Born on September 19th 1841 in today´s Czech Republic, Antonín Dvořák was regarded by his contemporaries as a kind of composing "nature boy" - inspired, unacademic and drawing directly from the sources of Czech and Slavic folklore, he ranks along…

Maurice Ravel, born on March 7th 1875 in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrénées, is one of the 20th century composers who worked less as destroyers than as renewers of traditional forms and techniques. His great role model was Mozart, but he likewise had great…

Since sparking a furore throughout Europe with his "Symphonie fantastique" in 1830, Hector Berlioz (born on December 11th 1803 in La Côte St. André (Isère)) has ranked among the fathers of "program music”. This work then joined with Liszt’s…

Since 2018, Lahav Shani has been the Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. From the 20/21 season he started his position as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, taking over from Zubin Mehta who held the position for…