Symphony Concert N° 10
The Power of Destiny
gespielte Werke
Giuseppe Verdi
- Ouvertüre zur Oper »La forza del destino«
Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Rhapsodie über ein Thema von Paganini op. 43
Pjotr I. Tchaikovsky
- Sinfonie Nr. 4 f-Moll op. 36
Mitwirkende
- Nathalie Stutzmann Conductor
- Seong-Jin Cho Piano
A remarkable figure in today’s classical scene, Nathalie Stutzmann first made her name as a contralto before launching a second career as a conductor. In this programme, she explores the concept of destiny, beginning with the raw power of Verdi’s overture from »La forza del destino«, followed by Rachmaninoff’s »Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini«, a truly virtuosic set of variations. The celebrated 18th Variation is one of the composer’s most deeply felt inspirations. The concert concludes with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, a work driven by personal conflict and existential unrest, charged with a dramatic and often relentless tension.
Sergej Rachmaninow:
Rhapsodie über ein Thema von Paganini»Für mich ist es immer etwas besonderes, wenn das von uns gespielte Werk auch in Dresden entstanden ist. Rachmaninow lebte hier von 1906 bis 1909 mit seiner Frau und seinen Töchtern in einer Mietwohnung in der Südstadt. Die Flucht vor politischen Geschehnissen in Russland und die durch seine wohl missglückte Erste Sinfonie ausgelöste Schaffenskrise führten zu diesem Ortswechsel. Besonders im dritten Satz empfinde ich, dass Rachmaninow die unglaubliche Wärme und Großzügigkeit entwickelt, die wir auch von seinem Zweiten Klavierkonzert kennen. Er hat in Dresden wohl eindeutig wieder zu
sich gefunden und neues Selbstvertrauen getankt.«Lukas Stepp
Konzertmeister der 2. Violinen
- Sunday13.6.2711:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
13 – 82 € - Monday14.6.2719:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
12 – 73 € - Tuesday15.6.2719:00 UhrSemperoperTicket price:
12 – 58 €
A concert introduction will be offered 45 minutes before the beginning of each performance in the opera cellar of the Semperoper.
Nathalie Stutzmann
Nathalie Stutzmann is the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2022. From 2021 to 2024, she was Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and will take the helm of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in 2027/28 becoming their Artistic and Musical Director.
In the 2026/27 season, Nathalie Stutzmann appears as Guest Conductor with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Munich Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and will make her debut at Opéra national de Paris with Werther. Recent engagements include the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris.
In the upcoming season, Nathalie Stutzmann joins forces with soloists including Janine Jansen, Seong-Jin Cho, Beatrice Rana, Benjamin Grosvenor and Anna Geniushene amongst others.
Following her debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 2023 with Tannhäuser, she was subsequently named Best Conductor of the Year at the 2024 Oper! Awards. Since then, she has firmly established herself as a major interpreter of Wagner Operas. This past summer saw her return to the Festival at the helm of Rienzi for its Historic premiere in the Festspielhaus.
Nathalie Stutzmann is an exclusive Warner Classics artist. With the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, she recently released Bruckner Symphony No.4 in July 2026. Her previous album with the ASO dedicated to Dvořák, received OPUS Klassik nominations for Best Conductor and Best Symphonic Recording of the Year.
Nathalie Stutzmann studied conducting in Finland with Jorma Panula. she grew up as a pianist, cellist and bassoon player. As a contralto, she has made more than 80 recordings and received numerous international accolades. She is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2025 was appointed an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
Nathalie started her studies at a very young age in piano, bassoon, and cello, and studied conducting with the legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula. As one of the world’s most celebrated contraltos, she has made over 80 recordings and received numerous international accolades. She has been named a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and in 2025 was appointed an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
Seong-Jin Cho
Seong-Jin Cho has established himself worldwide as one of the leading pianists of his generation and most distinctive artists on the current music scene. With an innate musicality and consummate artistry, his thoughtful and poetic, virtuosic, and colourful playing can combine panache with purity and is driven by an impressive natural sense of balance. He is celebrated unanimously across the globe for his expressive magic and illuminative insights.
Cho was brought to the world’s attention in 2015 when he won First Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw, and his career has rapidly ascended since. In early 2016, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and, in 2023, Cho was awarded the prestigious Samsung Ho-Am Prize in the Arts in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the world of classical music. An artist high in demand, Cho works with the world’s most prestigious orchestras including Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductors he regularly collaborates with include Myung-Whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Lahav Shani. In the 2024/25 season, Cho held the position of Artist in Residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
In the 2025/26 season, Seong-Jin Cho is the London Symphony Orchestra’s Artist Portrait. The position sees him work with the orchestra on multiple projects across the season, with concerto performances including the world premiere of a new Piano Concerto by Donghoon Shin, written especially for him. The position also features touring performances across Europe, as well as chamber music concerts and in recital at LSO St Luke’s. Elsewhere, he notably returns to Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck with performances in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Hall, to Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons, and to Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. Cho embarks on several international tours, including his notable return to Czech Philharmonic with Semyon Bychkov in Taiwan and Japan, and Münchner Philharmoniker with Lahav Shani in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. He also performs with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with Andris Nelsons throughout Europe in Autumn 2025.
Highly sought after in recital, Cho appears in the world’s most prestigious concert halls including the main stage of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Wien, Alte Oper Frankfurt, KKL Luzern, Sala Santa Cecilia, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Rudolfinum, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Festival International de Piano de la Roque d’Anthéron, Carnegie Hall and Verbier Festival. In the 2024/25 season, Cho marked the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth by performing his complete solo piano music at venues including the Wiener Konzerthaus, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Barbican Centre London, Celebrity Series at Boston Symphony Hall, Walt Disney Hall Los Angeles, and Carnegie Hall. This coming season, he returns in recital to Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées as well as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Wien, Tanglewood Music Festival and on tour in Japan.
Cho’s latest recording for Deutsche Grammophon celebrates Ravel’s 150th anniversary presenting the composer’s complete Solo Piano Works and Concerti, together with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons. The project marks Cho’s first immersion into a single composer’s complete works, and the solo piano works were recognised with an Opus Klassik Award in the 2025 ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ category. Previous releases include his solo album entitled ‘The Handel Project’ in early 2023, and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Scherzi with the London Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda in 2021. He had previously recorded his first album with the same orchestra and conductor featuring Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 as well as the Four Ballades. His solo album titled ‘The Wanderer’ was released in 2020 and features Schubert’s ‘Wanderer Fantasy’, Berg’s Piano Sonata op. 1, and Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor. A solo Debussy recital was also released
in 2017, followed by a Mozart album with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin in 2018. All albums have been released on the Yellow Label and have garnered impressive critical acclaim worldwide.
Born in 1994 in Seoul, Seong-Jin Cho started learning the piano at the age of six and gave his first public recital aged 11. In 2009, he became the youngest-ever winner of Japan’s Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. In 2011, he won Third Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the age of 17. From 2012-2015 he studied with Michel Béroff at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Cho is now based in Berlin.
