1996 Europakonzert from St Petersburg with Claudio Abbado

There are not many opera houses that deserve the attribute “legendary”, but the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg is certainly one of them. In 1996, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Claudio Abbado held their Europakonzert there, presenting a Russian-German programme full of colour and verve – which included Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet (which had received its premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre) and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

This guest performance also marked a minor anniversary for the Philharmoniker, as the orchestra appeared in Russia for the first time 100 years earlier, as part of the festivities for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. With reference to their hosts, the musicians opened the concert with excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, which had also been given its premiere there. The Russian-themed part of the concert closed with a powerful performance of the Cavatina from Sergei Rachmaninov’s opera Aleka by Anatoli Kotscherga.

The second part of the concert with Beethoven’s Violin Romances was linked to the Cavatina in as far as they also bring operatic scenes to mind with their shifting between beauty of sound and dramatic expression. The soloist was Kolja Blacher, who was first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker from 1993 to 1999. The concert came to a close with Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, whose piano reduction Beethoven had dedicated to the Russian Tsarina Elisabeth Alexeyavna. In the words of BBC Music Magazine, the work was given “an exhilarating [performance] characterised by glossy strings and sprightly wind solos”.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Claudio Abbado

Anatoli Kotcherga

Kolja Blacher