Events
Events

Performing Jaëll on Women’s Day

On the occasion of the #womencomposersday, I will be playing a few pieces from French-German composer Marie Jaëll‘s piano cycle Les jours pluvieux (1894) live on my Facebook page. I’d be delighted if you tuned in on Friday, 8 March, at 1 pm CET, to listen to some unjustly rarely performed music. Thanks to Arno Lücker for launching this initiative! See here for the full line-up, featuring some highly valued musicians and ensembles.

Children’s Corner

My adorable children start entering the stages of Berlin! This coming weekend, Lionel will have his own music performed by a professional ensemble for the first time. His minuet for five instruments is presented in the closing concert of a composition workshop led by Jobst Liebrecht on Saturday, 24 February, 12 noon, at Apollosaal of Staatsoper Unter den Linden. On that same day he will also appear as a guitarist in the regional competition of Jugend musiziert.

In the meantime Cosima is rehearsing as a harpist with the Children’s Opera Orchestra of the Staatsoper and Giuseppe Mentuccia, preparing music by Antonín Dvořák and Marius Felix Lange soon to be performed. The first concert will take place on Good Friday, 29 March, 11:30 am, at the Staatsoper. Besides, both children have been accepted for the talent promotion programme of Musikschule Fanny Hensel.

The Music of Lili Boulanger

Recently I had the chance to listen to several performances of choral music by Lili Boulanger, which struck me as extraordinarily beautiful and appealing both in structure and atmosphere. In particular, there were the profound setting of Psalm 130, which I heard in a concert of Cantus Domus Berlin, and Vieille prière bouddhique with Unichor Düsseldorf. In this context I consider myself lucky to participate in performances of Boulanger’s compositions Hymne au soleil, Sous bois, and La source very soon! These pieces are part of an all-French concert programme for mixed chorus and piano, also including music by Francis Poulenc and Morten Lauridsen, and staged by Vokalsystem Berlin, conductor Johannes David Wolff, and pianist Artschi Loyan. So this is a cordial invitation to our »Realités absurdes«, taking place at Martin-Luther-Kirche Berlin-Neukölln on 17–18 February! Please refer to this website for tickets.

Medtner January 1: Lecture Recital

I have the pleasure of designing a public lecture recital at Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, taking place in the framework of the university’s piano music festival of this term, curated by my colleague Tobias Koch.

On Saturday, 20 January, 6 pm, we will present a programme of Nikolai Medtner‘s sonatas and vocal music, centered around multiple references to Goethe’s poetry in the music. I will be performing and commenting on the Sonata-Elegy from the Sonata Triad, Op. 11, and Sonata-Vocalise, Op. 41 No. 1, with soprano Stefanie Kathrin Fischer. The other performers on stage will be Agnes Konnerth, Giuseppe D’Elia, Sofiia Loboda, and Victoria Lucretia Nava. After that, Latvian pianist Sergejs Osokins will include some more Medtner in his guest recital at 7:30 pm. Everybody is cordially invited!

Landesmusikrat Board Candidacy

I am running for a position as board member of the Berlin music council, Landesmusikrat Berlin, with the intention of advocating for freelancers in music and contributing to issues of professional music education. If you represent an organisation that is a member of the Landesmusikrat, I’d be grateful for your support!