(20.11.2012) The extended version of Matthias Pintscher’s Uriel for violoncello and piano  receives its premiere by Alisa Weilerstein (violoncello) and Inon Barnatan (piano) at the Alte Oper Frankfurt on 13 january 2013. Pintscher, recently appointed new artistic director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, has just been guest composer and conductor at the Huddersfield Festival. He travels to the USA in December to conduct at the Phillips Collection in Washington and the Curtis Institute Philadelphia, immediately following the premiere of his Chute d’Étoiles, written for the Roche Commissions 2012, at Carnegie Hall New York

[15.06.2012] Miroslav Srnka has composed Eighteen Agents for nineteen strings for the Munich Chamber Orchestra, a multi-perspective exploration of string sound. Following his major music-theatre works of recent years, this piece is a concentration on the potential string instruments have for blending sound – from unison writing to the complete sharing out of the parts. The premiere on 21 June in the Prinzregententheater Munich was conducted by Alexander Liebreich.

The confrontation of religions was as current at the time of the Old Testament as it is today. One such conflict takes centre stage in Handel’s oratorio Samson until its fatal outcome.

Telemann’s Passion to a text by Brockes is distinguished by its powerful emotions and their skilful realisation using rich compositional means. A rewarding alternative for Passiontide concerts.

With the publication of the full score and parts of the Rhapsodie, a one-movement symphonic work by Bohuslav Martinů dating from 1928, Bärenreiter presents the first published edition of this work.

[16.2.2012] Ein Gedicht des russischen Futuristen und Sprachkünstlers Viktor Chlebnikov aus dem Jahr 1918, ein beinahe unübersetzbares Kunstwerk in einer deutschen Nachdichtung von Alexander Nitzberg, wird zum Ausgangspunkt von Philipp Maintz’ Komposition für Bariton und Orchester. Wenn steine sich gen himmel stauen wird am 25. März beim Printemps des Arts Monte Carlo von Otto Katzameier (Bariton) und dem Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo unter Leitung von Jean Deroyer uraufgeführt. Kurz zuvor, am 10. März, präsentiert Garth Knox (Viola) die Uraufführung eines Neuen Werks für Bratsche und Live-Elektronik sowie Stephane Ginsburg (Klavier) die revidierte Fassung von gelände/zeichnung. musik für klavier und live-elektronik beim Festival Ars Musica in Brüssel. In Paris spielt das Ensemble Alternance die französischen Erstaufführungen von tourbillon und NAHT (yo no pido a la noche explicaciones).

Jonathan Del Mar, editor of the nine Beethoven symphonies, has now turned his attentions to Czech music. His edition of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor combines the advantages of a completely authoritative Urtext edition with all the practical requirements of soloist and orchestra.