This month, Lionel Bringuier tours with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and world-class soloists throughout Europe. The tour consists of 12 concerts with programs including music by Britten, Nicolai, Rimsky-Korsakov, Elgar and more. Since his debut with the ensemble last October, this marks Mr. Bringuier’s first major tour with the ensemble.
Beginning on January 22, Bringuier leads the ensemble and violinist Arabella Steinbacher in a sold-out concert at the Congress Innsbruck in Austria. The concert program opens with Nicolai’s Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor, a piece with delightful themes from the comic opera. Ms. Steinbacher then interprets Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with Rimsky-Korsakov’s alluring Scheherazade and Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes completing the program.
Following the 22nd, tour dates with Ms. Steinbacher include January 23 at the Kultur-und Kongresszentrum in Rosenheim, January 30 at the Kölner Philharmonie in Köln, and February 1 at the Graf-Zeppelin-Haus in Friedrichshafen.
Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta will join Bringuier for several concerts on tour with the RPO. Ms. Gabetta performs Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a work which she has been praised by Gramophone as “one of the best around, a heartfelt, tonally rounded performance.” Concert programs with Sol Gabetta will also include Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, one of the composer’s best-loved works, as well as Overture to The Merry Widow and Scheherazade.
Tour dates with Ms. Gabetta include January 25 at the Mannheimer Rosengarten in Mannheim, January 26 at the Philharmonie Essen, January 28 (sold-out) at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, January 31 at the Kölner Philharmonie, February 2 at the Konzerthaus Freiburg, and concluding on February 3 at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt.
On January 29, young virtuoso pianist Jan Lisiecki joins Mr. Bringuier and the RPO for a performance at the Berliner Philharmonie. Mr. Lisiecki previously performed with Bringuier in Montreal last year receiving critical acclaim. The evenings program includes works by Nicolai and Rachmaninoff, and Mr. Lisiecki plays Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a signature piece for the pianist.
For the final performance of the tour, Lionel Bringuier and the ensemble return to Royal Festival Hall on February 5. Renowned cellist Daniel Müller-Schott plays Dvořák’s Cello Concerto for the evening, a work that Müller-Schott played under the baton of Bringuier in 2015 to great acclaim: “He played as if it were a walk in the park, often even diverting his eyes from the fingerboard to look up and out into the hall.” (Bachtrack)