"Villa Elisabeth," in central Berlin, was a location with symbolic value when orchestra management publicly presented plans for the 2010-2011 season of the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester (German Symphony Orchestra, or DSO) on April 22. The art nouveau structure near Rosenthal Square will be one of the concert venues in the coming season. Nine chamber music concerts are to be performed over the course of the year in the mansion's central hall with its remarkable acoustic.

"Notturno"

For several years, the DSO has made a practice of giving its seasonal program a theme. After "The German Soul," "Departure 1909" and "Temptation," "Nocturnal Figures" was the choice this year. "The night stands at the beginning of all things," said Orchestra Director Alexander Steinbeis. "Every story of creation begins with day overcoming eternal night, but nighttime returns. It's a time when a person's own world awakens."

With a look to the coming season, "we aim to musically depict various nocturnal figures in world history," he said.

The plans include four nighttime concerts, each beginning at 10:00 p.m., organized in cooperation with the Municipal Museums in Berlin and to take place in the Bode Museum's basilica and the City Library's new reading room.

Organizers hope the new venues will provide access to fresh listeners, even though last year's ticket sales, at 84 percent of the total available, can stand comparison with any other orchestra.

Musical contrasts

Of the total 70 concerts planned for the coming season, DSO musicians are particularly looking forward to those led by former Artistic Director Kent Nagano. Nagano will turn his attention to the symphonies of Anton Bruckner, juxtaposing each with a modern work, including compositions by Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Joerg Widmann.

The "Casual Concerts" also leave plenty of room for new sounds. This innovation of current Principal Conductor Ingo Metzmacher has become a DSO trademark. The successful series will continue after Metzmacher's departure, in one instance featuring Matthias Pintscher in a double role as composer and conductor.

A special challenge for the orchestra will be the world premiere of "Dionysos," a new opera by German composer Wolfgang Rihm, at this summer's Salzburg Festival. Touted as the musical climax of the DSO's Metzmacher era, it will also be his farewell appearance.

The conductor issue

The non-extension of Ingo Metzmacher's contract leaves the orchestra without a principal conductor for at least one year. But there's an upside to this uncertain situation, Orchestra Director Steinbeis said: "One year without a top conductor gives us an interesting opportunity to work with long-standing partners." It also gives management a chance to try out young conductor debutantes, such as American James Gaffigan, 31, or Russian Tugan Sokhiev, 33. The latter was an understudy of Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, and like his fiery master, was born in North Ossetia.

Metzmacher's successor, to be named in the autumn, is expected to come from the younger ranks of conductors. Of the new principal conductor, Steinbeis said, "He or she will be expected to further develop the orchestra artistically and to lend it a personal vision."

Author: Anatassia Boutsko

Editor: Rick Fulker (als)