The Philharmonie Announces its 2021-2022 Season!

The Philharmonie's 2021-2022 season is starting soon! While the orchestra has been unable to perform live for the past year, they look forward to welcoming you later this year for live music from lots of different cultures, time periods and genres
06 January 2021

The OPL will mainly be conducted by Gustavo Gimeno and will feature guests like Joyce DiDonato and Isabelle Faust. The orchestra itself will be playing works from a wide variety of composers, including Mozart, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Gershwin, and Dukas. In addition to performing operas, ballets, and symphonies, the OPL will offer “Ciné-Concerts”, which are mixes of orchestral music and movies like A Dog’s LifeAn Eastern Westerner, and Joker. And some of the programs are designed with young listeners in mind, which makes them perfect for school and family trips. The OPL is also going on tour—you can catch them in Spain or Paris next year!

Gustavo Gimeno
Photo: Marco Borggreve

Here are some of the programs we’re most looking forward to!

Rainy Days Festival

This one particularly stood out to us because of how niche it seems—it’s meant to blur the boundaries between ideas and sounds. First held in 2000 by Claude Lenners and Guy Frisch, this festival focuses on contemporary music. It’s got a different theme every year, and is meant to be able to spotlight as many different artists as possible. Past genres have included electro-pop and dance, musical theatre, and (of course) classical. This year, in honor of the festival’s belated 20th anniversary, the theme is encounters; specifically, encounters between artists, audiences, art forms, countries and cultures.

Rising Young Artists

First established in 1995, the Rising Stars program is meant to give young artists the start they need to establish successful careers in the music industry. The works you’ll hear have been commissioned for that specific artist!

This year, the selected artists are:

  • The Kebyart Ensemble
  • Isata Kanneh-Mason, on the piano
  • Lucie Horsch, on the recorder
  • Thomas Dunford, on the lute
  • Quatuor Arod
  • Johan Dalene, on the violin
  • Nicola Eimer, on the piano
  • Simply Quartet
  • Ben Goldscheider, on the horn
  • Giuseppe Guarrera, on the piano\
Simply Quartet
Photo: Simon Bochou

These performances will be taking place later this year or early next year (check here to find more details on your favorite artist!). We think this is a great concept and highly recommend checking all of the artists out!

Fondation EME

This program is largely centered around themes of inequality, social injustice, and cultural barriers. Fondation EME promotes a world full of dignity, self-confidence, and trust. In 2020, it organized more than 440 events all across Luxembourg. We think their message of social and cultural integration is very important and commendable. Here are some of the highlights we think you should check out!

  • Beethoven’s Dance: dance workshops meant for teenagers of all different backgrounds, culminating in a broadcasted performance
  • Soundcolors: a digital sound installation where people with or without special needs are able to tap into their creative side
  • The Sound of Fire and Water: a music-themed camp created in collaboration with the Fondation Autisme
  • Truck it-Tour: a concert geared towards young people where young musicians perform from a truck that’s been converted into a stage
  • Musek schenken: a private Christmas concert for people who don’t wish to be in the social light all too often

atlântico

atlântico (stylized in all lowercase) is meant to celebrate all the diversity and richness that music has to offer, specifically in Portuguese-speaking countries. This year, the festival focuses on the Gilberto Gil, Luísa Sobral, and Sara Tavares. Gil is from Brazil, and Sobral is from Lisbon. Divino Sospiro, an ensemble, will perform works from the Portuguese baroque period. If you’re interested in the Ciné-Concert series, check out the screening and performance of O Táxi N° 9297. Or, if you want to expose the kids to classical music, check out Mr. Pinto and his adventures! We have no doubt this will be an intriguing series of performances, and they certainly have something for everyone, regardless of age or interest.

Luísa Sobral
Photo: MD Photography

Fräiraim Festival

This festival is meant to be a reflection of Europe’s diversity, in both cultural and musical terms. The Philharmonie has always done its best to provide a platform to both amateur and professional musicians, and it seems that dedicating a festival to it is the next best step! This festival also incorporates lots of different genres, ranging from hip hop to classical, which helps remove the borders that have for so long divided music.