A psychological thriller on the opera stage – the opera Die Teufel von Loudun by Krzysztof Penderecki could certainly receive such an introduction. On June 27, 2022, the piece will premiere in a new production by Simon Stone at the Bayerische Staatsoper, with Vladimir Jurowski as musical director.
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Krzysztof Penderecki: Die Teufel von Loudun”
“We want to be in your gang!” – That’s likely what Schiller’s robbers would have said to their captain Karl Moor if they had lived in the 21st century. In Ludger Vollmer’s opera for young people, Schillers Räuber, they use these exact words. The play will premiere at the Stadttheater in Hildesheim on June 25, 2022. Achim Falkenhausen takes charge of musical direction, Oliver Pauli is director and Alaz Deniz Köymen, choreographer.
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Carmina Burana by Carl Orff is undoubtedly among the most popular symphonic choral works. Paul Leonhard Schäffer’s new reduced version offers smaller ensembles the opportunity to perform this large-scale work, whilst maintaining the “original sound”. Schäffer’s version will be heard for the first time on June 19, 2022 in Visp, Switzerland, performed by both Oberwalliser Vokalensemble and the Chaarts Ensemble, conducted by Hansruedi Kampfen. A further performance will follow on June 25, 2022 in Boswil.
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Hope will never be silent. This is the credo of civil rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, the main character in Stewart Wallace’s opera Harvey Milk Reimagined. The work will receive its world premiere at Opera Saint Louis, Missouri, conducted by Carolyn Kuan in collaboration with stage directors Seán Curran and James Robinson.
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The eternal ice is no more: The climate crisis continues to impact the coldest and southernmost places on earth. In their new opera Antactica, Australian composer Mary Finsterer and her librettist Tom Wright paint a picture of this changing continent. The new piece will premiere on 5 June 2022 at the Holland Festival with Asko|Schoenberg Ensemble, conducted by Jack Symonds. Director Imara Savage and her team create Antarctica’s scenic realisation at Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ.
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A digestion mishap causes an investigation: This is the starting point of Elisabeth Naske’s new children’s opera which will be premiered at Wuppertaler Bühnen on 20 May 2022. The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business (German original title: ‘Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat’) only requires three performers on the stage: a singer, an actor and a viola player. Taking place in the German city of Wuppertal, Iris Marie Sojer plays the mole, Stefan Walz the gardener and with Sopie Rasmussen on viola. Ela Baumann is the director of the production, and Koji Ishizaka responsible for the musical side. We interviewed the composer about her new piece: Continue reading “Work of the Week – Elisabeth Naske: The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business”
“Cellissimo” is Music for Galway’s new international cello festival on the edge of Europe. It presents its first concerto gala with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra’s concert on 11 May 2022 at Leisureland Center in Galway. In this unique combination of aquatic and concert hall, Edward Elgar’s famous cello concerto is combined with the world premiere of Gerald Barry’s Cello Concerto. Cellist Adrian Mantu from Galway is soloist alongside conductor David Brophy. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Gerald Barry: Cello Concerto”
With his first violin concerto “1001 Nights in the Harem” from 2007, Turkish composer Fazıl Say wrote one of the most successful concertos of our time. The successor is his Violin Concerto No. 2 “Spring mornings in the days of quarantine”awaiting its world premiere this week on 6 May at Konzerthaus Berlin Friedemann Eichhorn (violin) will be accompanied by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Christoph Eschenbach. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Fazıl Say: Violin Concerto No. 2”
A Tyrolean in Amsterdam: It’s the flattest of all European countries which is focussing on mountain climbing this week. The Akso|Schoenberg Ensemble is presenting Thomas Larcher’s The Living Mountain for soprano and ensemble on 30 April 2022. Soloist of the world premiere at the Concertgebouw is Sarah Aristidou, Gregory Charette conducting. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Thomas Larcher: The Living Mountain”
A tower block in summer and the water isn’t running. In the opera The Arabian Night by Christian Jost, the residents meet each other in their search for water, escaping their self-inflicted isolation. The first performance of the chamber opera The Arabian Night at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin will take place on 14 April 2022. Phlipp Armbruster will conduct the work, based on the play of the same name by Roland Schimmelpfennig, with original staging by Marcin Łakomicki. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Christian Jost: Die arabische Nacht”
