Conductor
“The orchestra couldn’t have hoped for a more committed interpreter than Berman”
Cleveland Classical, Peter Feher, Aug 2022 on Berman’s debut with the Cleveland Orchestra
BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan Berman’s open-minded approach to music making is reflected in his impressively broad repertoire. Whether on stage, in front of cameras, writing a script or curating a concert programme, Jonathan derives his energy from his ability to engage with audiences. For him, unlocking the imagination is the key.
A fearless advocate of contemporary and new music, Jonathan is equally well versed in the classical and Romantic periods. A recent champion of the works of Franz Schmidt, Jonathan launched The Franz Schmidt Project and has performed the symphonies across Europe, with the Cleveland Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW) with whom he has recorded the complete symphonies for Accentus Music for Schmidt’s 150th anniversary in 2024.
Whilst music is central to all his interests, Jonathan’s deep engagement with literature, visual art, theatre and film leads to constant questioning of the boundaries of classical music and feeds into the unique and creative ways in which he connects to his audiences. Jonathan is recognised for his thoughtfulness and insight, creating performances which are known for their sensitivity, structure, and flexibility.
During the Pandemic, Jonathan launched Stand Together Music which promoted conscious streaming of music, reflecting the UK’s cancelled concerts, with over 1000 hours of curated Spotify playlists and generating vital income for artists. Also whilst live music was off the agenda, Jonathan also taught himself film-making, building on his experiences in 2015 at the Southbank Centre’s Changing Britain Festival. He has now directed nine films including a documentary series Postcards from Vienna, winning the Silver Medal Award for Outstanding Achievement at the Global Music Awards 2021, and Official Selection for Best Music Video at 2021 Venice Shorts Film Festival.
Jonathan Berman grew up in a musical family playing piano, cello and singing from an early age. From the very outset of his career, Jonathan was supported by Oliver Knussen, Stanisław Skrowaczewski and Jac van Steen with whom he studied at The Hague. Knussen became a life-long friend and mentor, introducing Jonathan at the Tanglewood Festival and share his concert at the 2016 BBC Proms.
In 2014 Jonathan was the first British musician and the first conductor to win the prestigious Kempinski Art Programme Fellowship, enabling him to work with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra, and Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony. In the 2014-15 he became Assistant Conductor to Vladimir Jurowski at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the LPO now amongst several orchestras and organisations with whom he has developed long-term relationships including BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Southbank Sinfonia, London Sinfonietta and Aldeburgh Festival.
In recent years, Jonathan has conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia, Nash Ensemble, BCMG, Crash Ensemble Dublin, and the Britten Pears Ensemble in the UK; as well as the Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Filharmonica ‘George’ Enescu’, Sinfonietta Riga, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, the Orchestre de Picardie, Orchestra di Padova e Veneto, Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Modern and New European Ensemble abroad.
Additionally, he has conducted over 40 operas including productions for the Nationale Reis Opera, English Touring Opera, Aldeburgh Festival, Grachten Festival, Anghiari Festival, Dartington International Festival, Jerwood Opera Course, Opera Studio Netherlands, Dutch National Opera Academy, Mahogany Opera, Centre for Opera Studies in Italy.
Alongside performances, Jonathan has given masterclasses in both conducting and composition at Dartington International Summer Festival, Birmingham Contemporary Music Festival and at is Co-director of the Britten-Pears Composition and Performance Courses at the Aldeburgh Festival.
Mar 2024
Jonathan Berman is represented worldwide by LoganArts Management Ltd.
For more information, please contact Andrew Logan, Director at +44 (0) 7841 582 851 or at info@loganartsmanagement.com
More also at www.jonathanberman.co.uk
Jonathan Berman
Conductor
On 20 October 2024, Jonathan Berman will conduct London Sinfonietta’s tribute to Arnold Schoenberg at the Southbank Centre to mark the composer’s 150th anniversary.
~
This spectacular concert promises to be a musical experience of unrivalled intensity … one for all Schoenberg fans – and an excellent way to introduce new listeners to the continuing genius of this music.
~
Berman, steeped in early 20th C Viennese music (see his ‘Universally Acclaimed’ Schmidt recordings for Accentus) is our perfect guide to the world of Arnold Schoenberg!
~
Arnold Schoenberg Serenade Op. 24
Anton Webern Symphony Op. 21
Arnold Schoenberg Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte Op. 41
Arnold Schoenberg Piano Pieces Op.19
Elisabeth Lutyens Six Tempi for 10 Instruments
Arnold Schoenberg Chamber Symphony Op. 9
~
Conductor, Jonathan Berman
London Sinfonietta
~
Jonathan Berman
Conductor
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Franz Schmidt – The Symphonies
Accentus Music GmbH ACC80544
Release date : 1.12.2023
~
“This is perhaps the most convincing approach to the composer’s musical universe.”
