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Kansas City Symphony European Tour Highlights

Enjoy this showcase of our favorite moments from the first-ever Kansas City Symphony European Tour!

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY CELEBRATES ITS INAUGURAL EUROPEAN TOUR WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR MATTHIAS PINTSCHER

EUROPEAN TOUR 2024

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY CELEBRATES ITS INAUGURAL EUROPEAN TOUR WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR MATTHIAS PINTSCHER

EUROPEAN TOUR 2024

The Kansas City Symphony proudly performed its first-ever European concert tour in August 2024, marking a significant milestone in the orchestra's 42-year history. Led by the Symphony's incoming Music Director, Matthias Pintscher, the orchestra delighted audiences in Amsterdam's storied Concertgebouw, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, and one of the most prominent music festivals in Europe - Musikfest Berlin - from August 26th to August 29th. Photo by Fabian Schellhorn.

Monday, August 26 | Amsterdam Concert at The Concertgebouw

Kansas City Symphony with Matthias Pintscher and surprise guest in Amsterdam

Monday, August 26 | Amsterdam Concert at The Concertgebouw

Kansas City Symphony with Matthias Pintscher and surprise guest in Amsterdam

"Pintscher and his new orchestra were surprisingly well attuned to each other: The sudden changes in mood and the abrupt ending of the second movement in particular provided the first goosebump moments." "But the best was yet to come. Nonchalantly referred to by Pintscher as a 'party crasher,' Joyce DiDonato first performed Oh Shenandoah in a wonderful mood and had the audience hanging on her every word from the very first notes. Her completely relaxed, bittersweet performance was a moment for the ages. The orchestra accompanied her as if on her own two feet. With Harold Arlen's Over the Rainbow, the surprise superstar bid farewell to Amsterdam far too early but also more than brilliantly. You would have wanted to listen to her for hours." - Bachtrack

Watch our Amsterdam Highlights Video!

Wednesday, August 28 | Berlin Concert at the Berlin Philharmonie

Kansas City Symphony delights at Musikfest

Wednesday, August 28 | Berlin Concert at the Berlin Philharmonie

Kansas City Symphony delights at Musikfest

"The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) has made its debut at Musikfest Berlin. The orchestra, founded in 1982, performed at the Berlin Philharmonie on Wednesday as part of its first European tour. With "Decoration Day" and "The Fourth of July", the orchestra interpreted two musical short stories by Ives in an entertaining and humorous manner. The conductor chose a rather fast tempo for Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", but this did not detract from the brilliant playing of Conrad Tao as soloist on the piano. Together, they performed an arrangement of Count Basie's "Li'I Darling" as an encore. After the interval, Copland's Symphony No. 3 was played with the well-known "Fanfare for the Common Man" in the fourth movement. The audience applauded visibly enthusiastically, in some cases with standing ovations." - Musik Heute | Photo by Fabian Schellhorn

Watch our Berlin Highlights Video!

Thursday, August 29 | Hamburg Concert at the Elbphilharmonie

Gershwin would have had fun with this "Rhapsody in Blue"

Thursday, August 29 | Hamburg Concert at the Elbphilharmonie

Gershwin would have had fun with this "Rhapsody in Blue"

"Such challenges are familiar territory for Pintscher. He steers the orchestra through all the rapids of the score with his energetic, clear sign language. The string sound is astonishingly dark, the interplay across the distances impeccable..." "The majority of people probably came because of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Just 100 years old, the piece was unheard of at its premiere. A jazz piano concerto - there had never been anything like it before. And what are the conductor, soloist and orchestra doing in 2024? Playing it as if it were brand new. The clarinetist bends the famous glissando at the beginning into a lightning bow with audible pleasure." "The trumpet and trombone savor the passages with the wah-wah mute with such relish that the audience giggles. Soloist Conrad Tao, on the other hand, is a native speaker of "Rhapsody". He has a sense of timing in his little finger, makes the brilliant passages sparkle, but also hammers vertically into the keyboard. And he uses his forearms in the cadenza. Gershwin would have had fun." - Hamburger Abendblatt | Photo by Daniel Dittus

Watch our Hamburg Highlights Video!

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE FIRST-EVER KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY EUROPEAN TOUR

An adventure to remember for a lifetime...

Through October 15, relive the magic of our unforgettable performance at the Berlin Philaharmonie as it’s broadcast on-demand on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Click below now to enjoy the mesmerizing music from this history-making Kansas City Symphony performance.

LISTEN ON-DEMAND HERE!

Experience your Kansas City Symphony at home!