Beethoven’s legacy looms large for composers when writing works in forms in which the composer made his most definitive musical statements, for example the symphony or the piano concerto. For Charlotte Bray, his Triple Concerto in C major was an important jumping-off point in the composition of Germinate for piano trio and orchestra, which will be premiered on 4 May at the Investec International Music Festival in Surrey, England....

On 6 May, soprano Rinnat Moriah and trombonist Mike Svoboda will premiere Beat Furrer‘s new work Spazio immergente III with Ensemble Resonanz, conducted by Peter Rundel, at the Musikfest Hamburg. In both concerts, the soprano Yeree Suh can also be heard as soloist in Arnold Schönberg's Second String Quartet, which will be performed in the string orchestra version....

Andrew Dickinson and pianist Jonathan Ware will perform Schubert's famous song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin at the Philharmonie in his native Liverpool on 7 May. In his interpretation of the cycle, in which video projections by Matthew Kvasnik are displayed, the tenor concentrates on the mental state of the protagonist, whose love seems to him to be as unrealistic-unflinching as it is connectionless....

With her chamber music partners of many years, Daniel Sepec (violin) and Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Tabea Zimmermann will be a guest at the Schwetzingen Festival on 1 May. The programme in the Mozart Hall of Schwetzingen Palace includes Mozart's Divertimento in E-flat Major, Ludwig van Beethoven's Serenade in D Major and Sándor Veress' 1954 string trio, as well as Mozart's Divertimento in E-flat Major....

It’s certainly not your average guest conductor performance when Eva Ollikainen takes the podium of the Wiener Symphoniker on 8 May: for the Fest der Freude (‘Festival of Joy‘), she will lead the orchestra before roughly 15,000 spectators at Vienna’s Heldenplatz. In addition, a large television audience will watch the ceremony live on Österreichischer Rundfunk. Since 2013, the annual festival, hosted by the Mauthausen Committee, has commemorated the liberation of Europe from the Nazi regime....

Although the 100th birthday of György Ligeti (1923 - 2006) is almost upon us, many of the composer's works today seem as fresh and surprising as they were when he first composed them. From 27 April to 26 May, the International Music Festival Hamburg offers plenty of opportunities to rediscover the fascinating musical world of György Ligeti and experience the absurd opera Le Grand Macabre, among other defining pieces of his....

Sarah Wegener will be a soloist in György Ligeti's Requiem and Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano, at the opening concert of the Hamburg International Music Festival at the Elbphilharmonie on 27 April. This will be her second guest appearance in the hall after her performance of Mahler's 8th Symphony under Eliahu Inbal last year....

On 24 April, François-Frédéric Guy will be a guest at the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris. Following the great success of his joint play-conduct concert last October, at which he conducted Brahms's 2nd Piano Concerto from the grand piano, the Théatre des Champs-Élysées will now be presenting Brahm’s 1st Piano Concerto. In addition, he will again perform a Mozart Piano Concerto with the orchestra, this time No. 22 KV 482....

On 24 April, Peter Rundel will conduct the world premiere of Hèctor Parra's new opera Les Bienveillantes. With the work staged by Calixto Bieito, which can be seen in Antwerp until 2 May and then in Ghent until 18 May, he will make his debut at the Opera Vlaanderen. Händl Klaus wrote the libretto, which is based on Jonathan Littell's non-fiction novel, published in 2006....

On 28 March, Bas Wiegers will conduct the world premiere of the definitive version of Georg Friedrich Haas' opera KOMA in Klagenfurt, which was written as part of his Schwetzingen trilogy based on a libretto by Händl Klaus. Immo Karaman directed the production, a co-production with the Opéra de Dijon, which is scheduled to run until 15 May in Klagenfurt....