Media release / June 3rd, 2021
Finally, live concerts return: Young Euro Classic is delighted to present young orchestral musicians where they belong – on stage. From July 30 to August 15, 2021 a selection of outstanding youth orchestras and ensembles makes the Konzerthaus Berlin resound.
Programming Challenges
Plummeting incident rates, new opening measures: after months of uncertainty, there are now sufficient reasons for hope. Therefore, the presenter rises to the challenge of presenting a typical Young Euro Classic programme at short notice.
“It is an adventure, given that the government is still ‘flying by sight’. We, however, are moved by the need of the audience and the young musicians to be reunited with culture, so we are determined to offer a programme,” says Dr. Gabriele Minz, general manager of Young Euro Classic.
In close cooperation with the Konzerthaus Berlin, Young Euro Classic is preparing to implement the Berlin Senate’s pandemic-related regulations. As during the 2020 festival edition, all concerts and participatory events will be held according to the hygiene concept approved by the authorities: the plan is to present approximately 60 musicians on stage at the Main Auditorium, performing programmes lasting no more than 70 minutes without intervals. Together with the artistic director, the orchestras have engaged with these conditions, rethinking the presentation of large-scale orchestral repertoire. A shift towards music of the classical and romantic era is easily discerned – a welcome opportunity to offer the audience treasures beyond Stravinsky and Mahler.
Germany, France and the World
The opening and closing concerts emphasize the value of encounters: the former revives the festival’s tradition of binational orchestras. Led by the conductor Marzena Diakun, a Polish resident of France, the Young Euro Classic Orchestra Germany-France, uniting members of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany and its French counterpart, the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, plays works from both nations, building a bridge between Paris and Berlin with music by Rameau, Gossec, Mendelssohn and C.P.E. Bach. Franco-German friendship also inspired the exchange project of the German-French Youth Academy, part of the education programme “Next Generation”. The festive finale will be performed by the only non-European orchestra, the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, which appears with the horn player Sarah Willis and lends the general atmosphere of renewal and new beginnings a global note, performing a programme of European music and contemporary Latin American works entitled “Mozart y Mambo”.
Rising Talents and World Stars
Three orchestras from southern and south-eastern Europe – regular, beloved festival friends – form one focus of the festival: the National Youth Orchestras of Portugal, Spain and Romania. Geographically, the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra also belongs to this group – for its festival debut, it plays Beethoven’s “Eroica” to commemorate the Greek revolution of 1821. From Russia, the Chelyabinsk Symphony Orchestra makes its own festival debut with star pianist Denis Matsuev.
Another long-time friend of the festival is the Bundesjugendorchester (National Youth Orchestra of Germany), led this time by Elias Grandy in Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and other works. The Wiener Jeunesse Orchester, which also has a long festival history, offers a Viennese and Russian programme. Three other orchestras unite international players: the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra of cellist Jan Vogler, which offers Beethoven’s rarely-performed Triple Concerto this year. Founded by Leonard Bernstein, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra remains true to its own traditions, playing Franz Schubert / Luciano Berio and Tchaikovsky. Another festival debut awaits with the LGT Young Soloists, founded in 2013 by violinist Alexander Gilman. The ensemble of high-carat young string soloists has caused quite a stir since its founding. The Swedish ensemble O/Modernt shines a light on heroines of music – its leader Hugo Ticciati has assembled a programme entitled “Un/Sung Heroines” that ranges from Hildegard von Bingen to María de Buenos Aires.
Across Genre Boundaries
Once again, Young Euro Classic offers more than music in 2021: the National Youth Ballet presents a Bach-themed evening. Jong Metropole, an offshoot of the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands, brings big band sounds to Berlin. The popular series “Classic meets Jazz” also continues – led for the first time by a woman, the Berlin-based jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Clara Haberkamp. Her own trio as well as the vocal ensemble In June meet the Pacific Quintet, first heard at Young Euro Classic in 2020.
Next Generation and Family Day
The festival rings in better times for young people as well: during the Next Generation summer workshop week from August 2 to 6, children and teenagers aged 6 to 18 can embark upon journeys of discovery. European fairy-tales are explored through music, dance and theatre. A multimedia workshop demonstrates how film music is written and videos are shot. The Young Euro Classic Reporters get a head start on their peers, accompanying festival events and creating a festival blog in texts, images and soundbites. Participants may register at: www.yecl.de/nextgeneration
The Young Euro Classic Family Day on August 8 offers an exciting programme for children and families. The German-French Junior Academy, a cooperation between the Music School Paul Hindemith in Berlin-Neukölln and the OBBP – El Camino, performs music by Paul Hindemith, Georges Bizet, works from Game of Thrones and James Bond and others for children aged 6 and up. The performance Intergalactic Fun with IO by the Berlin Puppet Philharmonic takes a playful approach to classical music, beyond all conventions, for children aged 4 and up. Presentations of the Next Generation workshop results and other events round out the Family Day – all depending on the development of the pandemic.
The event Europe – My Home? My Future? continues the cooperation with secondary school students from Berlin. In essays and poems, they explore European questions: what do they think about Europe? Do they see boundless travel – or perhaps their future after all? Does it symbolize peace, democracy and cooperation, or bureaucracy and administrative chaos? The actor Boris Aljinovic reads from the students’ impressive works on August 15.
Enabling the Joy of Performance
Without the support and trust of the festival’s long-standing partners, planning this edition of Young Euro Classic would have been unthinkable. The presenter thanks the Federal Government, the State of Berlin and the Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the KfW Bankengruppe as well as the Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken, the Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk, the GVL, its media partners and donors.
Young Euro Classic takes place in close cooperation with the Konzerthaus Berlin, which provides the necessary framework for healthy and safe concertgoing with its hygiene plan. It remains to be seen how the various levels of Berlin’s Pandemic Prevention Regulations will be implemented during the coming weeks. Current information is always available on the Young Euro Classic website.
Tomorrow’s Musicians Today!
Young Euro Classic. Festival of the World’s Best Youth Orchestras
July 30 – August 15, 2021 at Konzerthaus Berlin
For complete information, current programmes, tickets and hygiene rules: www.young-euro-classic.de
Tickets cost 20/32 Euro
Limited contingent for individual tickets
Tickets to the Family Day cost 5 Euro per event; children under 10 free
One-time workshop fee: 5 Euros
NEW: Unlike usual years, advance ticket sales take place exclusively via the festival’s website, its Ticket Hotline and Interklassik Konzertkasse.
Ticket Hotline: +49 30 – 8410 8909, Monday to Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm
Ticket Sales Point: Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus: Interklassik GmbH
Friedrichstraße 90, 10117 Berlin
Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday: 10 am – 2 pm
Wednesday: 1 – 6 pm