On 23 June the children’s opera Pollicino by Hans Werner Henze will open at Cologne Opera in a production by Saskia Kuhlmann. Soloists from Cologne Opera will be joined by pupils of the Cologne Humboldt-Gymnasium and the Cologne Rheinische, and Rainer Mühlbach will conduct. Continue reading “Work of the week – Hans Werner Henze: Pollicino”
On 14 June, the Berlin Philharmonic will give the world premiere of Andrew Norman’s Spiral as part of the orchestra’s farewell season of their principal conductor Simon Rattle, and within their “tapas” series of new works approximately six minutes in length, designed to whet the appetite for contemporary music. Continue reading “Work of the week – Andrew Norman: Spiral”
On 7 June Ivo Van Hove’s new production of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov will begin at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Vladimir Jurowski will conduct, Ildar Abdrazakov will sing the role of Boris Godunov, and stage design and costumes are by Jan Versweyveld and An D’Huys respectively. Continue reading “Work of the week – Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov”
On 2 June, Semperoper Dresden will present Martinů’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 as part of the company’s ballet triple bill titled “100°C”, performed by the Semperoper Ballett and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The concerto will provide music for choreographer Justin Peck’s ballet “Heatscape”, which will be receiving its European premiere. Continue reading “Work of the week – Bohuslav Martinů: Piano Concerto No. 1”
Internationally, Jörg Widmann has achieved great success as a clarinetist, composer and increasingly as a conductor. On 27 May, the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle will premiere Widmann’s new work Tanz auf dem Vulkan (Dance on the Volcano), which was commissioned by the orchestra as part of their “tapas” concert series, and dedicated to Sir Simon who will leave his post as the orchestra’s principal conductor this year. Continue reading “Work of the week – Jörg Widmann: Tanz auf dem Vulkan”
On 20 May 2018, the Opéra national du Rhin and Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse will premiere David Pountney’s new production of Kurt Weill’s ballet chanté The Seven Deadly Sins in Strasbourg. Roland Kluttig will conduct, with choreography by Beate Vollack and stage design by Marie-Jeanne Lecca. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins”
To mark the centenary of Bernd Alois Zimmermann who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, the music festival “ACHT BRÜCKEN – Musik für Köln”, based in the composer’s home town of Cologne, will dedicate this year’s festival to his legacy.
On 10 May, the festival will feature Zimmermann’s final work Ecclesiastical Action (1970), subtitled “Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne” (I turned and saw all the injustice under the sun). The work will be performed by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the choir of the Bach-Verein Köln, conductor Michael Wendeberg, baritone Georg Nigl and Franz Mazura and Jakob Diehl as the two speakers. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne (Ecclesiastical Action)”
On 6 May, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne will perform the Swiss premiere of Julien-François Zbinden’s Divertissement for double bass and orchestra, conducted by Marzena Diakun and with Sebastian Schick, the orchestra’s principal double bassist, as soloist. The concert will take place at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne, where Swiss national Zbinden worked for many years as a pianist and recording director for Lausanne’s radio station. Continue reading “Work of the week – Julien-François Zbinden: Divertissement”
Although Luigi Dallapiccola’s one-act opera Il prigioniero (The Prisoner) was composed in 1949, the questions it raises about faith, love, hope and freedom are of enduring relevance. On 26 April, a production of the opera opens at Stuttgart Opera under the direction of Andrea Breth, performed by the Staatorchester Stuttgart and conductor Franck Ollu, and with set design by Martin Zehetgruber. The production was co-produced with Theatre La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels and was premiered there in January this year. Continue reading “Work of the week – Luigi Dallapiccola: Il prigioniero”
Paul Hindemith’s first full-length opera Cardillac was one of the most popular stage works of the 1920s. On 21 April, the Landestheater Salzburg will premiere a new production by Amélie Niemeyer, with the Mozarteum Orchestra performing under the direction of Robin Davis and stage design by Stefanie Seitz. Continue reading “Work of the week – Paul Hindemith: Cardillac”
