„Above the clouds“ (with many journeys and creative highlights, supernatural performances) and „fully grounded“ (with terribly exhausting work, very little sleep and even a concussion) ... that's how high-contrast and eventfully the year 2015 began. Images above: Easter Monday at the village well of my birth town Weil am Rhein and flight Berlin-Munich in March.
My highlights:
NEW COMPOSITIONS: I developed the oboe concert MOZART ASCENDING for Albrecht Mayer (Berliner Philharmoniker), the flute concert YANG GUIFEI for the Chinese dizi virtuoso Chen Yue (Beijing), the cello concert FATAL HARMONIES OF BLACK SWEETNESS for Julius Berger, the double concert ISOLDE & TRISTAN for erhu and violoncello for the erhu soloist Beiru Xu (Xiamen), two "Bayreuth Oratorio" JESUS CHRISTUS, MENSCH & BRUDER (Jesus Christ - Human Being & Brother) for Good Friday 2015 and TAUBE, WASSER & FEUERSTURM (Dove, Water & Firestorm) for Pentecost 2015, the piano composition WENN WEIDEN VOLLMONDS IM WASSER... (When Willows in the Water at a Full Moon ...) and a commissioned work for the Regensburg 'Domspatzen', the motet SIE IST MIR LIEB, DIE WERTE MAGD.... (She is dear to me, the valued maidservant)
WORLD PREMIERES: January 29 / Bayreuth 'Stadtkirche' Part 1 of the Oratorical Triptych SANCTA TRINITAS; March 8 / Cathedral Havana in Cuba, the motet SALVE REGINA; March 29 / 'Herrsching am Ammersee', the cello concert FATAL HARMONIES based on the Gesualdo madrigal „Moro ai lasso“ with Julius Berger; April 3 / Bayreuth 'Stadtkirche', the Good Friday Oratorio JESUS CHRISTUS; April 24 / 'Philharmonie Bad Reichenhall', the violin concert AUGEN DER ERDE/EARTHs EYE with Ingolf Turban. Among the film scores, I would like to mention the premiere of the ZDF documentary MIT DEM MUT DER VERZWEIFLUNG (With the courage of despair) on the 27th of January on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
CD RECORDINGS: In January, in co-production with BR-Klassik, I conducted the oratorio AUGUSTINUS and the orchestral composition HÖCHSTES HEILES WUNDER (Highest Holy Wonder) for Hansjörg Albrecht, the Munich Bach-Choir and the Munich Bach-Orchestra as volume 12 of my series „Sacred music“ (ambiente audio). In March, the Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra and the 'Tonkünstler-Orchester' recorded my third CD of the series 'Orchestermusik' (WERGO) in Vienna/Grafenegg (e.g. with Symphony No. 7 „Dunkelwelt“ (Dark World) and „Naturklänge – Hommage a Sergiu Celibidache“ (Sounds of Nature - Ode to Sergiu Celibidache); in the Regensburg Cathedral, cathedral organist F.J. Stoiber performed JUBILISSIMO and ORGAN SYMPHONY NO. 12 „VENI CREATOR“ for the CD Volume 13 (ambiente audio).
NEW PRINTED SHEET MUSIC PRINTS: Schott-Music/Mainz published „Robert Schumanns Traumreise“ (Robert Schumann's Dream Journey) and the piano excerpt for the recorder concert „Ommagio a Vivaldi“, as well as „Dreamin’ backwards to my former times mistress“ for alto recorder. The publishing company Ries & Erler/Berlin published „Dunkelreise“ (Dark Journey), sextet for oboe and strings, as well as the score and piano excerpt for the violin concert „Augen der Erde/ Earths Eye“. The Strube-Verlag Munich released sheet music for the cello concert „Fatal Harmonies of Black Sweetness“, oratorio 2+3 of the triptych SANCTA TRINITAS, each with score and piano excerpt, the motet „Salve Regina“ for six female voices and the motet „Sie ist mir lieb, die werte Magd“ (She is dear to me, the valued maidservant) for mixed choir. Carus-Verlag/Stuttgart published my three choral arrangements from the film score for THE HOBBITS.
This website contains more detailed information for all compositions and performances.
News
European premiere: OPER "MARCO POLO" in Milan and Genova
From September 22 to October 1, the European premiere of my opera "MARCO POLO", composed in Chinese and commissioned by the Chinese government, took place in Milano and Genova (Italy). After the three productions in China this European tour was now a successful test.
Passion and discovering new worlds...
New Works, new CD.... composing out of passion
Lots of concerts... and being Member of Jury
Not only "world premieres" are important for composers life, - but also the repeating of performances to bring the compositions into the common repertoire. And not to forget: working as Jury member in competitions is a very responsible work, leading young artists to their future!
WORLDPREMIERE "SPIRITS OF SIBERIA"
"SPIRITS OS SIBERIA" is fascinating with a world of shamanic Power and with omnipresent siberian Spirits at the festival ASIA - SIBERIA - EUROPE. Reinhold Friedrich (Trumpet) is celebrated with standing ovations.
POWER OF PAST - FINDING THE FUTURE IN THE PAST
Now I am in my 70th year of life, which will be celebrated and concluded as a birthday in 2020. As if by itself, there is a reflection of the past. The future becomes more meaningless. My mother has died in March 2019 and I was allowed to accompany her until to her last breath. That also asked many questions about time and life.... The prehistory of life and the world has always occupied and inspired me, the longevity of the trees, some of which are thousands of years old, the documents of past epochs: fascinating, how long before the biblical Creation Report and its time counting there were already cultures and civilization.
