On 17 April, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sir Andrew Davis will perform Sir Michael Tippett’s The Rose Lake (1991-93) at the Barbican in London. The work was originally premiered in 1995 following the request of Sir Colin Davis for a new orchestral piece to celebrate the composer’s 90th birthday. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Sir Michael Tippett: The Rose Lake”
Franz Liszt’s legacy as a composer is dominated by his virtuosic piano works and evocative symphonic poems. By contrast, the composer’s theatrical pieces remain relatively unknown despite a wealth of evidence, in the form of fragments and compositional sketches intended for his assistant Joachim Raff, that suggest opera was never far from his mind. The most developed of these are Liszt’s sketches for his opera Sardanapalo, which have been painstakingly reconstructed by musicologist, David Trippet. On 9 April 2019, Trippett’s reconstruction will be performed in concert in Novi Sad, Serbia. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Franz Liszt: Sardanapalo”
The 1940 Hollywood film The Sea Hawk is filled with wild sea battles, brave privateers, and pomous palaces; rattling sabres and crashing guns. The music for this early epic was written by composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and while the film is seldom shown today, its accompanying score has become a popular concert work. The concert version of The Sea Hawk will receive two performances in April: on the 3rd, the Orchester des Pfalztheaters and conductor Uwe Sandner will perform the piece in Kaiserlautern, and on 7th April at The Assembly Hall Theatre, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra and conductor Roderick Dunk will also perform the work. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Sea Hawk”
Fazil Say’s new Concerto for percussion and orchestra melds a rich array of percussion with colourful and imaginative orchestration. The work will receive its world premiere on 29 March with soloist and dedicatee Martin Grubinger, the Dresdner Philharmonie, and Andris Poga at the Kulturpalast concert hall in Dresden. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Fazıl Say: Concerto for percussion and orchestra”
The David Geffen Hall, home to the New York Philharmonic, lies within walking distance of Manhattan’s iconic Central Park. Fittingly, on 21 March 2019 the orchestra with conductor Jaap van Zweden will perform Charles Ive’s Central Park in the Dark. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Charles Ives: Central Park in the Dark”
A new production of Hans Werner Henze’s opera, Der Prinz von Homburg, opens on 17 March 2019 at Staatsoper Stuttgart for a series of five performances. The production is directed by Stephan Kimmig and will be conducted by music director, Cornelius Meister. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Hans Werner Henze: Der Prinz von Homburg”
In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2019, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Valentina Peleggi will perform a programme featuring works by Clara Schumann, Joan Tower, Florence Price, and the first performance in modern times of Augusta Holmès’ Roland Furieux. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Augusta Holmès: Roland Furieux”
John Casken’s Madonna of Silence, a new 24 minute work for trombone and orchestra, will be given its world premiere by the Hallé Orchestra on 28 February 2019 at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. The work was commissioned by the orchestra for their Principal Trombone Katy Jones, and will be conducted by Jamie Phillips. Continue reading “Work of the Week: John Casken – Madonna of Silence”
‘La secret de la vie’, (the secret of life) is the topic of Aribert Reimann’s recent work, Fragments de Rilke, which will receive its world premiere on 23 February 2019 at the Berlin Philharmonie. This song cycle for soprano and orchestra was commissioned by the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin who will give the first performance as part of the Brahms-Perspektiven festival with chief conductor, Robin Ticciati and soprano soloist, Rachel Harnisch. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Aribert Reimann: Fragments de Rilke”
On 16 February 2019, Jörg Widmann’s Babylon-Suite will be performed by Orchestre National de France under the direction of Nicholas Collon in the Radio France Auditorium in Paris as part of the Festival Présence. The performance will be accompanied by video-installations created by students of the École Estienne. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Jörg Widmann: Babylon”
