Deutsche Philharmonie Merck & Petar Pejčić. Mozart – Tschaikowsky - Beethoven

“It must certainly have a good effect” - this is how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself described his cheerful and playful Haffner Symphony, which never denies its roots in serenade culture. The Deutsche Philharmonie Merck juxtaposes this unusually radiant Mozart with Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth as a striking contrast. This symphony stands for energy, drama, overcoming and assertiveness. And how does Peter Tchaikovsky position himself in relation to it? Clearly on the sunny side of Mozart, whom he greatly admired. His technically demanding Rococo Variations are a tribute to his idol and to the era of light-handed elegance in general.

The soloist in this ingenious interplay of styles is Petar Pejčić, who is currently studying with Frans Helmerson in Kronberg Academy's Professional Studies program. He will be joined by the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, one of the most powerful independent orchestras in the German music scene. Merck, a company with a long tradition based in Darmstadt, supports the orchestra, whose origins date back to 1966 and is now a byword for musical quality in the region and far beyond, as the orchestra is a regular and welcome guest on international stages. In addition to numerous concert tours to almost all European countries, the orchestra has also repeatedly performed outside the well-known destinations for Western musical culture. The Deutsche Philharmonie Merck can draw on a stylistic range that is not a matter of course for a classical symphony orchestra. It regularly works with specialists in early music, organizes concerts exclusively with film music, crossover projects and open-air events. The symphonies of Gustav Mahler and Anton Bruckner with their large symphonic forces and powerful sound have established themselves as the orchestra's particular area of expertise for many years - the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck brought this work to the podium with great success at the VILCO in Bad Vilbel and the Staatstheater Darmstadt in 2024 with Mahler's extremely demanding Eighth Symphony (“Symphony of a Thousand”), which pushes the boundaries in all parameters. Rita Castro Blanco, one of the most promising young conductors of her generation, will be at the podium for the orchestra's debut at the Casals Forum. She has built her impressive career mainly between her native Portugal and the United Kingdom. In recent years, she has been selected for several conducting scholarships, including the Verbier Festival, the Tanglewood and the Lucerne Festival, as well as the mentorship for female conductors at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.