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On 14 July, Penderecki’s seminal work St Luke-Passion will be performed as part of the Festival de Lauaudière in Quebec, Canada. Kent Nagano will conduct The Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Chor Filharmonii Krakowskiej, joined by soprano Sarah Wegener, baritone Lucas Meachem and bass Matthew Rose.

Commissioned by the Westdeutschen Rundfunk Orchestra, St Luke-Passion was premiered on 30 March 1966 at Münster Cathedral, Germany, under its full title Passio Et Mors Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Lucam.The text of St Luke-Passion is in Latin and primarily drawn from the Gospel of Luke, with additions from the Gospel of John, Lamentations of Jeremiah and Psalms of David. In depicting the suffering and death of Christ, the work is also intended as an expression of the tragedy of World War II. Several of Penderecki’s compositions are similarly dedicated to victims of suffering, such as Threnody (1960) for the victims of Hiroshima and his piano concerto Resurrection (2002) for those lost in the 9/11 attacks.

Krzysztof Penderecki –St. Luke Passion:  An homage to Bach

Penderecki was strongly influenced by the music of J.S. Bach’s Passions, and pays homage to the great composer by using the B-A-C-H motif throughout his composition. Additionally, the two falling second intervals of this motif become a representation of pain. However, unlike the emotionally driven language of Bach, Penderecki’s musical expression could be described as more intellectual.  For example, in the dramatic section “Jesus before Pilate”, tone clusters are used beside extracts of his own Stabat Mater composed in 1962, seamlessly combining twelve-tone serialism with Gregorian chant.

Such an effortless combination of old and new, and Penderecki’s uncompromising affirmation of tradition and faith, immediately made his St Luke Passion one of the 20th century’s enduring masterpieces. Following the premiere in 1966, one critic stated:

“Penderecki’s Passion will be one of the most important compositions for new music. The striking clarity of this revolutionary score, the logic behind the structure of the work and the haunting effect of the music go far beyond what prominent composers have offered to choral music in recent years.” – Heinz Joseph Herbort, Die Zeit, following the premiere in 1966 

Further performances include 18 July at the Sala audytoryjna, Krakow, and on 20 July St Luke-Passion will feature in the opening concert of the Salzburg Festival. In addition Penderecki’s Intermezzo for 24 solo strings can be heard performed by the Camerata Salzburg on 4 August, and as part of the final of the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award that same weekend.

• Penderecki - profile


• St. Luke Passion - work details


• Festival de Lauaudière

 

 

Hindemith’s triptych of one-act operas Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen (1919), Das Nusch-Nuschi (1920) and Sancta Susanna (1921), document Hindemith’s affinity with the second wave of literary Expressionism following the end of the First World War. On 8 July 2018, both Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen and Sancta Susanna will be performed in concert at Grafenegg Festival under the baton of Leon Bostein.

Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen was premiered, together with Das Nusch-Nuschi, on 4 June 1921 at the Landestheater in Stuttgart. The performance evoked mixed responses of irritation and protest alongside exuberant praise. The opera’s libretto by Oskar Kokoschka is filled with depictions of wild sexual impulses and fierce rivalry between men and women. Only nine months after the premiere of Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, Hindemith provoked yet another scandal with Sancta Susanna, which explores the nun Susanna’s conflicting religious devotion and sensual desires.

Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen: A battle of the sexes

Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen takes place in an unspecified prehistoric period, where a troop of male warriors reluctantly obey the commands of their leader to storm a fortress of women. After the leader attempts to brand one of the maidens with his emblem, she stabs him with a knife. He is then held hostage while his warriors enter into playful games of love with the women. The women’s leader demands to see the prisoner, but loses her strength as he reciprocally recovers, until with one touch he is able to kill her and free himself. The remaining warriors and maidens run towards him, and he swats them dead like flies.

In Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen none of the characters are given identifying names, and the story does not concern itself with logistics. Instead, the opera prioritises gestural actions over linguistic discourse. Hindemith shapes the conflict of the plot with the musical conflict of sonata form, and draws upon many diverse forms of musical traditions. Almost 100 years later, this composition can still be seen as relevant and contemporary, just as it was described in 1921 following the world premiere:

Paul Hindemith is a great advocate of ultra-modern ideas; a young Frankfurt musician who began his artistic career as an accomplished violinist, but who in recent years has turned more and more to composition and can already look back on some remarkable successes. As an opera composer he intends to continue in the most modern way possible, and will realise his idea of the new, contemporary musical drama without yielding to tradition and audience.  - Dr. Hugo Leichtentritt (Review of the world premiere in "Die deutsche Opernbühne", Spring 1921)

In addition, the German National Youth Orchestra will tour Hindemith’s orchestral works Symphonie “Mathis der Maler” and Symphonic Metamorphoses from 20 July- 4 August in Dortmund, Dobbiaco, Bolzano, Dresden, Bucharest, Sinaia and Berlin.

• Paul Hindemith - profil


• Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen - work details


• Grafenegg Festival

 

photo: © Theater Bonn / Thilo Beu

On 1 July, Toshio Hosokawa’s new opera Erdbeben. Träume, commissioned by the Staatstheater Stuttgart, will receive its world premiere in a production by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito with Oper Stuttgart. This will be Jossi Wieler’s last production before Viktor Schoner takes over the management of the opera house next season.

Following Japan’s devastating Tohoku earthquake in 2011, Hosokawa has composed a series of works dedicated to the victims of the disaster, including his two most recent works for the stage: Stilles Meer and Futari Shizuka. In his new opera, Hosokawa has turned his focus to the future: a child whose parents were killed seeks a better understanding of where he came from, and so learns how to accept the present and come to terms with the past.

Toshio Hosokawa – Erdbeben. Träume: Questions of identity

Inspired by Heinrich von Kleist’s “Das Erdbeben von Chili” (1806), the libretto for Erdbeben. Träume was written by the Büchner prizewinning writer Marcel Beyer. Erdbeben. Träume tells the story of the young boy Philipp whose parents were murdered. After learning that he has been adopted, Philipp goes on a journey to find his real parents asking himself, ‘Where are my real parents?’ and ‘Who am I?’The story of his past then gradually unfolds in a series of flashbacks, as part of a dream sequence.

“The audience follows the aural and visual representation of the child’s existential voyage as he prepares to become an adult. Nevertheless, this journey is by no means without peril. Awaiting him are violent forces of nature (earthquakes and tsunamis), the terrifying unconscious mass violence hidden in the heart of the humans, and the ferocity of nature; on the other hand, there emerges the love story of his parents, the solidarity of mankind, and the grace of nature.” – Toshio Hosokawa

Following the world premiere on 1 July, five more performances of Erdbeben. Träume will follow on 6, 11, 13, 18 and 23 July at the Staatstheater Stuttgart.

• Toshio Hosokawa – profil


• Erdbeben. Träume – work details


• Stuttgart Opera

 

photo: © Anna Viebrock

On 23 June the children’s opera Pollicino by Hans Werner Henze will open at Cologne Opera in a production by Saskia Kuhlmann. Soloists from Cologne Opera will be joined by pupils of the Cologne Humboldt-Gymnasium and the Cologne Rheinische, and Rainer Mühlbach will conduct.

Henze composed Pollicino between 1979 and 1980 in his adopted home of Italy, based on texts by the Italian fairy tale writer Carlo Collodi. The opera was written for the young ensemble “Concentus Politianus” who performed the world premiere in Montepulciano, Tuscany, where Henze had founded a festival for contemporary music in 1967. Henze worked closely with the children in his composition of Pollicino, tailoring it to their musical skills and incorporating their ideas. The resulting opera, performed by children for children, is intended to both teach and entertain. There are very few adult vocal parts, and in the orchestra pit children play recorders, guitars, violins and Orff instruments.

Hans Werner Henze – Pollicino: More than a fairy tale

In keeping with many fairy tales Pollicino tells a dark tale, exploring poverty and hunger as well as the difficult relationships between parents and children. Abandoned in the woods by their parents, the little hero Pollicino and his brothers find shelter in a solitary house, not realizing it belongs to an Ogre. Ultimately they manage to flee to safety with help from the animals of the forest.

