonic Orchestra (TRIKESTRA), among others. Stegreif has performed concerts renowned stages such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Brucknerhaus Linz, the Radialsystem Berlin, the Beethovenfest Bonn or the Prinzregententheater Munich as well as at alternative alternative festivals such as FUSION, Detect Classic, PODIUM Esslingen, the Düsseldorf Festival or the Oranjewoud Festival (NL).

VIDEO

PRESS

„Es gab tosenden Trampel-Applaus und stehende Ovationen für diese grandiose Performance eines Ensemble, das „geliefert“ hatte.“

Reinhard Frank auf shz.de, 24.07.2022

„Ist gelungen! Bravo!“

Angelika Silberbach in der Mainpost, 19.07.2022

„Selten ist die Leidenschaft für Musik, die Virtuosität der einzelnen Stücke so nah erlebbar“

Ulrike Gerner in der taz, 12.10.2019

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2024/25

Dates available upon request
#IMPROPHONIE
A symphony from the moment

How can music emerge in the moment and in contact with the audience? Where do improvisation and composition meet? Can even an entire symphony be improvised?
Groove – movement – eye contact. The aim of #improphonie is to capture the magic of collective, free improvisation in its spontaneity and to give it a space as an independent work. space as an independent work. The individual strengths of the musicians become the driving energy and communication the actual composer. communication becomes the actual composer.

Artistic direction: Juri de Marco, Lorenz Blaumer
Concept, composition, musical direction: Bertram Burkert
Direction, choreography and conception: Lea Hladka
Costume and stage: Anja Kreher

Duration: approx 70 min

“The most striking overall impression was the atmosphere: away from the spectacular, theatral, merely entertaining, towards mindfulness, humility and appreciation.”

FAZ, 27 September 2022

Dates available upon request
symphony of change –
Final production of the project #bechange – 17 sounds of sustainability

In the symphony of change, Stegreif asks what this change sounds like. The musical arc is spanned from Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709- 1785), Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) to Clara Schumann (1819-1896). Music history is revealed and rewritten when selected works by these historical composers are recomposed by five young and female ensemble members of the Stegreif Orchester and placed in a new context.

Premiere: planned for August 2023
Cast: 24 musicians
Artistic direction: Juri de Marco / Lorenz Blaumer
Recomposition/Arrangement: Nina Kazourian, Tabea Schrenk, Julia Bilat, Helena Weinstock-Montag, Franziska Aller
Co-Artistic Direction Composition: Alistair Duncan
Direction, Choreography: David Fernandez

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