On 26 October Wilhelm Killmayer’s Yolimba opens at the Theatre Münster in a new production directed by Ulrich Peters and conducted by Thorsten Schmid-Kapfenburg. Marielle Murphy and Gregor Dalal perform the principal roles of Yolimba and Moehringer. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Wilhelm Killmayer: Yolimba oder Die Grenzen der Magie”
On Wednesday and Thursday 16-17 October, Miller Theatre presents the world premiere performances of Hannah Lash’s chamber opera, Desire. The production is conducted by Daniela Candillari, directed by Rachel Dickstein, and features the JACK Quartet. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Hannah Lash: Desire”
On Sunday 13 October, The Crossing chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally will give the world premiere of Gavin Bryars’ much anticipated choral work, A Native Hill, in its complete version. The work is Bryars’ second collaboration with The Crossing following The Fifth Century in 2014, which won a Grammy Award. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Gavin Bryars: A Native Hill”
Rodion Shchedrin’s opera Lolita opens at the Estates Theatre in Prague on 3 October in what will be the opera’s first Czech production. The new production will be directed by Sláva Daubnerová and conducted by Sergey Neller. Following the first night there will be eight more performances in Prague until 10 January 2020. Continue reading “Work of the Week – Rodion Shchedrin: Lolita”
A symphony for only three performers is an unusual challenge for a composer to set himself. This is, however, exactly what Olli Mustonen has done in his recent work for tenor, cello and piano, Taivanvaalot, which receives its world premiere on 26 September at the Musiekgebouw, Amsterdam performed by Ian Bostridge (tenor), Steven Isserlis (cello) and Olli Mustonen (piano).
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Olli Mustonen: Taivaanvalot”
The Seven Deadly Sins (Die sieben Todsünden) is one of Kurt Weill’s best-known and most frequently performed works. On 21 September, a new orchestration of the ballet chanté for 15 players will receive its premiere at Beethovenfest Bonn with Ensemble Modern and soloist Sarah Maria Sun conducted by HK Gruber. The new version has been created by Gruber and Christian Muthspiel in collaboration with the Kurt Weill Foundation and Schott Music.
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins”
The tragedy of Bizet’s Carmen has gripped audiences and inspired countless productions since its first performance in 1875. Today, the opera is one of the most well-known and frequently performed works in the genre. On 14 September, a new production by Barrie Kosky opens at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov. The new production will use material from Verlagsgruppe Hermann’s “Edition Meisterwerke”, which brings together all previously published versions of the work into a single critical edition allowing for direct comparison of the differences between individual publications.
Ryan Wigglesworth will make no fewer than three appearances as a conductor at this year’s BBC Proms, including on 28 August 2019 when he will direct the world premiere of his Piano Concerto with Marc-André Hamelin and Britten Sinfonia. The new work is the result of a joint commission between BBC Radio 3 and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Ryan Wigglesworth: Piano Concerto”
L’arbre des songes, the tree of dreams – the perfect choice to conclude a concert beginning with Rêverie et Caprice by Hector Berlioz. In a dreamlike program, the Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Kristiina Poska draws a link from Berlioz to Ravel, Debussy, and Dutilleux in their concert in La Côte-Saint-André on 21 August. The violin soloist will be Renaud Capuçon.
Capuçon himself has a link to L’arbre des songes through the work’s dedicatee, Isaac Stern: Not only was Capuçon Stern’s student, but since 2005 he has played the Guarneri del Gesù ‘Panette’ that Stern used for 50 years. L’arbre des songes was commissioned for Isaac Stern by Radio France has remained a one of the most popular contemporary violin concertos since its first performance in 1985.
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Henri Dutilleux: L’arbre des songes”
On 17 August, a new production of Verdi’s Nabucco will be staged at Burgplatz Open Air in Braunschweig. The production uses the revised edition published by Verlagsgruppe Hermann, available through Schott Music. The Hermann edition is an authoritative final edition of the opera that includes all the changes the composer made following the work’s initial publication.
Continue reading “Work of the Week – Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco”
