Kent Nagano and Jan Vogler present Sean Shepherd’s world premiere recordings on CAvi-music (August 2025)

On 22 August 2025, CAvi-music, Deutsche Grammophon’s partner label, will release two world premiere recordings by American composer Sean Shepherd, with Kent Nagano and Jan Vogler in leading roles. The focus is on the oratorio “An einem klaren Tag – On a Clear Day”, a commissioned composition by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. The work addresses the challenges facing future generations and combines this with a message of respect and charity. The recording is a live recording from the Dresdner Musikfestspiele on 5 May 2023.

The world premiere of the oratorio for violoncello, orchestra, choir, and children’s choir took place in April 2023 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, conducted by Kent Nagano, with Jan Vogler as soloist and choirs such as the Young Person’s Choral Academy, The Young ClassX Ensemble, soloists from the Dresden Kreuzchor, and the Hamburg Alsterspatzen. The work is based on texts by German poet Ulla Hahn and combines the beauty of nature with existential anxiety about its fragility.

“The transatlantic idea was my driving force when Jan Vogler and I began developing this project several years ago. For millions of Europeans, Hamburg was the gateway to the New World. This should be reflected in a musical work that can carry the idea into the future. It was also important to me to anchor the transatlantic concept in the next generation through children’s and youth choirs on both sides of the ocean,” says conductor Kent Nagano.

“Sean Shepherd has developed a very appealing musical language, between tonality and modernism. The children voice the concerns that affect them and their future, while the cello and orchestra underscore their statements with vivid colors. The cello takes on the role of a cantor, commenting on world events from the stage,” says cellist and Dresdner Musikfestspiele director Jan Vogler.

In addition to the oratorio, the release also features an intimate chamber music piece: Shepherd’s Piano Trio “Auf dem Meer”, composed for the 200th anniversary of the Hamburg shipping company Laeisz. It was recorded in April 2025 by Mira Wang (violin), Jan Vogler (cello), and Matthias Kirschnereit (piano).

The first track from the oratorio was released on 8 August as a digital single on all streaming platforms.

More information can be found here as well as the tracklist here.