In spring 2019, Canadian McGill-Queen‘s University Press will publish the English translation of Kent Nagano’s book „Erwarten Sie Wunder!“, which was originally published in 2014 by German BerlinVerlag. The title of the English translation is “Classical Music – Expect the Unexpected”.
Find here the announcement by the publishing house.
From 15 to 18 November, Midori will bring her Orchestra Residencies Program (ORP) to Slovakia to work with the Slovak Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra of a Music School for Children in Bratislava. During this time, she will not only teach the young musicians in different formats, such as master classes, lectures and Q & A sessions, but also prepare a joint concert with them, which will be the highlight of the residency and will take place in the Slovak Radio Building.
In addition to the overture from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, the concert presents two concerti by Johann Sebastian Bach – Double Concerto BWV 1043 and Violin Concerto BWV 1042 – as well as the third movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Both Midori and three violin student from one of the two orchestras will perform as soloists. The concert will be conducted by VŠMU professor Marco Vlasák.
The program of the concert at a glance:
November 18, 4 pm, Slovak Radio Building
Slovak Youth Orchestra and Orchestra of Music School for Children, Marco Vlasák
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro – Overture
Bach: Double Concerto BWV 1043
Bach: Violin Concerto BWV 1042
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto – 3rd movement
Further information about the program can be found here (in Slovak).
The Orchestra Residencies Program (ORP) has been in existence since the 2004/05 season. Over a period of four to seven days, Midori spends time with a youth orchestra with connection to a small professional orchestra. She teaches the young musicians in various formats and participates in a wide range of activities tailored to optimize the involvement of the youth orchestra. ORPs have already taken place in Costa Rica, Bulgaria, Peru and various US states.
For more information, visit the Orchestra Residencies Program homepage: https://orpobservations.wordpress.com/
On 10 November, Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck will step in for sickened Mariss Jansons for a concert with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and pianist Igor Levit. On the program will be Mahler’s symphony No. 1 and Beethovens piano concert No. 4.
Find here further information about this concert.
On the occasion of its 150th anniversary and to celebrate music with all generations, the Tonhalle Society Zurich invited Swiss composer and conductor David Philip Hefti to compose The Snow Queen, a story in music based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, and to also conduct its world premiere: on 11 November 2018. The semi-staged production with renowned Soprano Mojca Erdmann (Snow Queen) as well as actors Delia Mayer (narrator/Gerda) and Maximilian Simonischek (Kay) will be performed in two family concerts at the Tonhalle Maag in Zurich.
The Snow Queen tells the story of the two neighboring children Kay and Gerda and their confrontation with the Snow Queen. After a splinter hits Kay’s eye and his soul hardened, he is abducted by the Snow Queen to her palace. But the unwavering Gerda searches for him and is not stopped by any of the Snow Queen’s attempts to distract her from finding him.
David Philip Hefti says: “It is a special honor for me to have received a major commission on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Tonhalle Society Zurich and to even conduct its world premiere on 11 November 2018. This concert is a highlight of my many years of collaboration with the wonderful Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. My “Snow Queen” is characterized by the spatial arrangement of the orchestra and by extraordinary instruments, such as a double-bass clarinet or 24 wine glasses tuned in quarter tones. The work addresses children from about 8 years on, youth and adults. I am especially looking forward to working with my great soloists as well as to the semi-staged realization of the “Snow Queen” at the Tonhalle Maag.”
Executive and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Society Zurich, Ilona Schmiel, comments: “Anniversaries exist to write new stories and history: a well-known subject matter for all generations with a new libretto by Andreas Schäfer, subtly staged by Eva Buchmann and newly set to music by David Philip Hefti, one of the most distinguished Swiss composers of his generation with great affinity to musical theater. I am sure that David Philip Hefti’s new work “The Snow Queen” will succeed in showing the relevance of this dramatic story with its highly interesting musical language and conception. David Philip Hefti will also conduct the world premiere himself with a wonderful cast.”
The details of the performances are:
11 November, 11:15 & 14:15, Zurich, Tonhalle Maag
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Philip Hefti
Hefti: The Snow Queen World Premiere
Mojca Erdmann – Soprano, Delia Mayer – Speaker,
Max Simonischek – Speaker,
Eva Buchmann – Director, Andreas Schäfer – Libretto
You can find the synopsis of the work on David Philip Hefti‘s website. The work will be published by Edition Kunzelmann. Edition Kunzelmann makes the score available for download here.
“Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friendes” go on their first tour through Australia from 7 November. Concerts will be presented in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth etc.
Find here the exact tour schedule. Click here to watch the official trailer for the New worlds program.
Together with Lang Lang and Anne-Sophie Mutter, Manfred Honeck and the Staatskapelle Berlin will present the anniversary concert, celebrating 120 years of Deutsche Grammophon. The concert will take place on Tuesday, 6 November at Berlin Philharmonie.
Find here further information on the anniversary.
General Music Director of Hamburg State Opera, Kent Nagano will conduct all performances of Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen, a production staged by Claus Guth, from 30 October.
Find here all information and further performances dates of all four operas:
Omer Meir Wellber will conduct performances of Bizet’s Carmen from 30 October at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. With those he will give his debut at the MET.
Find here further information on those performances.
Achim Freyer’s new production of Robert Schumann’s “Szenen aus Goethes Faust” opens at the Hamburg Staatsoper on 28 October. General Music Director, Kent Nagano will conduct the Philharmonic State Orchestra with leading soloists, including Christian Gerhaher singing the title role. The production will run until 17th Nov 2018.
Find here further information on the piece and all further performance dates.
On 26 October 2018, David Philip Hefti’s String Quartet No. 5 Concubia nocte – Music for the second nocturnal vigil will be premiered by the Merel Quartett at the Kammermusikfestival Engelberg. It was the Merel Quartett, who commissioned David Philip Hefti’s first piece of this genre in 2007, the String Quartet Ph(r)asen, which they also recorded for CD.
Concubia nocte is the continuation of David Philip Hefti’s “nocturnal vigils”: Prima nocte – Music for the first nocturnal vigil, for chamber orchestra was premiered this February by the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne on the occasion of the orchestra’s 75th anniversary, and in spring 2019, the “vigils” will be continued with the world premier of David Philip Hefti’s flute concert Media nox – Music for the third nocturnal vigil at the Heidelberger Frühling, performed by the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie under Jamie Phillips and with flutist Tatjana Ruhland.
Overview on the concert in Engelberg:
26 October, 19.00
Engelberg (CH), Kloster
Zwischentöne – Kammermusikfestival Engelberg
Hefti: Concubia nocte – Music for the second nocturnal vigil (String quartet No. 5) World Premier
Merel Quartett
You can find further information on the concert here.