Since its world premiere in 1924, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has become one of the most famous symphonic works of the 20th century, and features regularly in the programmes of orchestras around the world. On 21 July, at the Klassik Open Air in the Luitpoldhain in Nuremberg, Joana Mallwitz conducts the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg and pianist, Michail Lifits, in a performance of this iconic work.
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Peter Eötvös found inspiration for his third violin concerto Alhambra in the picturesque fortress enthroned over the southern Spanish city of Granada from which the work takes its name. The world premiere of the violin concerto will take place on 12 July at the palace of Charles V in the center of Alhambra. Soloist Isabelle Faust and conductor Pablo Heras-Casado – to whom the work is dedicated – will perform with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
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Fiery beats for a hot summer – that’s what Dos danzas españolas by Joaquín Rodrigo has in store. The driving rhythm of castanets shapes and colours these two Spanish dances, making this entertaining Suite para castañuelas y orquesta perfect for summer concerts. With the theme “Y Viva España”, Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle Schwerin presents music of southern Europe in their Festival “Meckproms”, including Dos danzas españolas with music director Daniel Huppert on 2 July at the open-air stage Schwerin and on 7 July in the garden of Bothmer castle in Klütz.
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In Nils Holgerssons wunderbare Reise (“Nils Holgersson’s Wonderful Journey”), composer Anno Schreier transforms the children’s book “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils” by Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf into a work of music theatre for children aged six and up. Commission by Kölner Philharmonie and KölnMusik for a joint project, “Singing with the class!”, it receives its world premiere in Cologne on 27 June 2019. Around 300 local primary school children will take part in the world premiere, singing side by side with the Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne under the baton of Andreas Fellner. Christoph Bertram and Eva Marianne Kraiss will perform Nils and the other characters of the adventure tale.
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Toru Takemitsu’s evocative work, Rain Coming captures the atmosphere of the moment just before rain has started to fall. The work, which has been widely performed in Europe and the US, will receive its Chinese premiere in Hong Kong on 22 June with Hong Kong Sinfonietta and conductor Ryusuke Numajiri.
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The city of Hiroshima in southern Japan was once primarily known for its oysters which were farmed just off the coast. In Noriko Koide’s work Oyster Lullaby, the oyster is symbolic of the process of healing following the devastation that resulted from the use of the atomic bomb in the final month of World War II, an event that has overshadowed the city’s historic reputation. The new work for orchestra, commissioned for the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, will receive its world premiere on 14 June 2019 under the baton of Seitaro Ishikawa.
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On 7 June 2019 the Villiers Quartet will give the world premiere of Alexander Goehr’s string quartet Vision of the Soldier Er at the idyllic Swaledale Festival. The piece comes after a break of almost thirty years since the completion of his fourth quartet.
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On 28 May, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s opera Die tote Stadt will open at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. With musical direction from Alan Gilbert and a cast including Asmik Grigorian as Marietta and Klaus Florian Vogt as Paul, Korngold’s thrilling psychological opera is set to receive a daring production.
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On 25 May 2019, Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame opens with Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf in a staging by director Lydia Steier. The story of Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) is centered on a destitute officer named Hermann, whose obsession with gambling and a secret winning formula of three cards ultimately fails to bring him the success he desires and leads instead to disaster.
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18 May 2019, violist Lawrence Power and Britten Sinfonia will give the world premiere of Gerald Barry’s Viola Concerto with conductor Thomas Adès. The concert at Saffron Hall in Saffron Walden will be the first of two performances of the new concerto this month; the second takes place at the Barbican Centre in London on 21 May 2019.
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