Throughout the opera Henze uses instruments to represent different characters and emotions. The iridescent, floating sound of recorders illustrates the sounds of the children, the violin concertante represents the character of the grandmother, and the harmonium the untrustworthy adults that the children encounter. Though the plot is reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, Henze and his librettist Giuseppe Di Leva also incorporate elements of political theatre into the opera, developing the fairy tale into something more substantial. The music itself features several forms of aria, ensemble parts and orchestral interludes such as the march, waltz and tango. This stylistic range requires considerable understanding of musical form from the children, and learning to achieve this is at the centre of the opera.

“When children act, sing and make music, they create and listen to sounds that they will encounter time and time again in their musical lives. They accept the sounds of the music when they play it, when many adults would disregard them as odd. Children aren’t aware of the judgements adults impose on contemporary music.” – Hans Werner Henze

Following its first night, Pollicino can be heard at the Staatenhaus Köln on 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 June.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd5HKGSIL0w[/embed]

• Hans Werner Henze – profil


• Pollicino – work details


• Cologne Opera

 

photo: Wiener Staatsoper/ Michael Pöhn

On 14 June, the Berlin Philharmonic will give the world premiere of Andrew Norman’s Spiral as part of the orchestra’s farewell season of their principal conductor Simon Rattle, and within their “tapas” series of new works approximately six minutes in length, designed to whet the appetite for contemporary music.

Andrew Norman is widely regarded as one of the most successful composers of his generation and regularly receives commissions from major international orchestras. Last year he achieved great success with his children’s opera A Trip to the Moon, written for the Berlin Philharmonic’s “Vokalhelden” (Vocal heroes) project. In the same year, Norman’s orchestral work Play won a Grawemeyer Award, and he was named “Composer of the Year” at Musical America.

Andrew Norman - Spiral: a musical force

Norman’s Spiral traces the transformations of a few instrumental gestures as they orbit each other in ever contracting circles. The strings are instructed to play divisi and, one after the other, they entwine to create the effect of a musical spiral.

"...the idea of a "spiral-shaped" orchestra piece is something I've been thinking about for a while. Some of the musical ideas and gestures in this piece were definitely inspired by my experiences of and with Simon and the Berlin Philharmonic (namely their unique physical energy and precision)." – Andrew Norman

Further performances of Spiral will follow in Berlin on 15 & 16 June. On 23 July the BBC Symphony Orchestra will perform the UK premiere at the BBC Proms, who co-commissioned the work, with Karina Canellakis conducting.

• Andrew Norman – profil


• Spiral – work details


• Berlin Philharmonic

On 7 June Ivo Van Hove’s new production of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov will begin at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Vladimir Jurowski will conduct, Ildar Abdrazakov will sing the role of Boris Godunov, and stage design and costumes are by Jan Versweyveld and An D’Huys respectively.

Mussorgsky’s first version of Boris Godunov from 1869 (later termed the “original Boris”), was initially rejected by the Imperial Theatres’ Music Committee, particularly due to the absence of a representative female role. Mussorgsky amended and expanded the work substantially over the following three years, but even the “revised Boris”, premiered in 1874 in St Petersburg, was rejected by the state censoring authority for political reasons and disposed of in 1882. Further adaptations by Mussorgsky, along with subsequent orchestrations by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and Dmitri Shostakovich, meant that the original Boris Godunov was long concealed from the public eye. It was only when a critical edition was published in 1928, based on the work of Pawel Lamm, that the opera could be performed in its first intended form. It is this critical edition that Schott’s own edition is based upon.

Modest Mussorgsky - Boris Godunov: a folk drama in music

 Mussorgsky’s opera is based on Alexander Pushkin’s work on the historical figure of Boris Godunov, starting with the murder of the rightful heir Tsarevich Dimitri, and Boris’ ascent to the throne. As the new Tsar he takes charge of Russia during a famine, and despite his honest efforts to help the starving population of Russia, the country’s fate remains uncertain. Ultimately, it is the Russian people that become the central force to Boris Godunov, with impressive crowd scenes demonstrating the power they ultimately hold over the eponymous protagonist.

