News
17.02.2022
Music out of music. Philipp Maintz’s new ensemble work and chorale preludes
Philipp Maintz places an instrumental protagonist from his chamber opera “Thérèse” after Émile Zola at the centre of his new ensemble work “c’est une volupté de plus”: the accordion, as the secret protagonist in the septet, forms a kind of musical continuation and a portrait of the main character Thérèse Raquin, whose affair ends in the murder of her husband and suicide: “her search, her hope for an escape and the associated futility which becomes despair – this all becomes ‘music out of music’”, says Philipp Maintz. »more«
18.01.2022
“La clemenza di Tito” – even with social distancing
Anna Skryleva, General Music Director in Magdeburg, made a virtue out of necessity brought about by the pandemic for the new production of Mozart’s last opera she conducted in May 2020, reducing the orchestral writing to just twenty musicians in a careful, yet sensitive arrangement. The result is a translucent chamber music version, which promises to become an attractive option for smaller opera houses well beyond the current restrictions. The performance material is now available on hire from Bärenreiter/Alkor (Photo: Nilz Böhme). »more«
07.09.2021
Theatrically rich with varied chorus and dance scenes - Telemann’s opera for Hamburg “Die wunderbare Beständigkeit der Liebe oder Orpheus”
Georg Philipp Telemann’s Orpheus opera for the Gänsemarkttheater in Hamburg stands apart from typical works of its time in its opulence. Unfortunately the surviving sources are incomplete. But now, a basis for effective performances is provided by the volume from the Telemann Selected Edition published by Bärenreiter.Amongst Telemann’s surviving Hamburg stage works, “Die wunderbare Beständigkeit der Liebe oder Orpheus” (TVWV 21:18) can be regarded as the most unusual, and at the same time the most problematic in its surviving form. »more«
04.09.2021
Glance – Dream – Transition. Manfred Trojahn’s prologue to Verdi’s “Don Carlo”
Manfred Trojahn has been commissioned to write an instrumental prologue to Verdi’s “Don Carlo” by the Salzburg Easter Festival and the Semperoper Dresden. The orchestral composition “Blick – Traum – Übergang” introduces the four-act Italian version of the opera. Trojahn’s prologue does not recount “the external plot of the Fontainebleau act”, according to director Vera Nemirova, but “it creates a musical space for this encounter and for the short-lived utopia of these two people’s happiness.” Nemirova’s production received its first performance in Dresden on 22 October 2021 conducted by Ivan Repusic, when Trojahn’s Prologue will finally be premiered. »more«
08.10.2021
Magnificent music and drama - A conversation with René Jacobs about Telemann’s opera “Orpheus”
In 1994 René Jacobs made his debut at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin with Telemann’s “Orpheus”. 27 years later the renowned conductor returns to a work he loves, highlighting its uniqueness. He was inspired by Wolfgang Hirschmann’s critical new edition, which was published in the Telemann Edition in 2011. Bärenreiter has now produced performance material for the forthcoming series of concert performances in major European cities. »more«
05.09.2021
“La Traviata” under the magnifying glass - “L’ultimo sogno” by Carlo Ciceri
Verdi’s “La Traviata” newly interpreted. The Italian-born composer and conductor Carlo Ciceri, now based in Switzerland, has created a new interpretation of Verdi’s opera in a reduced orchestration which allows space for unusual and individual sound colours. In this version everything is concentrated on the character of Violetta Valéry. This focussing casts new light on the work as a compelling and tension-laden narrative. Carlo Ciceri’s “L’ultimo sogno. Un'immagine di Traviata” is now available in a new edition from Bärenreiter. »more«
03.09.2021
Musical obituaries - On the 90th birthday of Rudolf Kelterborn
Rudolf Kelterborn would have celebrated his 90th birthday today, on 3 September 2021. Only a few months before, on 24 March, the Swiss composer, music educator, teacher and mentor of contemporary music passed away in Basel. On this special birthday, the Bärenreiter publishing house honours one of the most important and influential artists of his generation and a composer who sustained his creativity until his death. »more«
