© IAM / Photo by: Konrad Æwik
The vision of the ensemble with the unusual name goes far beyond musical goals: founded on the “universal principles of solidarity, integration and friendship”, it considers itself a “laboratory of civic education, cooperation and understanding”. The I, Culture Orchestra was initiated during Poland’s EU Presidency in 2011, when it performed in London, Brussels, Madrid and Berlin. It unites young musicians from Poland with young instrumentalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine. Its artistic director is the Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits. Apart from its excellent playing culture, the I, Culture Orchestra is characterized by its focus on performing repertoire by composers from the member countries. The highlight of the 2015 summer tour was a concert on Maidan Square in Kiev on the Ukrainian Independence Day. That same year, the orchestra also made its debut at Young Euro Classic.
Konzerthaus, Berlin
© Mirjam Knickriem
She is hard to overlook in the German film business: Gesine Cukrowski has appeared in more than 170 film and television productions. 20 years ago, the native Berliner had her breakthrough with the award-winning mystery series Der letzte Zeuge, playing opposite Ulrich Mühe. She came to international attention with the drama production Das Wunder von Berlin, which was nominated for an international Emmy, and proved her great versatility in the political drama Die Spiegel Affäre, among others. A passionate actress who lives for her profession, she is also found on the theatrical stage – after all, that is where her career started: she gathered her first experience during her student days. Since then, she has also appeared at the Salzburg Festival, as an ensemble member at the Basel Theatre and at the Renaissance Theatre in Berlin. Her social engagement includes chairing the board of the award-winning project Findelbaby and being elected to the supervisory board of the Welthungerhilfe (World Hunger Foundation).
© Archiv Kunstler
The Russian conductor, who was born in Leningrad in 1957, has been a regular visitor to many of Berlin’s orchestras for many years. Boreyko is equally in demand throughout Europe and in the USA; current European highlights include appearances with the Gothenburg Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In North America, 2016/17 sees appearances the Aspen and Ravinia Festivals with the Chicago Symphony. Notable amongst Boreyko’s discography is an extensive recording project of the complete Shostakovich symphonies with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR as well as the recording of Górecki’s Symphony No. 4 which was premiered in 2014 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently in the US with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to his chief conductor position with the National Orchestra of Belgium, he is Music Director of the Naples Philharmonic in Florida and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi.
© Julia Wesely
Julian Rachlin is one of the foremost violinists of our time, also praised as violist and conductor. Born in Vilnius in 1974, he moved to Vienna in 1978, where he made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Riccardo Muti in 1988. Recent highlights include concerts with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Daniele Gatti and Mariss Jansons. In 2017/18, Rachlin will open the St. Petersburg Philharmonic season with Yuri Temirkanov, he will tour with the Scala Filarmonica and Riccardo Chailly, and will return to the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with Zubin Mehta. He will have his own cycle at the Vienna Musikverein and a residency at the Prague Spring Festival. Rachlin is Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and leads the “Julian Rachlin & Friends” Festival in Mallorca. He plays the 1704 “ex Liebig” Stradivari and a 1785 Lorenzo Storioni viola, on loan to him courtesy of the Dkfm. Angelika Prokopp Privatstiftung. His strings are sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld.
“The Messenger” for Synthesizer, Piano and String Orchestra (1997)
Concerto for Violin in D-Major Op. 6 (1806)
“The Smile of Maud Lewis” (1998)
Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
7 pm: Pre-Concert Talk with Dieter Rexroth at the Werner-Otto-Saal
Free admission for ticket holders at 6:45 pm
PROGRAMME
The I, Culture Orchestra has quickly won a very special reputation with the Young Euro Classic audience. Mainly because it is always good for unusual, fascinating programmes featuring music from those countries the musicians also call home. These countries form a geographic line from Poland via its Eastern neighbours such as Belarus and the Ukraine to the three Caucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Ukraine is home to the 76-year-old Valentin Silvestrov, an important composer of symphonic music; Poland, in turn, produced Witold Lutosławski, whose Concerto for Orchestra of 1954 is performed all over the world to this day. By way of contrast, the musicians of the I, Culture Orchestra perform Beethoven’s classical Violin Concerto, featuring the charismatic violinist Julian Rachlin as the soloist. Familiar works in new interpretations flanked by unfamiliar works for curious ears – that is the I, Culture Orchestra’s recipe for success.
Broadcast
The concert will be recorded by kulturradio vom rbb (UKW 92,4 and Kabel 95,35) and broadcast as part of the series „Talents and Careers“ on September 28, 2017, starting at 08:04 pm.