Max Volbers’ Debut CD “Whispers of Tradition” (September 2022)

With his debut CD Whispers of Tradition on GENUIN, recorder player Max Volbers presents “a stylistically varied program with two concertos, a world premiere, music with variable continuo instruments, and consort music. These are either paraphrases, series of variations, arrangements, pasticcios, etc. of my own – or, as in the case of the Dieupart suite, they are arranged by the composer himself for the recorder. Thanos Sakellaridis wrote the piece “Please enter the Underground” for Elisabeth and myself. What unites all the pieces is the joy of discovery and the desire to create new repertoire for the recorder.”

Along with 11 musicians and with a total of 26 different instruments, including various recorders, archlute, harpsichord, violin, viola da gamba, the winner of the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb 2021 Max Volbers, who studied with Dorothee Oberlinger among others, explores the wide range of the recorder repertoire and shows “in how many different types of ensembles the recorder can be used, and also the roles that it plays in them“.

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Omer Meir Wellber’s novel published in French (August 2022)

Omer Meir Wellber’s novel was published in French by Éditions du sous-sol in August, Les Absences de Haïm Birkner tells the story of Chaim Birkner, a tired and broken man who is forced by his daughter to face life one last time. The novel was also published in German (BerlinVerlag) and in Italian (Sellerio Editore).

For more information, click here: http://www.editions-du-sous-sol.com/publication/absences-de-haim-birkner/

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on tour (August 2022)

Until the beginning of September, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Music Director Manfred Honeck are on tour through Europe – at 11 concerts in nine European cities, the musicians will perform works by Mahler, Beethoven, Ligeti, Strauss and Chkovsky, among others. Soloists are violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, cellist Gautier Capucon and pianist Hélène Grimaud.

18. August  Ljubljana, Cankarjev Dom Cultural and Congress Centre
Schulhoff: »Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett« (Fassung für Streichorchester und Schlagzeug)
Ravel: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester G-Dur
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1 D-Dur »Titan«
Hélène Grimaud – Piano

20. August  Grafenegg, Wolkenturm
Schulhoff: »Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett« (Fassung für Streichorchester und Schlagzeug)
Ravel: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester G-Dur
Strauss: Elektra / Suite von Manfred Honeck und Tomáš Ille
Hélène Grimaud – Piano

21. August  Grafenegg, Wolkenturm
Dvořák: Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester h-Moll op. 104
Tschaikowsky: Symphonie Nr. 5 e-Moll op. 64
Gautier Capuçon – Violoncello

24. August  Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
Ligeti: Lontano
Ravel: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester G-Dur
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1 D-Dur »Titan«
Hélène Grimaud – Piano

25. August  Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
Schulhoff: Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett
Dvořák: Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester h-Moll op. 104
Strauss: Elektra / Suite von Manfred Honeck und Tomáš Ille

Gautier Capuçon – Violoncello

27. August Düsseldorf, Tonhalle
Schumann: Klavierkonzert a-Moll, op 54
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1 D-Dur »Titan«
Hélène Grimaud – Piano

30.August               Essen, Philharmonie
Ligeti: “Lontano” für großes Orchester
Beethoven: Konzert D-Dur für Violine und Orchester, op. 61
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1 D-Dur “Titan”

Anne-Sophie Mutter – Violine

31. August Salzburg, Großes Festspielhaus             Salzburger Festspiele
Ligeti: Lontano für großes Orchester
Beethoven: Konzert für Violine und Orchester D-Dur op. 61
Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 1 D-Dur
Anne-Sophie Mutter – Violine

1. September  Dresden, Kulturpalast
Schulhoff: »Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett« (Fassung für Streichorchester und Schlagzeug)
Ravel: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester G-Dur
Tschaikowsky: Sinfonie Nr. 5 e-Moll op. 64
Hélène Grimaud – Piano

2. September Wiesbaden, Kurhaus Rheingau Musik Festival
Beethoven: Konzert D-Dur für Violine und Orchester, op. 61
Tschaikowski: Sinfonie Nr. 5 e-Moll op. 64 „Schicksals-Sinfonie“

Anne-Sophie Mutter – Violine

4. September Köln, Philharmonie
Beethoven: Konzert D-Dur für Violine und Orchester, op. 61
Tschaikowsky Sinfonie Nr. 5 e-Moll op. 64

Anne-Sophie Mutter – Violine

Founding concert of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra (July 2022)

The answer to violence is culture. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra brings together Ukrainian musicians, some of whom are refugees, others members of European orchestras. ARTE broadcasts the world premiere of the orchestra live from Warsaw. On the programme: Valentin Silvestrov, Frédéric Chopin and Johannes Brahms. You’ll also see and hear interviews with conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and soloists and musicians from the orchestra.

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Kent Nagano at the Festival d’Aix en Provence (July 2022)

As part of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Kent Nagano will conduct the world premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s Il Viaggio, Dante tonight. The libretto by French author Frédéric Boyer is based on Dante’s Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works of world literature. For the production, directed by Claus Guth, Kent Nagano leads the chorus and orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon (where he was music director from 1989 to 1998). Three more performances will take place on July 13, 15 and 17.

Last Sunday, Kent Nagano conducted another orchestra long associated with him – the concert at the Kissinger Sommer with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester (Nagano was artistic director and principal conductor from 2000 to 2006, and in 2006 the orchestra named him honorary conductor) is available here:

Opus Klassik: Five-time nomination for David Philip Hefti (June 2022)

Composer and conductor Philip Hefti has been nominated for the OPUS Klassik for his new CD “Light and Shade” (NEOS 2021) in five categories: Composer of the Year (05), Ensemble/Orchestra of the Year (08), Chamber Music Recording (12), World Premiere Recording (17) and New Classical Music (24).

More information can be found here:

https://opusklassik.de/kategorien-nominierte/

https://www.hefti.net/de/medien/cds/#cds

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra appoints David McCarroll as Concertmaster (June 2022)

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck with President and CEO Melia Tourangeau are thrilled to announce that David McCarroll has been appointed concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, holding the Rachel Mellon Walton Concertmaster Chair, beginning with the 2022-2023 season. McCarroll will join the Orchestra as concertmaster for its European tour in August 2022 and will first appear in Pittsburgh as concertmaster at the Orchestra’s gala concert in September that opens the 2022-2023 season.

https://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/

https://www.davidmccarroll.com/

 

The Dresden Music Festival hit the ground running with a dazzling 45th season (June 2022)

The »MAGIC« of the Dresden Music Festival has unfolded its full charm in the past four and a half weeks. Musical highlights, standing ovations, and dancing guests in the concert halls: With the first full-scale edition since the start of the pandemic, director Jan Vogler and his team managed to send audiences home in a euphoric mood. Since May 11, around 42,000 guests have flocked to 65 concerts in 25 venues in Dresden. Despite a late start to the ticket pre-sales and the decision to open venues to full capacity at short notice, seat utilization reached 85 percent. The success of the Dresden Music Festival is also reflected in ticket revenue, which amounted to near 1,4 million Euros.

… read more here.

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