Kent Nagano will be passing the torch in 2020 – The music director will continue to lead the Orchestra for the next three seasons (June 2017)

Kent Nagano will be passing the torch in 2020 – The music director will continue to lead the Orchestra for the next three seasons

MONTREAL, June 29, 2017—The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and Kent Nagano are announcing today that, after a long deliberation, he has decided not to accept the invitation by the OSM to extend his contract as music director beyond 2020.

“We intend to continue the relationship with Maestro Nagano at the end of his term in three years so that the public and all of us can maintain a relationship with the conductor who, ultimately, will have spent 16 memorable years in Montreal,” commented Lucien Bouchard, chair of the OSM’s board of directors. Mr. Bouchard further wishes to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of the maestro, saying Kent Nagano will “leave an indelible mark on the institution,” and to praise Maestro Nagano’s leadership, creativity and discipline.

“The OSM, its administration, board of directors, as well as the community of Montreal and Quebec can be deeply proud of what we have achieved in our years of working so intensely together – over the past years we have accomplished nothing short of a miracle in shaping such a vital, financially stable, boldly innovative orchestra that continues to illuminate the relevance of the symphony orchestra for the 21st century,” declared Kent Nagano.

The maestro added that “following a decade and a half as music director, it seems like a natural transition point at which to change the nature of our relationship and we are presently enjoying creative discussions about the directions in which that could lead. The 21st century continues to be a prosperous, wonderfully creative and innovative time for the whole organization and the city of Montreal and there remain many exciting goals and projects to fulfill.”

“We’re now looking to the future, because we still have three magnificent seasons with Maestro Nagano, which will undoubtedly meet our audiences’ expectations. We’re confident that the OSM will continue to add new milestones to its glorious history,” added CEO Madeleine Careau.

Given that major international orchestras plan their seasons years in advance, the OSM’s management will quickly establish a process to select Mr. Nagano’s successor in order to ensure a smooth transition.

“These years with Maestro Nagano as the OSM’s music director have been incredible and will not be forgotten neither by the Orchestra nor its audiences,” concluded Mr. Bouchard.

About the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Since its founding in 1934, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) has made a name for itself as a leading orchestra in Quebec and Canada. The OSM is a cultural ambassador of the highest order, having earned an enviable international reputation for its many quality recordings and tours. The OSM proudly upholds this tradition under the leadership of its current music director, Kent Nagano, by featuring innovative programming that aims to rejuvenate the orchestra’s repertoire and strengthen its connection with the community. Over the years, the OSM has gone on tour approximately 40 times and roughly 30 excursions in Canada and abroad. The Orchestra has more than 100 recordings to its name on the Decca, EMI, Philips, CBC Records, Analekta, ECM and Sony labels, as well as on its own label. These recording have earned some 50 national and international awards.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is presented by Hydro-Québec.

Kent Nagano launches an extraordinary project: Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung” in historically-informed performance practice with Concerto Köln

In their most recent collaboration, Concerto Köln and the internationally-renowned conductor, Kent Nagano, pursue a leading-edge project: in cooperation with scientists at the university and Musikhochschule in Cologne, they are taking on Richard Wagner’s tetralogy, “The Ring of the Nibelung”. Their undertaking will provide the international opera scene with new impetus in historically-informed approaches to musical-theatrical works of the 19^th century.

Jochen Schäfsmeier (Managing Director, Concerto Köln): “Concerto Köln is as honoured as it is inspirited to approach Wagner’s “Ring” together with Kent Nagano and to be able to make an important contribution to the historical performance practice of 19th century music.”

For the first time, the entire “Ring” is to be viewed from an early music movement perspective: the instrumental and vocal styles as well as the staging at the time of Wagner will be examined over a period of several years and compiled to form a historically-informed performance concept.

Kent Nagano (Artistic Director): “It is due to historical performance practice that nowadays there is a much different understanding of many composers and their works than was standard 30 or 40 years ago. Moreover, thanks to historicized approaches, we have gained knowledge about instruments and playing techniques which opens up to us new, pioneering pathways into the interpretation and performance of our music.

Richard Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung” is probably one of the most researched compositions yet nonetheless, a systematic approach to the tetralogy from a historically-informed perspective has not been attempted thus far. It is therefore all the more important that such an undertaking is tackled and that, in romantic repertoire now as well, normality in terms of sound which seemed irrefutable so far is called into question.

I have collaborated together with Concerto Köln for several projects in the past and am convinced that I have found two most competent partners in the Cologne ensemble and the Kunststiftung NRW who are able to provide the scientific basis for a historically-informed reading of Richard Wagner’s “Ring”. Together we will pursue this endeavor and bring the music to the stage!”

The simultaneously scientific as well as artistic undertaking on such a mammoth scale requires tremendous effort with the additional aim of becoming a guide to performance practice of 19^th century music and opera. The outcome, interpreted by Concerto Köln and Kent Nagano, will be performed from the 2020/21 onward. All research findings will be published in Open Access.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wagner (Kunststiftung NRW): “For the Kunststiftung NRW, the support of the project, “WAGNER-READINGS”, is of significance in a number of ways. For several years, supporting artistic research has played a major role within the Kunststiftung’s funding programs – albeit with a primary focus on theater, dance and literature; examples of this being the Christoph-Schlingensief guest professorship for scenic research at the Ruhr University in Bochum, the Pina Bausch fellowship and the Thomas Kling lectureship at the University of Bonn. With “WAGNER-READINGS”, the base of support is expanded to the area of music, bringing art and research together in a so to speak ideal-typical way by conducting research into the complex correlations involved in the musical-theatrical production of Wagner and translating the results into artistic practice.”

Initial work already began in May of 2017. The official go-ahead for the project is a symposium in September, 2017. Financial support is provided by the Kunststiftung NRW and the Freunde von Concerto Köln e.V. Additional support is provided by the Strecker-Stiftung and MBL Akustikgeräte GmbH & Co. KG.

Further information can be found at  www.wagner-lesarten.de

Kent Nagano conducts Opera piccola at Hamburg State Opera (April 2017)

Today this year’s opera piccola at the Hamburg State Opera “Erzittre, feiger Bösewicht” will be premiered, staged by opera director Georges Delnon. Music Director of the new production will be General Music Director Kent Nagano. The piece for adolescents is based on Mozart’s opera “Magic Flute”.

Further performances will be on 22, 23, 25, 27, 30 April as well as on 3, 6 and 7 May.

Find here more information on the new production.

Jörg Widmann’s oratorio “Arche” with Kent Nagano- Broadcast on BR Klassik (April 2017)

On 15 April 2017 at 19.05 (CEST) the oratorio “Arche” by German composer Jörg Widmann will be broadcast on BR Klassik.

The piece celebrated its world premiere on 13 January 2017 on the occasion of the opening festivities of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. It was performed by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano.

Find more information here.

Elbphilharmonie opening in Hamburg: Special concert with Kent Nagano (January 2017)

Kent Nagano conducts Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (January 2017)