Artists & projects

Music with a magical effect: for his new album "Incantation", French violinist Virgil Boutellis-Taft has set out to find compositions in which his instrument can be heard as a sounding sorceress and conjurer.

Improvisation, speech flow and (re)composition are the key words for the new album by oboist, composer and creative director Cathy Milliken, who - as a Berlin-resident by choice - directed the Berliner Philharmoniker's education programme for several years. The texts performed or sung by the participating artists come from the Cubist-oriented collection "Tender Buttons" by the American writer and art collector Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).

Her ability to interpret works of music in both a spirited and sensitive fashion has drawn the attention of the international music scene to the German-Greek pianist Danae Dörken. On her new album “East and West” (Ars Produktion, release date: July 5, 2019), she fuses western piano compositions by Schubert, Grieg, Poulenc and de Falla with pieces by eastern composers such as Chopin, Bartók and the Greek composer Manolis Kalomiris.

Kiveli Dörken’s temperament, passion and dedication to music is palpable in every one of her concerts. With her infectious enthusiasm and captivating presence, she values a close contact with her audience, often addressing the listeners first, before sitting down at the piano and pushing the boundaries of sound diversity and artistic expression. The German-Greek pianist is presenting her first own studio album on the Ars Produktion label. It features two works by Josef Suk: the piano cycle “Things Lived and Dreamt”, op. 30, and the Piano Quintet in G Minor, op. 8 – the latter played together with outstanding musician friends.

The Spanish pianist Judith Jáuregui has compiled four works for her new album "The Romantic Soul" for ARS Produktion that reflect the intimate collaboration of Clara and Robert Schumann as composers and performers.

The cellist Benedict Kloeckner releases his first duo album with the pianist Danae Dörken. “Between Nostalgia and Revolution” (Genuin, release date: July 5, 2019) features works by Robert Schumann, Dmitri Shostakovich and Bohuslav Martinů and showcases the duo’s breathtaking ensemble sound that is characterised by their ability to oscillate between deep inwardness and exuberant playfulness.

Founded in 2007, the Linos Piano Trio is increasingly recognised as one of Europe’s most creative and dynamic trios. “Reinventing the repertoire”: it may seem like a tall order, but this is how the Linos Piano Trio describes the philosophy at the heart of its music making. The interest in discovering neglected works was the inspiration behind their debut CD (CAvi music), the premiere recording of the complete Piano Trios by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

A native of South Korea, Klara Min has performed extensively throughout North and South America, Europe as well as South Korea, in some of the world’s most important concert venues including Wigmore Hall London, Carnegie Hall, Gasteig Munich and Berlin Philharmonie Hall. In the season 2019-2020, she will release the first recording of the series of Schumann (Arabesque, Carnaval, Kreislerianer) on Haenssler Classics.

Compulsion and freedom are the poles between which the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven can be placed. This is exemplified by his late work, which transcends the boundaries of form, becomes fragile and reaches a level of freedom and radicalism never before seen. Staged Concert for a string quartet, an electric guitar, four performers, a sound designer and two cameras.

The new Saarbrücken „Ring“ with the premiere of the „Rhinegold“ on 28 March 2020 is being forged by the Hungarian directors and stage designers Alexandra Szemerédy and Magdolna Parditka. They have no easy standing in their home country, which makes them exciting contemplators of the Wagnerian world theatre, where greed meets omnipotence.