Ella Milch-Sheriff’s “The Eternal Stranger” in Boston and Zurich (January 2023)

In January, the monodrama “The Eternal Stranger” by Ella Milch-Sheriff will be performed in Boston and Zurich under the musical direction of Omer Meir Wellber and with speaker Eli Danker.

“The Eternal Stranger” was written on the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th birthday on Omer Meir Wellber’s initiative and takes as its starting point an astonishing and relatively unknown dream of Beethoven’s, which he reported to his friend and publisher Tobias Haslinger in a letter on September 10, 1821. In this dream, Beethoven travels as far as the Middle East and India and back again, finally reaching Jerusalem. There, his friend Tobias and a canon come to his mind, which he notes down in the letter. This letter inspired the Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol to write The Wanderings of the Eternal Refugee and the Struggle Against Despair, which in turn inspired Ella Milch-Sheriff’s The Eternal Stranger. The work reflects on the various facets of strangeness and asks who can be considered a stranger in the first place. The world premiere took place in Leipzig in 2020, and further performances have already taken place in Palermo, Manchester, Hamburg and Tel Aviv. More information about the work here.

With the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 5, 6 and 7 January, more information here. Other program highlights include Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with renowned violinist Midori.

With the Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra on 12 and 13 January, more information here. In addition, Daniel Ciobanu will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.