Brahms cycle with Yannick Nézet-Séguin
3rd-18th July 2022

Our residency at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus this July marks the 10th anniversary of our collaboration with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and this special venue. Following performances and recordings of Mozart’s Late operas for Deutsche Grammophon – Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, La clemenza di Tito and the Magic Flute – we have recently moved over to orchestral repertoire, most importantly performing and recording a Beethoven Symphony Cycle last year as soon as restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic began to be lifted. The resulting recording is due to be released in July this year. We remain immensely grateful to Benedikt Stampa and his team in Baden-Baden for their incredible support and flexibility last summer when the pandemic was still strongly with us.

It is with great anticipation that the COE musicians are looking forward to returning to Baden-Baden again this July. This year, we will be performing Brahms Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 together with piano concertos by Clara Wieck-Schumann and Robert Schumann with Beatrice Rana. We will also perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 2 with Seong Jin Cho and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 by XIXth century French composer Louise Farrenc. Remarkably, Louise Farrenc was the only woman in the whole XIXth century to be appointed Professor at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire where she remained in post for 30 years, over which time she became one of the greatest piano professors in Europe. On 16th July, COE violinists Lorenza Borrani, Lucy Gould, violist Nimrod Guez and cellist Richard Lester will perform a chamber music concert with Yannick Nezet-Seguin.

Recordings, TV broadcast and livestreams

Brahms’ Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 will be recorded for Deutsche Grammophon with a view to complete the set next year, recording  Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 next summer in Baden-Baden. Warner Classics will record Clara Wieck-Schumann’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto with Beatrice Rana.
The concerts on 8th (8pm) and 10th July (5pm) will both be broadcast live on medici.tv and on the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus’ Digital Festival Hall. The concert on 10th July will also be streamed live on ARTE Concert and relayed within Baden Baden to a screen at Lichtenthal Abbey for public viewing. Both concerts will be recorded by EuroArts for future broadcast and they will be available on catch-up for a period of 90 days.