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 three dates in April, Alejo Pérez can be seen at the Stuttgart State Opera conducting Sergej Prokofiev's fairy-tale grotesque opera The Love for Three Oranges. The new production, directed by Axel Ranisch, premiered in December. "Alejo Pérez conducts with verve, strength and - here completely appropriate - a tendency to abrupt colour and tone changes", was the reflection of BR-Klassik....

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....