Second Subscription Concert of the Staatskapelle Berlin

Gustavo Gimeno takes over the musical direction, making his debut with the orchestra. Martin Grubinger can also be seen as a soloist for the first time in a concert with the Staatskapelle Berlin with two compositions for percussion, both of which were written for him as a soloist in 2012: Peter Eötvösʼ “Speaking Drums – Four Poems for Percussion and Orchestra” and Tan Dun’s “The Tears of Nature – Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra.” Also on the program are Sofia Gubaidulina's “Fairytale Poem” and Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10.

Drumming while talking is nothing new. This is not uncommon in Indian percussion, as well as in many jazz musicians who accompany their piano playing with chanting. Peter Eötvösʼ “Speaking Drums – Four Poems for Percussion and Orchestra” implements the opposite approach, in that the drummer first has to speak the lyrics and then play them. The emphasis is on the rhythm of the text, which he transfers to his instruments in the course of the first movement until the drums themselves begin to speak. The basis for each is a poem by Sandor Weöres, which is recited with increasing complexity.

In his three-movement composition “The Tears of Nature – Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra,” the New York-based Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun reflects on musical historical events: the Fukushima natural disaster, an earthquake in south-east China and the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. The LOS ANGELES TIMES wrote of the work in 2013: »Tan's orchestral writing is color drenched. One minute, we could be reminded that he's an avant-gardist communing with sound as sound (he recently conducted a concert in China where he introduced new pieces meant to be in dialogue with John Cage). The next minute, he can be a happy Hollywood composer blockbuster-bound (he won an Oscar for his "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" score).«

In addition, Sofia Gubaidulina's “Fairytale Poem” from 1971 and Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, which premiered in 1926, will also be heard began, also and especially in the field of symphony.