Between May 17 and 19, the Enescu Festival Online hosts a memorable concert with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. The performance, held at the 2019 George Enescu International Festival, opened with the Symphonic Poem Don Juan by Richard Strauss, a piece that gave musicians the opportunity for an interpretation in which energy was balanced by terrifying sensuality and humor – by refined and subtle nuancing.
Afterward, the musicians transported the audience towards Enescu’s work of ravishing beauty – The Symphonie Concertante for Cello and Orchestra Op. 8, with Johannes Moser as a soloist, in a moving and innovative performance. As well as being one of the world’s foremost violinists, a magnificent pianist and, later, a conductor good enough to have been considered as Toscanini’s successor in New York (and he was a respected baritone and organist), George Enescu was also a fine cellist, and the solo writing in the Symphonie concertante reveals his complete understanding of the instrument.
Oslo Philharmonic’s presence in the 2019 Festival ended with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, a story of tragedy, triumph, and love, told in melodies of unchained passion that you’ll never forget. The orchestra demonstrated a stylistic register of musical sensitivity, rigor, and cohesion, illustrating the full beauty of this profound and impressive musical text about the individual’s battle with destiny.
Celebrating a century of activity in 2019, Oslo Philharmonic is an internationally renowned symphony orchestra with over 100 musicians today. The orchestra performs more than 70 concerts a year, mostly at the Oslo Concert Hall, but also on many other famous stages around the world. It has a wide symphonic repertoire, plays with internationally renowned soloists and conductors, and makes regular tours in Norway and abroad.
The Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko was appointed Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013. Considered “one of the most important and magnetic musicians in the world”, he became famous for his transformative work at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the oldest orchestra in the United Kingdom, where he restored the sound of the orchestra, reconnected the organization to its hometown and presided over a huge increase in ticket sales. He quickly came to represent a new generation of conductors, ready to combine their uncompromising artistic work with a passion for communication and inclusion.
Hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists”, German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has performed with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, BBC Philharmonic at the Proms, London Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Concertgebouworkest, Tokyo NHK Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, as well as with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Paavo Järvi, Semyon Bychkov, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Gustavo Dudamel. Known for his performances in the classical genre, he is also very attracted to contemporary music. Throughout his career, Johannes has been committed to reaching out to all audiences, from kindergarten to college and beyond. He combines most of his concert engagements with masterclasses, school visits, and preconcert lectures.