"To uncover the traits of human nature, wilfully delve into their unexplored depths, and conquer them  - that is the mission of a real artist. To new shores!" - Modest Mussorgsky

Following its opening night, eleven further performances of the opera will be staged at Opéra Bastille until 12 July 2018.

• Modeste Mussorgsky – profil


• Boris Godunov – work details


• Opéra Bastille

 

photo: Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse / Patrice Nin

On 2 June, Semperoper Dresden will present Martinů’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 as part of the company’s ballet triple bill titled “100°C”, performed by the Semperoper Ballett and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The concerto will provide music for choreographer Justin Peck’s ballet “Heatscape”, which will be receiving its European premiere.

Justin Peck began his dancing career in 2007 at the New York Ballet and is now in high demand for his work as both a dancer and choreographer. His work garnered particular attention following the world premiere of “Heatscape” with the Miami City Ballet in 2015, when The New York Times described him as “the most eminent ballet choreographer in the USA.”

Bohuslav Martinů - Piano Concerto No.1: The transience of relationships

Peck’s ballet transports Martinů’s concerto from 1925 to the hot Atlantic coast of South Florida. Throughout the piece, Peck’s choreography employs visual uncertainty (what can you see, and what can’t you see?) while following various scenarios of young couples, to illustrate the uncertain and transient nature of relationships within a young community. At each turn, the movement of the soloists and their relationship to the ensemble corresponds with that of the piano and orchestra.  Thus, with a wealth of steps and discerning musicality, Peck transforms Martinů’s piano concerto in “Heatscape” into poetic and captivating movement.

“The work itself moves between the abstraction and narrative, and invites the audience to form their own interpretation.” – Justin Peck

Further performances of the production with follow on 6, 10 & 15 June, and 1 & 5 July. The ballet will then be performed again as part of a triple bill with Semperoper Dresden in September 2018.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0UCiaT-20s[/embed]

• Bohuslav Martinů – profil


• Koncert – work details


• Semperoper Dresden

 

photo: Miami City Ballet / Daniel Azoulay

Internationally, Jörg Widmann has achieved great success as a clarinetist, composer and increasingly as a conductor. On 27 May, the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle will premiere Widmann’s new work Tanz auf dem Vulkan (Dance on the Volcano), which was commissioned by the orchestra as part of their “tapas” concert series, and dedicated to Sir Simon who will leave his post as the orchestra’s principal conductor this year.

Although the work is written for Sir Simon, it begins without a conductor. Instead, the percussionist counts the orchestra in with drumsticks, and the conductor walks on stage to join in over the course of the first eleven bars.

Jörg Widmann – Tanz auf dem Vulkan: Love for all music, past and present

For Widmann, established tradition and contemporary exploration in music are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, Widmann openly refers to past musical conventions in his works, yet creates something completely new in his examination on the past.

“Over the past few years, I have been closely involved with the Berlin Philharmonic in an intense musical partnership and was therefore only too pleased to fulfill their request to compose a short farewell piece for Sir Simon. My composition has evolved into an insistently explosive work. The job description for a chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic is these four words, in my opinion very aptly described: Dance on the volcano.”
– Jörg Widmann

The Berlin Philharmonic will perform Tanz auf dem Vulkan at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 31 May, at the Musikverein Wien in 2 June and at the Philharmonie Köln on 6 June. The Spanish premiere will follow at the Auditorio Nacional de Música on 7 June in Madrid.

• Jörg Widmann – profil


• Tanz auf dem Vulkan – work details


• Berlin Philharmonic

On 20 May 2018, the Opéra national du Rhin and Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse will premiere David Pountney’s new production of Kurt Weill’s ballet chanté The Seven Deadly Sins in Strasbourg. Roland Kluttig will conduct, with choreography by Beate Vollack and stage design by Marie-Jeanne Lecca.

Weill composed The Seven Deadly Sins in 1933 after fleeing from Nazi Germany to Paris. The work was commissioned by Edward James, a wealthy Englishman and patron to the Parisian company “Les Ballets 1933”, which had been newly founded by choreographer George Balanchine.  Weill accepted the commission on the condition that he could compose a ballet with singing - a ballet chanté (sung ballet).

