Around the Music Festival

On October 9, the NHK Symphony Orchestra announced its concert lineup for the 2027/2028 season (September 2027 through June 2028). For the orchestra, which marked its centenary on October 5, this new season represents the first step into its next century; it also serves as the final season of Chief Conductor Fabio Luisi’s tenure.

The new season opens with Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis conducted by Luisi. Luisi is set to conduct 14 performances across seven programs during the season; his repertoire will include Brahms’s 《German Requiem》 in November 2027 and Mahler’s 《The Song of the Earth》 in May 2028, alongside works such as Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto and 《Verklärte Nacht》, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, and Schmidt’s Symphony No. 2.

客The lineup of conductors features Charles Dutoit (Honorary Music Director), Neeme Järvi, Tugan Sokhiev, Petr Popelka, Tatsuya Shimono, Manfred Honeck, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, David Robertson, Jörg Widmann, and Dima Slobodeniouk. Additionally, Nicholas Carter will make his debut with the orchestra.

Dutoit and Järvi are both 90 years old. Meanwhile, the others arrive with major news: Popelka is set to become General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera starting in the 2029/2030 season; Carter will assume the same role at the Stuttgart State Opera from the 2026/2027 season; and Honeck is slated to become Principal Conductor of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and the new Music Festival Director of the San Francisco Symphony, both beginning in the 2028/2029 season.

The lineup of participating soloists is also impressive, featuring pianists Mao Fujita, Hélène Grimaud, and Lukas Sternath, as well as violinist Joshua Bell.

PHOTO：NHK Symphony Orchestra


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