Work of the week

Work of the Week – Hans Werner Henze: Fantasia for Strings

By Christopher Peter
4 Jan 2026

Black and white portrait of young Hans Werner Henze in a light shirt. Standing before tall reeds, sunlight casts shadows of the grass onto his face.

In 2026, we will celebrate the 100th birthday of composer Hans Werner Henze. His well-known Fantasia for Strings is based on a film score he wrote in 1966. Henze composed music for director Volker Schlöndorff that brings to life the depths of the story of Der junge Törless (Young Törless). Henze was a visionary, conductor and cosmopolitan – an artist whose influence extended far beyond his musical scores. To mark the start of the anniversary celebrations in January, Camerata Bern will be performing Fantasia for Strings in its concerts.

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Work of the Week – Viktor Ullmann: Der Kaiser von Atlantis

By Christopher Peter
22 Dec 2025

Black-and-white portrait of composer Viktor Ullmann in front of Felix Nussbaum's painting ‘Triumph of Death’ as background

Japanese Premiere: Viktor Ullmann's "The Emperor of Atlantis," composed in Terezín in 1943. A timeless plea against tyranny.

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Work of the Week – Mary Finsterer: Auxilium Christianorum

By Christopher Peter
30 Nov 2025

The composer Mary Finsterer is in a portrait. She is wearing a dark, glossy jacket, and her gaze is directed to the side. The blurred background shows warm orange and green tones, suggesting a nighttime scene with lights.

Mary Finsterer's "Auxilium Christianorum" – A commission for choir and orchestra that reinterprets Bach's chorale. WP Dec 2, 2025 in Melbourne.

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Work of the Week – Noriko Koide: Whale

By Christopher Peter
23 Nov 2025

The composer Noriko Koide is looking to the right in a close-up, framed by dark shadows. She is wearing dark clothing, and her face is partially illuminated by a brightly lit, white window frame on the right side.

Noriko Koide's Whale for orchestra and children. A sonic expedition into the ocean. World Premiere at Nagoya, Nov 24, 2025.

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Work of the Week – Huang Ruo: The Monkey King

By Christopher Peter
9 Nov 2025

Portrait of composer Huang Ruo in a dark setting. He is seated on a red velvet sofa wearing a grey suit, holding a pencil and looking thoughtful. Crumpled papers lie on the floor in front of him.

The San Francisco Opera is set to present the highly anticipated world premiere of Huang Ruo’s opera The Monkey King (Libretto: David Henry Hwang) on November 14, 2025. Based on the Chinese epic Journey to the West, the work tells the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King , who, after a revolt against Heaven, comes to the crucial realization that true power lies in self-enlightenment. The production combines Huang Ruo's innovative "Dimensionalism" aesthetic with elements of Peking opera and visionary puppetry by MacArthur Genius Basil Twist. Directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus and conducted by Carolyn Kuan, The Monkey King is the perfect prelude to the composer's young, strategic partnership with Schott Music.

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Work of the Week – Hans Werner Henze: The English Cat

By Christopher Peter
2 Nov 2025

Composer Hans Werner Henze sits on a chair with his hands folded, looking seriously and slightly upward into the camera. In the background on the left side of the image is a stylized dagger with the tail of a black cat wrapped around it.

Henze's satirical opera The English Cat as a new production at the Bavarian State Opera to mark the start of the ‘Henze 100’ anniversary year.

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Work of the Week – Andrew Norman: Play: Levels 1, 2 and 3

By Christopher Peter
26 Oct 2025

Photomontage: Smiling composer Andrew Norman (right, blue shirt) next to two hands holding a radio remote control with an antenna. Dark, dramatic background.

Dutch premiere of Andrew Norman's Play: Levels 1, 2 and 3 (Oct 29, 2025) with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä.

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Work of the Week – Johann Strauss (Son): A Night in Venice (Eine Nacht in Venedig)

By Christopher Peter
19 Oct 2025

Operetta ‘A Night in Venice’ with a golden Johann Strauss statue on the right and a Venetian mask on the left with purple feathers and a night-time view of illuminated canals in the background.

Premiere of Strauss’ A Night in Venice on his 200th birthday (Oct 25, 2025) at Vienna.

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Work of the Week – Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte

By Christopher Peter
12 Oct 2025

Historical portrait of the French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), a leading figure of musical Impressionism. He looks seriously at the camera, wearing a dark suit and his characteristic, thin mustache.

Ravel’s famous Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) forms the emotional core of the ballet "Eros" in Würzburg. The revival premiere is on October 18, 2025, at the Theaterfabrik Blaue Halle. Musical Direction: Enrico Calesso. Choreography: Glumbek & Dumais.

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