Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, the German State Philharmonic based in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, was founded in 1919 and has been in the forefront of German orchestras to the present. Richard Strauss and Christoph Eschenbach are among its distinguished roster of conductors. Despite its popularity throughout Europe, U.S. audiences have never been privileged to hear the magnificent sound made by 92 musicians from 18 countries. All that changes as Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie arrives on a tour that takes the orchestra throughout the East Coast with two local stops, George Mason University in Fairfax and Alumni Hall in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie
Annapolis Concert
| IF YOU GO |
| » Where: George Mason University Center for the Arts |
| » When: 8 p.m., Saturday |
| » Info: $30 to $60 at 888-9845-2468 or cfa.gmu.edu. |
| » Where U.S. Naval Academy, Alumni Hall |
| » When: 7:30 p.m., Monday |
| » Info: $29.50 at 410-293-TIXS (8497) |
The program features two celebrated pianists, Philippe Entremont and Sebastian Knauer. Entremont, equally admired as a conductor worldwide, will lead the orchestra and join Knauer for Mozart’s brilliant Concerto for Two Pianos. The other works performed at GMU are Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche by Richard Strauss and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. The Annapolis program is the Mahler Symphony No. 4 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
“During the two years the orchestra and I have been collaborating, we’ve had a marvelous rapport,” Entremont said. “I played with them in 1951, the very first time I played in Germany. Today we continue its tradition playing in German and Russian style with a French flavor. More and more, you see orchestras like this one becoming very international. It’s good to have musicians from many backgrounds.”
Both Entremont and Knauer have performed often in the U.S., Entremont most recently as director of the New Orleans Symphony and the Denver Symphony, and as piano soloist to open the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s second post-Katrina season. In addition to his post with Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, he is also principal guest conductor of China’s Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and led the Munich Symphony Orchestra as conductor/ pianist for the orchestra’s U.S. debut tour in 2005-2006.
Knauer won his first competition at a young age. “Pure Mendelssohn,” recorded for the 200th anniversary of the composer, a fellow native of Hamburg, was the Gramophone Editor’s choice in March 2009. His next CD will be Bach and Sons piano concerti with Sir Roger Norrington. An avid chamber musician, Knauer has two regular duo partners, one being Entremont.
“Philippe and I met after the Iron Curtain came down in 1990 and he became my teacher at that time,” he said. “He will be my teacher forever and we’ll be friends for life. When I know someone really well, we feel and think the same way and don’t have to talk much at rehearsal.
“The Vienna classic period is one of my favorites and Mozart’s concerto for duo pianos is one of the most beautiful, You don’t often hear it because of the challenge putting two pianos on stage. It’s brilliantly written with many parts when one piano starts, the other continues, and you can’t tell if one or two are playing. The audience is always interested to study our eye contact.”
