Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker
Conductor: Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Soloist: Emanuel Ax (piano)
Programme:
Mieczysław Weinberg — Burattino and the Golden Key, Suite No. 4, Op. 55d
John Williams — Piano Concerto
Sergei Prokofiev — Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (excerpts)
Date: Saturday, 18 April 2026
Time: 19:00 (Berlin) / 17:00 GMT Repeat: Sunday, 19 April 2026 — 13:00 (Berlin) / 11:00 GMT
Stream: Available on Digital Concert Hall (live and in archive)
Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in a programme that reflects her wide-ranging musical interests, combining 20th-century repertoire with a contemporary concerto.
Gražinytė-Tyla first drew international attention with her appointment as Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the age of 29, becoming the first woman to hold the post and succeeding figures such as Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, and Andris Nelsons. Following her tenure, which concluded in the 2021/22 season, she continues to collaborate with the orchestra as Associate Artist.
Her career has since expanded to include debuts with leading ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2025, she also made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic, becoming the first woman to conduct a concert in the orchestra’s subscription series.
Alongside her symphonic work, Gražinytė-Tyla has been closely associated with the music of Mieczysław Weinberg, conducting widely noted productions of his operas The Passenger at the Teatro Real and The Idiot at the Salzburg Festival.
For her Berlin debut, she brings together Weinberg’s Burattino and the Golden Key suite, a piano concerto by John Williams performed by Emanuel Ax, and excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The programme, lasting approximately two hours and fifteen minutes, offers a portrait of a conductor whose approach ranges from expansive physicality to highly focused, restrained gestures — a duality she has described as central to her understanding of music as “a way of being — and becoming — human.”
Disclaimer
We recommend this performance for its artistic value. Moto Perpetuo does not receive any benefit or commission from streaming platforms. A subscription to the Digital Concert Hall may be required to view the full content.
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