Artists & projects

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.

The search for new concert forms and the dramaturgically meaningful fusion of old and new music are central to Titus Engel's career. Besides symphonic repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries, he has a deep passion for baroque music performances on historical as well as modern instruments.

"Holger Falk is anyway one of the intellectually and vocally most flexible singers on German stages" the Magazine Opernwelt wrote. Colourfulness, flexiblity and authenticity in his expression are the artistical sources of his international carreer as an operasinger as well as an interpreter of art song.

The young Moscow-born, Israeli pianist is lauded across the globe as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter. Critics have praised his “singing line, variety of touch and broad dynamic palette capable of great surges of energy” (Washington Post) as well as his impassioned, narrative-driven approach to performance.

Vadim Gluzman’s extraordinary artistry brings back to life the glorious violinistic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. His wide repertoire embraces contemporary music and his performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively for the BIS label.

“Sparkling virtuosity, sovereign artistry, alert interaction and a sophisticated sense of musical drama” – that is how the daily “Salzburger Nachrichten” describes the piano-playing of the American pianist Claire Huangci.

Simon Höfele, 25, is one of the most exciting trumpeters of the up-and-coming generation. He is BBC Radio3 new generation artist, Rising Star of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) 2019-20, nominated by Philharmonie Cologne, Konzerthaus Dortmund and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and “Junger Wilder” at Konzerthaus Dortmund.

Noé Inui's new CD includes not only all "Six Sonatas for Solo Violin" op. 27, but also the world-premiere recording of the "Étude-Poème" in G minor – all of it played using a bow that once belonged to Ysaÿe himself.

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.

Roland Kluttig has been general music director at the Landestheater Coburg since 2010 and will be joining the opera Graz as new Chief Conductor from season 2020/21. In the 2019/20 season, he will be conducting “Rheingold” and “The Greek Passion” in Coburg, a new production of “Le nozze di Figaro” at Stuttgart State Opera and giving his debuts at Dresden State Opera (“Semperoper”) and with the Symphoniker Hamburg.

The Kuss Quartet has been standing on the international stage for 25 years and has remained true to its trademark by developing conceptual programmes, always searching with curiosity for the confirmation of the eternal "Muss es sein" of string quartet playing.

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.

The Paris based Quatuor Modigliani, which was founded in 2003, is a regular guest of the world’s top venues and finest String Quartet & Chamber Music series.

The Molyvos International Music Festival (MIMF) is a unique project in the North Aegean region that brings together the greatest international young talents for a four-day celebration of world- class classical music. The motto of the 2019 edition was "Dia-logos".

On his new album "Between Heaven & Hell", which has been released on the label Onyx, Joseph Moog dedicated himself to the main work of Franz Liszt, his B-minor Sonata, the "Dante-Sonata" and the Deux Légendes. It is a pianistic contemplation of existential questions of life and thus Moog draws a comprehensive portrait of Franz Liszt.

Hailed by Gramophone Magazine as "one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists", German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has performed with the world’s leading orchestras. His latest recordings include the concertos by Dvořák, Lalo, Elgar and Tchaikovsky, which have gained him the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Diapason d'Or. Johannes Moser records exclusively for the label PENTATONE.

Biography Fabian Müller could establish himself as one of the most remarkable German pianists of his generation. He caused a great sensation at the International ARD music competition in Munich…

In 2018 the Cappella Aquileia and Marcus Bosch started to work with the violinist Lena Neudauer and the record label cpo a several years concert- and recording project with Beethoven's incidental music, romances and his Violin concerto. The first record was released on Dec 6, 2019.

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.

It is already visible from a great distance: Hellenstein Castle, located 74 metres above the city of Heidenheim an der Brenz. The Heidenheim Opera Festival (Opernfestspiele Heidenheim) has been taking place here for more than five decades, celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary in 2014. It is one of the five oldest opera festivals in Germany, with a tradition to match. In 2017, more than 17,600 visitors came here to experience unique operatic performances and concerts in the ruins of the castle's former “Knights' Hall” (Rittersaal) – “one of Europe's most beautiful open-air music stages” (“Welt”) – or at other venues in the region.

As a conductor, Alejo Pérez possesses an inherent stylistic awareness and the ability to bring every detail of the most complex score to life. This has consistently secured him a firm place on the international opera and concert scene. From the 2019/20 season Alejo Pérez will be Music Director of the Opera Vlaanderen.

The three brothers Mark, Erik and Ken Schumann have been playing together since their earliest childhood. In 2012, they were joined by violist Liisa Randalu, who was born in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and grew up in Karlsruhe, Germany. Those who experience the quartet in performance often remark on the strong connection between its members. The four musicians enjoy the way they communicate without words: how a single look suffices to convey how a particular member wants to play a particular passage. Although the individual personalities clearly manifest themselves, a common space arises in every musical work in a process of spiritual metamorphosis.

American conductor Steven Sloane is a versatile and dedicated musician. A visionary, Sloane’s extraordinarily creative concepts have garnered him respect in artistic circles, as well as in the realm of cultural politics. Steven Sloane is a frequent guest with prestigious orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra or the San Francisco Symphony. Beginning in the 18/19 season, the long-term General Music Director of the Bochum Symphony has been named Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Malmö Opera. He has been appointed as new Music Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO) from the 2020/21 season.

Intelligent clarity and an in-depth and always curious musicality characterize Markus Stenz' work. Worldwide much valued, he has held a number of high-profile positions with international orchestras and opera houses including Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (2012-2019), Principal Guest of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (2015-2019), Conductor-In-Residence of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (2016-2019). He was General Music Director of the City of Cologne and Gürzenich-Kapellmeister for 11 years.

The South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung has a natural authority and consistently finds a balance between her passion and dynamism and a sense of level-headedness.

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.

TauberPhilharmonie opened its doors to the public for the first time in the summer of 2019. From 13 July to 30 September, there were altogether 18 events highlighting the versatility of the new cultural centre in the Main-Tauber district. After some two years of construction work, Germany's newest concert hall opened with a top-class and attractive programme that drew plenty of attention, particularly for its diversity and wide appeal.

In October 2019, Simon Trpčeski released his new album on the label Onyx with the name "Tales of Russia". On this album he presents a fascinating programme of Russian classics, two of which are heard in unfamiliar guises as works for solo piano – Mussorgsky’ Night on a Bare Mountain, in the arrangement by Rimsky, and then the latter’s Sheherazade. The programme starts with Prokofiev’s delightful ‘Tales of the Old Gramdmother’.

The Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1936, is one of the best symphony orchestras in Russia today. Famous for its high quality performance culture and its flexibility in acquiring new repertoire, the orchestra consists of more than 100 musicians, performing all major Western European and Russian works from the classical and romantic period as well as works by outstanding contemporary composers.

Brimful of energy, Antje Weithaas’ brings her compelling musical intelligence and technical mastery to every detail of the music. Her charisma and stage presence are captivating, but never overshadow the works themselves.