Scherzo Nov 2023
~
“This set is a marvellous way of marking the occasion.” [150th anniversary of the birth of Franz Schimdt]
Klassisk Musikkmagasin, Martin Anderson, April 2024
~
“the music is moulded with such thorough and loving care.”
Hi-Fi News, “Classical Album of the Month”, Peter Quantrill, April 2024
~
Nominated for the 2024 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik
~
Franz Schmidt – The Symphonies
as at 01 May 2024
PRESS QUOTES
JONATHAN BERMAN, Conductor
Franz Schmidt – The Symphonies
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Accentus Music GmbH ACC80544
Release date : 1.12.2023
www.loganartsmanagement.com/jonathan-berman/
CD Trailer Videos & Playlist HERE
____________________
Radio reviews, features & interviews :
- MDR Klassik, DE
- ORF Ö1, DE
- Gramophone ‘video of the day’, UK
- BremenZwei „Klassikwelt“, DE
- BBC Radio 3 Record Review, UK
- RSI, Swiss
- SWR Kultur, DE
- NDR Kultur, DE
- Rondo „Video of the Week“, DE
- HiFi News “Album Choice”, UK
Reviews
“[Berman] draws sharper distinctions between the profile of each symphony than either Järvi cycle. […] lyrical outbursts and persuasive melancholy bear comparison with Strauss and Mahler when the music is moulded with such thorough and loving care.”
Hi-Fi News, “Classical Album of the Month”, Peter Quantrill, April 2024
“This cycle by the young British conductor Jonathan Berman has an enormous amount going for it. […] Berman will show you things you hadn’t noticed. […] The playing of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is hugely accomplished […] The recording itself is phenomenal: every detail of the music is captured …
Klassisk Musikkmagasin, Martin Anderson, April 2024
“[…] Berman’s recording of the symphonies tend to emphasise their deep links with the Austro-German tradition and, at the same time, the expressive specificity of a warm, serene lyricism without sentimental surrender and without rhetoric. […] All in all, the new Accentus release stands next to the DG publication as the best choice for those wishing to purchase a complete Schmidt Symphony cycle […]”
Rivista Musica, Giuseppe Rossi, April 2024
“Berman has a deep understanding of [Schmidt’s] music: its wide arcs of tension, its elegant beauty that needs to be handled with care […]. The way Berman keeps this music flowing without forgetting to breathe is exemplary.”
Fono Forum, Clemens Haustein, April 2024
“… sumptuously designed and luxuriantly recorded …”
“… orchestra … share Berman’s commitment and enthusiasm, delivering playing of sensitivity and technical brilliance …”
Performance 4 Star | Recording 5 Star
BBC Music Magazine, Erik Levi, Feb 2024
Recommendation of the Month – “Good cycle overall.” ***** 5 Stars
RITMO, Justino Losada, Feb 2024
“… an absolutely convincing complete recording of the four symphonies.”
BremenZwei „Klassikwelt“, Wilfried Schäper, Jan 2024
“More than Notre Dame”
“beautifully interpreted […] clever booklet text. […] The interpretation is characterised by taste and transparency.”
Listen Here : www.oe1.orf.at/Mehr-als-Notre-Dame
ORF Ö1, Irene Suchy, Jan 2024
“… with his detail and sensitivity he enriches the catalogue of Franz Schmidt with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.”
sonograma, Carme Miró, 29 Jan 2024
Persistance de Vienne
“…a keen understanding of this music that this is probably the most relevant cycle devoted to this quartet of masterpieces, and what a bittersweet Fourth Symphony, what a coda in the Finale of the Second, what science in the Variations, what inspiration throughout the Langsam and Adagios, what a fiery gesture in the First! … here you have the whole Schmidt universe, ambivalent, solar, funereal, mysterious and immortal.”
Artalinna, Jean-Charles Hoffelé Jan 2024
“And this is where the remarkably light-hearted, almost musical interpretation by Jonathan Berman comes into play, who does not cover the scores with the pale glamour of a declining or already vanished aristocratic era, but realises them in an astonishingly fresh, in many parts even light-hearted way.”
Neue Musikzeitung, Michael Kube, Jan 2024
“Berman’s performance conveys the sense of emptiness, loss and forbearance in the music [of the 4th Symphony]. […] a very successful release.”