Weill originally intended the libretto to be written by writer Jean Cocteau, but under time pressure he turned to his long-time collaborator Bertolt Brecht, whom he had worked with on Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera (1928) and Weill’s own Mahagonny Songspiel (1927) among others. They completed The Seven Deadly Sins in just two weeks, and on 7 June 1933 it was premiered at the Théâtre des Champs- Élysées. Although reviews of the premiere were mixed, the ballet went on to become one of Weill’s best known works.

Kurt Weill - The Seven Deadly Sins: one divided being

The Seven Deadly Sins tells the story of Anna, who is sent on a seven year journey through North America by her family to earn money for a small house on the Mississippi. The character of Anna is split into two roles: Anna I who is more sensible and pragmatic, and the more emotional Anna II. In each city the Annas face the temptations of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth, until eventually they give up their dreams and return disillusioned to their family in Louisiana. Musically Weill incorporates popular American musical styles of the 1920s such as the tango, foxtrot and polka to enhance the comedy of Brecht’s text, and create a satire of the moral double standards of any society willing to sacrifice its values for prosperity.

“It’s the usual mess. A small party has formed among the followers of traditional Russian ballet, who of course consider our ballet as containing too little “ballet” or “pure choreography”. As a result, there have been great disruptions in the last few days […] but Balanchine stands between the parties. He has done an excellent job and found a style of representation that is very dance-like, but nevertheless very real.”
- Kurt Weill reporting on rehearsals to Bertolt Brecht

The Seven Deadly Sins will run until 28 May in Strasbourg, after which further performances include the Théâtre municipal de Colmar on 5 June, the Théatre de la Sinne Mulhouse on 13 & 15 June and the Staatstheater Braunschweig on 22 June.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZXBogKaPI[/embed]

• Kurt Weill – profil


• The Seven Deadly Sins – work details


• Opéra national du Rhin

 

Photo : Staatstheater Braunschweig / Thomas M. Jauk

On 6 May, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne will perform the Swiss premiere of Julien-François Zbinden’s Divertissement for double bass and orchestra, conducted by Marzena Diakun and with Sebastian Schick, the orchestra’s principal double bassist, as soloist. The concert will take place at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne, where Swiss national Zbinden worked for many years as a pianist and recording director for Lausanne’s radio station.

Zbinden, who celebrated his 100th birthday last year, composed Divertissement between 1948 and 1949 in close collaboration with Hans Fryba, who was then principal double bassist of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. In recognition of his input, Zbinden dedicated the work to Fryba, who premiered the piece with the Nordwestdeutsches Rundfunkorchester in Cologne on 27 February 1951.

Zbinden subsequently produced a cello arrangement of Divertissment, which was premiered on 31 October 1961 with the Norddeutsches Rundfunkorchester, conductor Franz-Paul Decker, and Siegfried Palm as soloist.

Julien-François Zbinden: Neoclassical composer and poet

Although only 14 minutes long, Divertissement contains several contrasting sections. After the orchestra introduces the opening theme, a romantic adagio follows in which the double bass makes its first appearance. Pizzicato strings then mark the start of a playful allegro, joined by the double bass in equally light-hearted fashion. The work then enters a lento passage that borrows themes from the allegro, before transitioning into a romance. The theme for the romance is first introduced by the solo double bass and then passed on to the oboe. While the oboe continues to play this theme, the double bass plays virtuoso variations accompanied by bassoons, horns and trombones. The strings then reintroduce the original allegro and after a short fugue, the orchestra closes with a fortissimo passage. Following a cadenza from the double bass, the work finishes with a short coda.

“Some say I am a neoclassical composer, others a poet. I think I am both. The two primary aspects of my compositional work are the clarity of the elements I use and my systematic approach […] I also try to write cheerful music, as Mozart did in his Divertimenti and numerous finales of his symphonies, as sadness, severity and complexity are not the only hallmarks of genius.”– Julien-François Zbinden

•  Julien-François Zbinden - profil


• Divertissement - work details


• Salle Métropole