On December 11, 12, and 13, Andris Nelsons returns to the Berliner Philharmoniker, leading the orchestra in a bold and expansive program featuring three distinct musical voices from the 19th and 20th century. Nelsons has been a regular collaborator with the orchestra since his debut in 2010, conducting works like Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and No. 8, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and No. 5, Strauss’ Don Juan, Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and more.

Marcel Dupré’s Cortege et Litanie for organ and orchestra opens the concert, featuring organist Jan Liebermann. This beloved work that unfolds from a quiet, dignified procession into a soaring, prayer-like climax, showcasing the organ’s full palette of expressive color. Originally composed for piano, Cortege et Litanie quickly became one of Dupré’s most performed works when he arranged it for organ.

Violinist Benjamin Beilman joins Nelsons and the orchestra for Antonín Dvořák’s vibrant Violin Concerto in A Minor. Composed in 1882, the concerto incorporates colorful dance-like rhythms, sweeping melodies, and a Czech folk music-inspired finale, and cemented Dvořák as a composer on the rise.

The program concludes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E minor, a composer closely associated with Nelsons.  Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra recently completed a major project recording the composer’s works, including all 15 symphonies, six concertos, and the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, culminating in a 2025 box set release. Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony was composed in 1953, shortly after Stalin’s death, and is often seen as a musical reflection on oppression, survival, and ultimate triumph.