Gramophone, Christian Hoskins, January 2024
„A Discovery. Bravo!“
“What really makes this new recording so enticing is the sheer energy and enthusiasm … the power and optimism …”
Stretto, Michel Dutrieue, Dec 2023
“ […] In this recording, Jonathan Berman leads us confidently through the different regions of sound, especially in the opulent middle movement with its ten variations. […] In this new recording, Jonathan Berman demonstrates a keen sense of proportions, progressions and arcs of tension.”
NDR Kultur, Christoph Vratz. Dec 2023
Hoffmeisters Empfehlungen | Hoffmeister’s Recommendations
Martin Hoffmeister in interview with conductor Jonathan Berman
LISTEN HERE (from 14:25 to 29:06)
“A top-class addition to the catalogue, which contains comparatively few recordings of these works.”
MDR Klassik, “Hoffmeisters Empfehlungen”, Martin Hoffmeister, 2nd December 2023
” … don’t be diverted from trying these excellent performances from Jonathan Berman.”
BBC Radio 3 Record Review, Andrew McGregor, Dec 2023
“Franz Schmidt’s music can be addictive. … Berman aims for a transparent sound and reveals the structures of this music. This opens up new listening experiences that reveal a master of instrumentation and a harmonic border crosser.”
Salzburger Nachrichten, Florian Oberhummer, 27 dec, 2023
“This edition convinces through its stringency […] that Berman minimizes post-romantic sultriness as a sound ideal and instead focuses on transparency.”
Concerti.de, Christoph Vratz, 21. Dec 2023
“Jonathan Berman and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales interpret these works with emotional commitment, gripping and with natural pathos […] and with a fine sense of sound and lyrical feeling in the slow movements.”
Rondo: Recommendation of the Week, Mario-Felix Vogt, 2nd December 2023
“ … Jonathan Berman and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales set new standards here …”
Der Opernfreund, Dec 2023
“A convincing new release in all respects.”
Opera Lounge, Daniel Hauser, 2nd December 2023
“[…] The orchestra under Jonathan Berman brings the personal thoughts expressed in this music to life with an intense and calmly unfolding reading. […] The participants succeed in doing this extraordinarily well with a finely spun musical thread and dedication. The result is a cohesive view of the music of Franz Schmidt.”
Pizzicato, Remy Franck, 2nd December 2023
“[…] This is perhaps the most convincing approach to the composer’s musical universe. Berman compensates for the Cardiff ensemble’s lack of Viennese sound style by diving deeper into the connections that each score makes. This is evident in the vital thrust of the First, the fluidity of the Second’s variations, the elegant contrapuntal warp of the Third (the composer’s favourite) and the emotional catharsis of the Fourth, …”
Scherzo, Pablo L. Rodríguez, 30th November 2023
“Jonathan Berman and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales set new standards here, interpreting each work with precision, passion and tonal refinement. […] The Symphony No. 2 in E flat major is presented by Berman with an equally skilful handling of form and expressiveness. […] The darkness of the music [of the 4th Symphony] is sensitively captured by Berman. […] a complete recording that is convincing in every respect. The orchestral playing is further enhanced by Jonathan Berman’s outstanding conducting. Berman demonstrates a clear and precise interpretation that gives the orchestra room to develop the musical nuances.” Online Merker, Dirk Schauß, November 2023
Online Merker, Dirk Schauß, November 2023
“… landmark release”
“Jonathan Berman, à propos de Franz Schmidt”
Crescendo Magazine, Jean Pierre Tribot, Nov 2023
“Jonathan Berman, who with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is able to perform true miracles in this late-Romantic repertoire. […] an important contribution to the Schmidt discography with this new album.”
Opus Klassiek, Aart van der Wal, November 2023
LIVE
Franz Schmidt Symphony no. 4, Cleveland Orchestra / August 2022
“serious and dedicated performance […] the Cleveland Orchestra gave the Schmidt the honour of exquisite playing”
Seen and Heard International, Mark S. Jordan, 10th August 2022
“The orchestra couldn’t have hoped for a more committed interpreter than Berman”
Cleveland Classical, Peter Feher, 16th August 2022
Franz Schmidt Symphony no. 4, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / September 2022
“[The 4th Symphony of Franz Schmidt] was clearly music that struck a sympathetic chord with conductor Jonathan Berman, a message he imparted through spoken words, but then turned these thoughts into rich, meaningful music.”
Vox Carnyx, Ken Walton, 21st September 2022
End