Musikfest Berlin 2018

Robin Ticciati OBE has been the Music Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) since the 2017-18 season. In the summer of 2014 he took on the role of Music Director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. From 2009 to 2017 he held the position of Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO), and from 2010 to 2013 was First Guest Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony.

The young Briton with Italian roots is a regular guest conductor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. In addition, his guest-conducting highlights include the Wiener Philharmoniker, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Staatskapelle Dresden. In 2023, he made his long-awaited debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Tours with the SCO have led Robin Ticciati through Europe and to Asia. In the 2014-15 season, he conducted a Europe tour of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and in autumn 2016 he toured with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Anne-Sophie Mutter, performing concerts in Berlin, Munich, Paris and Vienna. In January 2019, he performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe “in memoriam Claudio Abbado” in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne und Salzburg. In the 2019-20 season, he conducted an Asia tour with the DSO consisting of a residency in Tokyo and concerts in China, followed by guest appearances, for instance in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

As Music Director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Robin Ticciati conducted new productions of Debussy’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’, Strauss’s ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ and Mozart’s ‘La finta giardiniera’, in addition to Mozart’s ‘Entführung aus dem Serail’, Dvořák’s ‘Rusalka’, Ethel Smyth’s ‘Les Naufrageurs’ as the world premiere of the original version and a Poulenc evening with ‘La voix humaine’ and ‘Les mamelles de Tirésias’. Furthermore, Robin Ticciati conducted Britten’s ‘Peter Grimes’ at La Scala in Milan, Mozart’s ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ at the Salzburg Festival and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugen Onegin’ at the Royal Opera House in London as well as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he also conducted Humperdinck’s ‘Hänsel und Gretel’. In February 2024, he made his debut with the Staatskapelle for a new production of Dvořák’s ‘Rusalka’ at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.

Numerous CD recordings with Robin Ticciati have been released by Linn Records, including Haydn symphonies, two Berlioz albums and a complete recording of Schumann’s and Brahms’s symphonies with the SCO, as well as Berlioz’s ‘L’Enfance du Christ’ with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. These were all enthusiastically received by the critics and won numerous awards. Also with Linn Records, Robin Ticciati and the DSO presented highly acclaimed recordings of works by Bruckner, Debussy, Duparc, Duruflé, Fauré, Rachmaninoff, and Strauss. Ticciati’s discography also comprises Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, Bruckner’s Mass in F minor and a Brahms recording with the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Choir of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Tudor), as well as a number of opera recordings for Opus Arte.

Since taking up his post at the DSO, Robin Ticciati has repeatedly demonstrated his versatility, love of experimentation and flexibility with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, as well as with unusual forms of presentation and projects. During the 2020-21 pandemic, he realized a series of elaborate music films with his orchestra, including Strauss’s ‘An Alpine Symphony’ as a musical and philosophical mountain tour with the legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, which was presented, among others, on ‘DG Stage’, Deutsche Grammophon’s digital concert hall. In the 2023-24 season, Ticciati and the DSO attracted much attention with a feminist music policy initiative under the motto “No concert without a female composer!”. Robin Ticciati will remain at the head of the orchestra until the end of 2024.

Robin Ticciati was born in London in 1983 and trained first as a violinist, pianist and percussionist. He played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain until turning to conducting at the age of 15. His mentors and patrons include Sir Colin Davis and Sir Simon Rattle. In 2014 he was appointed the ‘Sir Colin Davis Fellow of Conducting’ at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Robin Ticciati was awarded an OBE for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours (2019).

as at: March 2024

With round about 60 concerts per season and international guest performances – thereunder a celebrated residency at the White Light Festival of New York’s Lincoln Center in October 2016 as well as the first South America tour – Rundfunkchor Berlin is of the world’s outstanding choral ensembles. Three Grammy® Awards alone mark the success of the ensemble.

The exceptional breadth of its repertoire, an unmistakable warm, richly nuanced sound, absolute precision and delight in experimentation all contribute to making it one of the chosen partners of international orchestras and conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann or Yannick Nézet-Séguin. It is the permanent partner of the Berliner Philharmoniker as well as of Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester.

Rundfunkchor Berlin’s experimental project series has attracted great worldwide attention. In collaboration with artists from diverse disciplines, the chorus breaks down the classical concert formation and adopts new modes of choral music for a new audience. Some prime examples: the interactive scenic version of Brahms’ »Ein deutsches Requiem« staged by Jochen Sandig / Sasha Waltz & Guests – »human requiem« – toured to New York, Hongkong, Paris, Brussels, Athens, Hong Kong a.o. and was chosen among »The Best Classical Music 2016« of The New York Times. The music-dance-theatre »LOVER« by Christian Jost premiered in Berlin in 2014 and toured to Taipei and Hong Kong in 2016. In October 2017 the concert-performance »LUTHER dancing with the gods« by Robert Wilson with music from Bach, Nystedt and Reich will celebrate its premiere at Berlin’s new Pierre Boulez Hall.

With its annual activities for various target groups – the big Sing-along Concert in the Berlin Philharmonie, the Festival of Choral Cultures for international choirs and the Liederbörse (Song Exchange) for children and young people – Rundfunkchor Berlin invites people of all ages and walks of life to become immersed in the world of professional choral music. Its long-term education programme SING! encourages singing in Berlin’s elementary schools.

With its Academy and Schola for young professional singers as well as the Berlin International Masterclass for highly qualified young choral conductors it supports the next generation.

Founded in 1925 the choir celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2015. Since its foundation the ensemble was shaped by conductors including Helmut Koch, Dietrich Knothe, Robin Gritton and Simon Halsey. As of season 2015/16 Gijs Leenaars has taken up his post as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Rundfunkchor Berlin. Simon Halsey was appointed Conductor Laureate and will retain his ties to the ensemble as regular guest conductor. Rundfunkchor Berlin is an ensemble of Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin (Shareholders: Deutschlandradio, the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Berlin and Radio Berlin-Brandenburg).

For more than 70 years the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO Berlin) has distinguished itself as one of Germany's leading orchestras. The number of renowned music directors, the scope and variety of its work, and its particular emphasis on modern and contemporary music, makes the ensemble unique. Founded as the RIAS Symphony Orchestra in 1946, it was renamed the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin in 1956 and has borne its current name since 1993.

At the beginning of the 2017-18 season Robin Ticciati took on the position as music director, carrying on a great tradition. As the first music director, Ferenc Fricsay defined the standards in terms of repertoire, acoustic ideal and media presence. In 1964, the young Lorin Maazel assumed artistic responsibility. In 1982, he was followed by Riccardo Chailly and in 1989 by Vladimir Askenazy. Kent Nagano was appointed music director in 2000. Since his departure in 2006, he has been associated with the orchestra as an honorary conductor.

From 2007 to 2010, as the successor to Nagano, Ingo Metzmacher set decisive accents in the concert life of the capital with progressive programmes and consistent commitment to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since September 2012, the North Ossetian Tugan Sokhiev has been music director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Apart from its concerts in Berlin, the DSO is also present in many guest appearances in international music life. The orchestra has held performances in the major concert halls of Europe, North and South America, the Near, Middle and Far East. The DSO is also in demand worldwide with many award-winning CD recordings. In 2011, it was awarded a Grammy Award for the best opera recording for the production of Kaija Saariaho's ›L'amour de loin‹ conducted by Kent Nagano. In September 2017 the first CD of the DSO and Robin Ticciati has been released on the Linn Records label.

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an ensemble of the Radio Orchestra and Choirs GmbH (roc berlin). The shareholders are Deutschlandradio, the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Berlin and Radio Berlin-Brandenburg.