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.

During the dramatic early months of the pandemic in 2020 Matthias Pintscher composed some highly expressive works. His concerto “Assonanza” for solo violin and chamber orchestra originated from a composition for Leila Josefowicz, a seemingly unending melody in a sweeping dramatic gesture which narrates the greatest tensions and inner turmoil. “Assonanza” receives its premiere on 28 January 2022 in Cincinnati and will also be live-streamed on 29 January. Shortly before this, Pintscher’s preceding work “Mar’eh” for violin and orchestra will be performed on 22 January in Berlin. The performers are Diego Tosi (violin) and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin conducted by the composer.

Originally scheduled for May 2020 and postponed because of the Corona pandemic, Torsten Rasch’s new stage work “Die andere Frau” to a libretto by Helmut Krausser, commissioned by the Semperoper Dresden, will now receive its first performance on 22 January 2022. Immo Karaman directs the biblical love story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, sung by Markus Marquart, Magdalena Anna Hofmann and Stepanka Purcalkova. Michael Wendeberg conducts the Sinfoniechor and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Further performances follow on 30 January, and 2 and 9 February.

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Charlotte Seither has received an honourable distinction: The composer has been accepted as a full member of The European Academy of Sciences and Arts, based in Salzburg. The Academy is a transnational and interdisciplinary network that connects around 2,000 renowned scientists, artists and clerics worldwide in seven classes. It sees itself as a forum of scholars that addresses socially relevant topics in an interdisciplinary and transnational manner. Its members are renowned scientists, artists and clergy, including 33 Nobel laureates.

Beat Furrer’s orchestral work “Tableaux” is concerned with deep impacts, with layering and the finest natural and irregular voices emanating from this. The work will be premiered in the opening concert of the Donaueschingen Festival on 14.10.21 by the SWR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Brad Lubman. It is inspired by early paintings by Max Ernst from around 1927; some of them are entitled “Wald und Sonne” in which monolithic configurations of vertically-towering trees can be seen. On closer examination, these branch out into fine structures and are peopled by living creatures. Wien Modern 2021 is devoting six concerts to Beat Furrer’s works from 20–30.11.2021; this major focus in the programme includes premieres of the String Quartet no. 4 performed by the Quatuor Diotima, “Akusmata für Vokalensemble” by Cantando Admont, and “Studie II for piano” by Hsin-Huei Huang. Furrer’s Violin Concerto, “Tableaux” and other works receive their first Austrian performances.

A glimpse into the not-too-distant future: In their new opera "Singularity," composer Miroslav Srnka and author Tom Holloway dramatize mind games about computerized people, updates, and human and technical malfunctions. Their opera is a fast-paced play with set pieces of the cyber world, combining vision with farce and a glimpse into human abysses.  Expressly composed for young voices, “Singularity” was written for the opera studio of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Nicolas Brieger signed responsible for the production of the premiere on 5 June 2021 in the Cuvilliés Theatre, the Klangforum Wien played under the baton of Patrick Hahn. The opera was performed both live and per live-stream. The live-stream is still accessible. "Singularity" is the third opera by Miroslav Srnka and Tom Holloway commissioned by the Bavarian State Opera, following “Make No Noise” and “South Pole”.

On 24 March, a few months before his 90th birthday, Rudolf Kelterborn passed away in Basel. On 3 September 2021, the Swiss composer, music educator, teacher and mentor of contemporary music would have celebrated this special birthday.