“Aribert Reimann’s opera Lear, which is enjoying being our fifth new production in 2017, is about the corruptive force of power, about loneliness, about losing human connections – even to one’s own children”, theatre manager Markus Hinterhäuser remarks.
The success of his Rhapsody in Blue led the New York Symphony Society to commission a piano concerto from the young George Gershwin.
As Ferde Grofé had done the orchestration for Rhapsody, Concerto in F was Gershwin’s first attempt at orchestrating. Aware of his inexperience in this area, he hired an orchestra for the last phase of the compositional process in order to experiment with different orchestral sounds and textures.
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Nearly 80 years after its world premiere, Carl Orff’s opera fairy tale Der Mond (The Moon) is arriving in Taiwan for the first time. A staged performance of the work will be presented by the Taipei Symphony Orchestra on August 4.
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On 26 July, Julian Anderson’s new piano concerto, The Imaginary Museum, will receive its world premiere at the BBC Proms with Steven Osborne, to whom the work is dedicated, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ilan Volkov. The work was co-commissioned by the BBC, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
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In August 2013, Ensemble Musikfabrik presented the European premiere of Harry Partch’s Delusion of the Fury at the Ruhrtriennale Festival in Germany, 45 years after the world premiere in the USA. Inspired by this performance, Schott created a new series of facsimile study scores featuring Partch’s remarkable handwriting, beginning with Delusion of the Fury. The series currently features twelve works.
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Olli Mustonen’s first String Quartet receives its world premiere in Gravdal, Norway, on 12 July. The Engegård Quartet will perform the work as part of the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival.
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Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies for Player Piano comprises of over 50 individual works which make up the majority of his compositional output. On 8 July, Ensemble Modern gives the Brazilian premiere of Study No. 7 in an arrangement for chamber orchestra (arr. Mikhashoff) with conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni at the Auditório Claudio Santoro in Campos do Jordão.
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Nearly 30 years after its premiere, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s first opera Greek remains a vital, resonant work with new productions mounted each year. From 26 June, Bayerische Staatsoper present the work with conductor Oksana Lyniv and director Wolfgang Nägele. A further production follows in August at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.
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Aribert Reimann is ubiquitous this year in Berlin, where the city’s three major opera houses will each stage a new production of one of his works. Medea is currently running at the Komische Oper, and his new music theatre triptych, L’Invisible, will premiere this autumn at the Deutshe Oper. To complete the trio, Die Gespenstersonate (“The Ghost Sonata”) opens this month on 25 June at the Staatsoper im Schillertheater, with director Otto Katzameier and conductor Michael Wendeberg as part of the INFEKTION! Festival of New Music.
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Andrew Norman’s new opera, A Trip to the Moon, brings together professional musicians and community choirs. Part of the Berlin Philharmonic’s Vocal Heroes project and the London Symphony Orchestra’s LSO Discovery music education and community programme, it provides a chance for young people and adults to sing in a high profile classical music event. The opera receives its world premiere at the Philharmonie Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic on 17 June, followed by its UK premiere at London’s Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra. Both performances are conducted by Sir Simon Rattle with chorus direction by Simon Halsey.
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