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Displacement and cultural longing – this is, according to Julian Anderson, the essence of his composition Exiles for solo soprano, chorus and orchestra. Over five movements, the composer thematises variations of exclusion and exile, ranging from corona-lockdown to national socialism. The work’s texts include French, Hebrew, English and Czech, as well as quotations from the Bible. The world premiere on 22 April 2022 at the Philharmonie Berlin sees Robin Ticciati conduct the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with soloist, Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg.

A tower block in summer and the water isn’t running. In the opera The Arabian Night by Christian Jost, the residents meet each other in their search for water, escaping their self-inflicted isolation. The first performance of the chamber opera The Arabian Night at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin will take place on 14 April 2022. Phlipp Armbruster will conduct the work, based on the play of the same name by Roland Schimmelpfennig, with original staging by Marcin Łakomicki.

“The entire beginning is played without a bow. The conductor reacts slightly irritated.” Surprisingly, this is not a stage direction, but is taken from the score of Joerg Widmann’s Viola Concerto. The SWR-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Theodor Currentzis, will perform Widmann’s work throughout their current European tour. Premiered in 2015 with Antoine Tamestit as soloist, the programme for this tour is one of German, Ukranian and Russian heritage, sending a message of unification and peace.

The war in Ukraine continues to shock the whole world as millions of people are leaving their homes and communities in search of peace. Among them, the renowned Ukrainian composer, Valentin Silvestrov, who celebrates his 85thbirthday in September. Originally, Silvestrov did not want to leave Kiev, but as the war progressed he and his family were forced to flee to Berlin, where the composer has been living and composing since 8 March. His Prayer for the Ukraine, composed in 2014, is now seeing performances in concert halls around the world.

And just like that, we find ourselves exploring the first work of spring! Katherine Balch’s work Illuminate follows the seasons through a cycle of five movements, beginning and ending with spring. On 26 March 2022, Donato Cabrera conducts the world premiere of the work at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. Sopranos Molly Netter and Alexandra Smither alongside mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra are accompanied by the California Symphony Orchestra.

An opera with only two performers – a rarity within which Anno Schreier has succeeded. Within his new ballad, fairytale mini-opera Mina  "The journey to the sea", we enter into the adventures of a young girl with mutism who discovers the magic of music. The opera’s premiere is set to take place on 20 March 2022 at the Theatre Bonn. Flautist Sally Beck alongside baritone Frederik Schauhoff will perform all 21 roles providing a ballad-like background to the play.

On 8 March, the world celebrates the 111th International Women's Day. There seems no better occasion to take a look at female composers and their works in the Schott catalogue . There have certainly been moves recently further to promote the myriad of works by female composers. In spite of this, the work of male composers still dominates the music scene. One piece that remains largely unknown is the Concert Overture No. 2 for full orchestra by Florence Beatrice Price.

Reverent chorales alongside circus music – a contradiction? Joerg Widmann unites the alleged opposites in his 7 Capricci for saxophone quartet. On 4 March 2022 the Spanish Kebyart Ensemble will present the British premiere in London’s Jarewood Hall at LSO St. Luke’ s.

Tarantelle - Trois Andante - Marche chinoise

Cello and Piano

Jacques Offenbach

 

• Critical and practical edition


• Part of the Offenbach Edition Keck series


• Suitable for concert performance


• Intermediate - Advanced level

 

Known as the “Mozart of the Champs-Elysées”, Offenbach was not only an exceptional composer, but also a virtuoso cellist. To mark his 200th birthday in 2019, Offenbach Edition Keck published a number of the composer’s original cello compositions.

Published in three thematic volumes, volume one explores Offenbach’s dances. Suitable for recitals and studies alike, the repertoire is a mixture of the composer’s single editions and his unpublished works.

Volume two will follow in April 2022 and volume three will be available in January 2023.

Piano Trio

Leokadiya Kashperova

 

• Edited by Graham Griffiths


• Part of the Boosey & Hawkes Kashperova Edition Series


• Score and parts


• Advanced level

 

Predominantly recognised in musical history as Stravinsky’s piano teacher, Leokadiya Kashperova is undergoing rediscovery. A double graduate of the St Petersburg Conservatoire, Kashperova performed in Germany and the UK before her career sadly petered out in the 1920s.

The Piano Trio in A minor pencil manuscript was only discovered recently in 2019. The work has been edited for performance by Graham Griffiths in close collaboration with members of the Gould Piano Trio, who gave the world première in 2020.

A four-movement work of 28 minutes’ duration and in full-blooded Romantic idiom, it joins the recently republished Cello Sonatas in the Kashperova Edition.

Suitable for advanced level musicians.