Work of the week

What does a romantic painting sound like? Christian Jost's new work provides the answer: Eismeer ("Sea of Ice") for saxophone quartet, vibraphone and string orchestra will be premiered on July 26 at the Stadtkirche St. Nikolai with the SIGNUM saxophone quartet and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. The composer himself will conduct.

A symphonic zigzag journey: Under the direction of Jonathan Bloxham, the Grafenegg Academy Orchestra together with soloist Colin Currie will give the Austrian premiere of Andrew Norman's Switch for percussion and orchestra  at the Grafenegg Festival on 21 July 2024. 

A haunting look into the entanglements of the 1980s: Santa Fe Opera presents the world premiere of the opera The Righteous by Gregory Spears on 13 July 2024. The opera, based on an original libretto by Tracy K. Smith, with whom Spears regularly collaborates, is a full-length work spanning twelve years of American history (1979-1990).

A look at the end of time: Wilfried Hiller's new work Apocalypse will be premiered at the ION (International Organ Week Nuremberg) music festival on 2 July 2024. In addition to an instrumental ensemble, Johannes Euler as St John of Patmos, Anna-Lena Elbert as a colouratura soprano and the vocal ensemble Die Singphoniker will be performing in the vocal parts.

The anti-anti-opera: Le Grand Macabre by György Ligeti will celebrate its premiere on 28 June 2024 at the Munich Opera Festival at the Bavarian State Opera. The piece thus marks the end of the 2023/2024 season, which began last year on the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth. Kent Nagano will conduct the production, which will be staged by Krzysztof Warlikowski.

Questions about the guilt and responsibility of a character who changed the course of the world: a new production of Werner Egk's Columbus will premiere at the Bonn Theatre on 16 June 2024. Hermes Helfricht conducts the production by Jakob Peters-Messer. The Bonn Theatre is thus continuing its FOKUS'33 series, which won the OPER! Award 2023 was honoured. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

A witty play about fashion and mutual appreciation: Messeschlager Gisela (“Trade Fair Sensation Gisela”) by Gerd Natschinski celebrates its premiere at the Komische Oper Berlin on 8 June 2024. The operetta can be seen in the tent at the Rotes Rathaus. The witty production is by Axel Ranisch, with Adam Benzwi as musical director. The title role of Gisela is played by the well-known satire artist Gisa Flake. 

Jörg Widmann is currently Composer in Residence with the Berlin Philharmonic. To mark the end of this collaboration, he has composed a new work for the orchestra and its principal horn Stefan Dohr. The Hornkonzert (Horn Concerto) will be premiered on 30 May at the the Philharmonie Berlin under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, the orchestra's former chief conductor.

Post-apocalyptic scenery in a Gothic church: Thierry Pécou's opera Stalker breaks new ground in music theatre and can be experienced from 22 May 2024 in the St-Ouen Abbey Church in Rouen, where the world premiere will be performed by the Ensemble Variances under the direction of the composer as part of the "Normandie Impressionniste and Curieux Printemps" festival.

Bach inspires. This is the motto of the 2024 Münster Bach Festival, which has commissioned its composer in residence Stefan Heucke to compose a new cantata. His Cantata of Fire (original Title ‘Kantate vom Feuer’) will be premiered at the opening concert on 17 May 2024 in Münster Cathedral. Golo Berg will conduct the Philharmonic Choir and the Münster Symphony Orchestra, with Gerhild Romberger (alto), Thomas Laske (bass) and Gerhard Mohr (narrator) singing.