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Lucerne Festival Features World Premieres by Johannes Maria Staud, Wolfgang Rihm and Heinz Holliger

Jul. 09, 2014

Lucerne Festival Features World Premieres by Johannes Maria Staud, Wolfgang Rihm and Heinz Holliger

The 2014 Lucerne Festival, running August 15 through September 14, features a thrilling lineup of new and recent works, with performances by many of the world’s eminent contemporary music interpreters. Counted among the highlights are the world premieres of several works by Johannes Maria Staud, Wolfgang Rihm and Heinz Holliger.

Johannes Maria Staud, who is composer-in-residence at the Festival, receives numerous performances throughout the season, including the world premiere of Oskar (Towards a Brighter Hue II) for violin and orchestra on August 27, featuring violinist Midori as soloist with James Gaffigan leading the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. On September 3, the Festival mounts the premiere production of Staud’s second opera Die Antilope (The Antilope), conducted by Howard Arman with direction by Dominique Mentha and stage design by Werner Hutterli. Following on September 6, Matthias Pintscher leads the premiere of the complete version of Staud’s Zimt. A Diptych for Bruno Schulz with the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra.

On August 19, Daniel Harding leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Horn Concerto, featuring Stefan Dohr as soloist. The work is a co-commission of the Lucerne Festival, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Stichting Omroep ZaterdagMatinee. On August 23, the Mahler Chamber Soloists perform Rihm’s Quintet for Winds, alongside works by Janáček and Prokofiev.

On August 30, the Zehetmair Quartet and soprano Anu Komsi deliver the world premiere of Heinz Holliger’s Increschantüm for soprano and string quartet on poems by Luisa Famos. The program also includes a performance of Holliger’s String Quartet No. 2. Also on August 30, Holliger leads the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra alongside the Latvian Radio Choir and flutist Felix Renggli in the premiere of the revised version of his epic Scardanelli Cycle, for solo flute, orchestra, tape and mixed chorus.

Additional performances at the Lucerne Festival include György Ligeti’s Concert Românesc and Mysteries of the Macabre on August 16 with soprano Barbara Hannigan as both soloist and conductor, Johannes Maria Staud’s monodrama Der Riß durch den Tag for narrator and ensemble and Matthias Pintscher’s bereshit on August 17 with speaker Robert Hunger-Bühler and Pintscher conducting the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Luciano Berio’s Coro for 40 voices and orchestra on August 23 with Simon Rattle leading the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and Chorus, and Pintscher’s songs from Solomon’s garden for baritone and chamber orchestra on September 1 with baritone Leigh Melrose.

Visit www.lucernefestival.ch for full programming details on the Lucerne Festival.

Click below for more information on our featured composers:
Luciano Berio | Heinz Holliger | György Ligeti
Matthias Pintscher | Wolfgang Rihm | Johannes Maria Staud

Johannes Maria Staud
Oskar (Towards a Brighter Hue II) (2014)
for violin, string orchestra and percussion
18’

Der Riß durch den Tag (2011)
monodrama for narrator and ensemble
1.1.2.1-2.1.1.0-3perc-acc.pno-str
25’

Die Antilope (The Antilope) (2013-2014)
an opera in six scenes
libretto (Ger) by Durs Grünbein
for two sopranos, mezzo-soprano, tenor, two baritones, bass and SATB choir
2.1.2.asax.2-2.2.1.1-2perc-acc.pno-str
75’

Zimt. A Diptych for Bruno Schulz (2008-2010)
for orchestra
5.3.3.3-4.basset hn.3.3.1-5perc-hp.cel.pno-str
35’

Wolfgang Rihm
Horn Concerto (2013-2014)
for horn and orchestra
1.2.3.2-0.1.2.1-timp-hp-str
20’

Quintet for Winds (2003)
for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
23’

Heinz Holliger
Scardanelli Cycle (1975-1991)
for solo flute, orchestra, tape and mixed chorus
2(afl, pic).2(ca, ob. d'am).2(bcl).cbcl.2-2.1(pic tpt).1.0-timp.3perc-hp.pno.org(harm)-str
150’

String Quartet No. 2 (2007)
24’

Increschantüm (2014)
on poems by Luisa Famos
for soprano and string quartet
12’

Matthias Pintscher
Bereshit (2013)
for chamber orchestra
1(pic).afl(fl).1.ca.1.cbcl.1.cbsn-2.2.2.0-3perc-hp.pno-str
ca. 30' 

songs from Solomon’s garden (2010)
for baritone and chamber orchestra
1(pic).1.1.bcl.1(cbsn)-1.2.1.0-3perc.hp.pno-str
18' 

Luciano Berio
Coro (1975-1976)
for 40 voices and orchestra
4.2.4. asax.tsax.3-3.4.3.1-2perc-pno.elec org-str(3vn.4va.4vc.3db)
60’

György Ligeti
Concerto Românesc (1951)
for orchestra
2(2.pic.).2 (2.ca).2.2-3.2.0.0-2perc-str
12’

Mysteries of the Macabre (1974-1977, rev. 1992)
three arias from Le Grand Macabre
for coloratura soprano or solo trumpet and orchestra
arranged by Elgar Howarth (1991)
pic.1.3(3.ca).2(2.bcl).2(2.cbsn)-4.2.0.cbtbn.1-timp.2perc.-mad.hp.cel.(cemb.).pno(e-org.)-str
9’

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