Josep Pons
(c) Igor Studio

Maestro, could you tell us about your experiences during your first season with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie?
What I discovered with the DRP was an orchestra of exceptional quality: extremely well-prepared and eager to perform music at the highest level. It is a dynamic orchestra in top form that is very open to new musical experiences and fully committed to exploring them in depth.

How has your relationship with the orchestra and its musicians evolved?
We’ve known each other for a long time and already had an excellent artistic relationship. Now we’ve strengthened and developed those ties.

You launched your program Visions of Europe last season and plan to continue it in 2026/27. How will that work in practice? What will be the highlights of the upcoming season?
What I did with the DRP was to create a new programmatic project that, to explain properly, would require a great deal of space, but which I could summarize by saying that it is based on various “thematic spheres” of varying sizes: ‘Hildegard von Bingen Universe,’ ‘Laments & Passion,’ etc., the largest of which is what we call ‘Visions of Europe,’ where we offer different perspectives on Europe through music and reflection.
Why? For two main reasons. The first is that we are geographically at the heart of Europe, and the second is that I believe that, at this moment in time, Europe’s role must become more important than ever.
That is why I propose that, over the course of about eight programs this season, we focus on a specific aspect of Europe. This season’s theme was ‘The World of Yesterday,’ and for the next one, I propose ‘Pillars of Europe’: an exploration of the Greco-Roman world and its mythology, Christianity, Germanic myths and Norse sagas, Goethe, Dante, Shakespeare, and so on. A reflection grounded in musical works centered on these themes.

Have you received any feedback from the public on this concept?
I think the audience is delighted, because what we’re finally offering are great works, brought together with intelligence and care. If someone is simply looking for good music, they’ll find it; and if someone is looking for coherence, for a synergy between the works, and wants not only each program but the entire season to make sense, they’ll find that too.

Have you heard anything new about possible new recordings with the DRP?
We are currently working on two fronts: on the one hand with Harmonia Mundi France, my record label for the past 37 years and with whom I have recorded more than 40 CDs, and on the other hand with SWR Editions.

Although the orchestra’s continued existence in its current form is supposed to be guaranteed for the duration of your contract, dark clouds are gathering over the orchestra due to the announced budget cuts. As principal conductor, how do you plan to address these potential threats?
Looking ahead, I see only one path forward: growth. Growth in quality, in the number of projects, and in our reach. I see no other solution. Why? Because it is one of the best orchestras in Germany, with one of the most innovative, inspiring, and modern artistic visions.

Your tenure at the Liceu in Barcelona is coming to an end. Does that mean you won’t be conducting operas anymore? Do you see yourself conducting concert versions of operas with the DRP?
It’s true: after fourteen years, I will be stepping down from my position as music director at the Liceu next July. It has been a wonderful and deeply rewarding journey, marked by great productions, always in the company of the finest singers and an exceptional orchestra and chorus.
I will stay in touch with them, as they have very generously named me honorary director; I will therefore continue to conduct one opera per season.
Of course, I would like to put my knowledge of opera at the service of the DRP, especially since I do not accept any invitations from opera houses other than my own theater and, from time to time, the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Deutsche Radio Philharmonie baut auf die Säulen Europas