}The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor Sir Mark Elder embark on first tour together with seven concerts in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands (5 – 12 March 2025)
Tour opens with mini-residency at Salzburg’s Festpielhaus and includes performances in Nuremberg, Mannheim, Coesfeld and Eindhoven
Compelling tour programmes include the third symphonies of Rachmaninov and Sibelius, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Arabella Steinbacher as soloist, and evergreen works by Richard Strauss
{
International touring has played a decisive role in the development of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra over the past decade. Its next journey overseas, to be given in company with Principal Guest Conductor Sir Mark Elder and three outstanding soloists, encompasses visits to Austria, Germany and the Netherlands (5 – 12 March 2025). The tour begins with three concerts at Salzburg’s renowned Festpielhaus. Their Salzburg residency is built around repertoire chosen to reflect the collective artistry and excellence of one of the outstanding symphonic ensembles of our time. It also underlines the strength of the Bergen Philharmonic’s relationship with Sir Mark, who took up his present appointment with the orchestra in September 2022.
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra opens its Salzburg stay with a programme comprising by Sibelius’ Third Symphony, Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel and Vier letzte Lieder, with Camilla Nylund as soprano soloist (5 & 6 March). It concludes with Sibelius’ Scènes historiques, Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder, and Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony (7 March). Arabella Steinbacher, hailed by The Strad for the ‘warmth and sincerity’ of her music-making, will join the party as soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto for concerts at Nuremberg’s Meistersingerhalle (8 March), Mannheim’s Rosengarten (10 March) and Konzerttheater Coesfeld (11 March). The tour ends in Eindhoven on 12 March with Miah Persson as soloist in the Vier letzte Lieder and both the Sibelius and Rachmaninov symphonies in the same programme.
“These are truly exciting times for the Bergen Philharmonic,” comments Sir Mark Elder. “I am delighted to be with the orchestra for several projects throughout this season and to lead it on its forthcoming European tour. Before we travel to Salzburg, we will perform Mahler’s Fifth Symphony at the Grieg Hall in Bergen in December and meet there again the following month for Till Eulenspiegel, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Arabella Steinbacher and Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony, works that are so close to my heart. This is a tremendous opportunity for the orchestra to reach far beyond Bergen and show its full range of qualities on the international stage. I look forward to my first tour with the Bergen Philharmonic and to making music for old friends and new audiences alike.”
Sir Mark has built a close rapport with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in recent years. He attracted global attention at the start of his term as Principal Guest Conductor with a rare performance of A Mass of Life, the monumental cantata by Frederick Delius. The results, described by Gramophone as ‘superbly drilled and wholly committed’, were recorded live and released on the LAWO label in November 2023. Sir Mark is set to return to Bergen just weeks after leading its latest tour to close the orchestra’s season with another rarely programmed work, Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette (30 April & 2 May), which will be recorded for future release by LAWO. Sir Bryn Terfel will sing the bass-baritone role of Friar Lawrence, joined by contralto Jess Dandy, tenor Pierre Derhet and the combined forces of the Bergen Philharmonic Choir and the Edvard Grieg Kor.
Wednesday 5 & Thursday 6 March 2025, 7pm
Festspielhaus, Salzburg
Sibelius Symphony No. 3, C Major
Strauss Till Eulenspiegel
Strauss Vier letzte Lieder
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Camilla Nylund soprano | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Friday 7 March 2025, 7pm
Festspielhaus, Salzburg
Sibelius Scènes historiques
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3, A minor
Strauss Vier letzte Lieder
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Camilla Nylund soprano | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Saturday 8 March 2025, 8pm
Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Sibelius Symphony No. 3, C Major
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3, A minor
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Arabella Steinbacher violin | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Monday 10 March 2025, 8pm
Rosengarten, Mannheim
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3, A minor
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Arabella Steinbacher violin | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Tuesday 11 March 2025, 7.30pm
Konzerttheater, Coesfeld
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3, A minor
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Arabella Steinbacher violin | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Wednesday 12 March 2025, 8.15pm
Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3, A minor
Strauss Vier letzte Lieder
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Miah Persson soprano | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra