Arts Partnerships & Tours — Summer Festivals 2025
18/6/2025
Alongside Music Director Pierre Bleuse, Ensemble intercontemporain plays at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms on 23 July. This special late-night programme opens with Berio’s Sequenza V for solo trombone, played by Lucas Ounissi. Boulez’s Dialogue de l’ombre double follows with Jérôme Comte on clarinet, and IRCAM on electronics. The programme closes with Berio’s Recital I (for Cathy), a tragicomic music-drama sung by Soprano Sarah Aristidou.
On 6 September, Ensemble intercontemporain performs at Bucharest National Museum of Art as part of George Enescu International Festival. On 8 September, they continue their Romanian tour appearances at Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara. The programme includes Boulez’s Anthèmes 2 for violin and electronics, Twelve Notations and Incises for piano, and Dialogue de l’ombre double for clarinet.
The Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic, the world’s northernmost orchestra, embarks on their European tour this August, bringing music inspired by their unique Arctic home to some of the continent’s most prestigious venues. The orchestra will perform at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw on 16 August, Musikkfest Bremen in Papenburg on 19 August, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on 20 August. They will be joined by violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing and conductor Nicoló Foron for this series of concerts.
Le Balcon, renowned for its bold crossover productions, ranging from contemporary to classical repertoire, returns to the Salzburg Festival on 19 August at the Großer Saal, Stiftung Mozarteum, Salzburg. They will present A Tribute to Pierre Boulez, an immersive concert honouring the legacy of one of the twentieth century’s greatest innovators. Partnering with IRCAM for cutting-edge electronics, the ensemble will perform works by Boulez, Nono, and Stockhausen under the direction of Music Director Maxime Pascal.
On 23 and 24 August, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra makes its long-awaited return to the BBC Proms under the direction of conductor and Artistic Partner Klaus Mäkelä. On 23 August, Mäkelä leads the orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No.5, alongside Berio’s Rendering - a reimagining of Schubert’s unfinished Symphony No.8. The following day, violinist Janine Jansen joins the orchestra for Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No 1, coupled with Bartók’s virtuosic Concerto for Orchestra, and Mozart’s Symphony No.31.
On 21 August, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, performs at BBC Proms, presenting a programme that highlights Danish artistry and celebrates the country’s rich musical heritage. Led by conductor Fabio Luisi, the evening opens with Bent Sørensen’s Evening Land, a contemplative soundscape evoking the stillness of rural Denmark. This is followed by The Years by Anna Clyne, shaped by the solitude of the COVID-19 lockdowns and built around a haunting text by Stephanie Fleischmann. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No.9. The performance features soprano Clara Cecilie Thomsen, contralto Jasmin White, tenor Issachah Savage, bass Adam Pałka, and Danish National Concert Choir.
On 13 and 14 September, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Collon, takes the stage for George Enescu International Festival at Sala Radio, Bucharest. On 13 September, pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen join the orchestra for Mendelssohn’s lively Concerto No.1 for Two Pianos and Orchestra, alongside Robert Schumann’s dramatic Symphony No. 4. The programme also honours the legacy of Romanian composer Anatol Vieru. The following evening features violinist Alexandru Tomescu performing George Enescu’s Caprice Roumain, completed posthumously by Cornel Țăranu, as well as Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme, Enigma.
On 25 August, led by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Philharmonia Orchestra perform alongside cellist Sol Gabetta, for a concert at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, as part of Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. On 27 and 28 August, Rouvali returns to lead the Philharmonia Orchestra for the George Enescu International Festival at Bucharest’s Grand Palace, joined by cellist Andrei Ioniță and pianist Alexandra Dariescu. The programme features Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, among other works.
On 31 August, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, led by violinist and Artistic Director Pekka Kuusisto, presents a programme that explores themes of cultural resilience and human injustice. The programme includes Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony (String Quartet No. 8, arranged by Rudolf Barshai). Interspersed throughout the concert are moving performances by Ume Sámi artist and composer Katarina Barruk, a vital voice for the endangered Ume Sámi language, blending traditional joik with contemporary sounds. Works by J. S. Bach, Philip Glass, Caroline Shaw, Michael Tippett, and the UK premiere of a new piece by Hannah Kendall complete this programme.
On 18 September, Münchner Philharmoniker performs in Sint-Baafs kathedraalin Ghent as part of Flanders Festival Ghent. Led by conductor Lahav Shani, the orchestra presents a programme featuring Wagner’s Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, performed by violinist Lisa Batiashvili.
