Lera Auerbach is “Capell-Compositeur” of the Dresden State Opera during the 2011/12 season. In this capacity, she was writing the commissioned work String Quartet No. 5 (world premiere on 15 September 2011), a shorter orchestral work to conclude the 2011/12 season and – as a joint commission of the Dresden State Opera and the Dresden Frauenkirche Foundation – a full-length “Requiem” for 2 boys’ voices, countertenor, bass baritone, boys’ choir, men’s choir and orchestra to be premiered by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski on 11 February 2012 at the Frauenkirche on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of its wartime collapse.

This will be the first premiere of a requiem in Dresden since 1951 to mark the anniversary of the destruction of the Frauenkirche. Singing the work will be Maarten Engeltjes (countertenor), Mark Stone (bass baritone), the Boys’ Choir of the St. Paul’s Cathedral London, the Boys’ Choir of the Thomas’ Church New York and the Saxon State Opera Choir of Dresden. On 13 and 14 February 2012 there will be two more performances at the Semperoper. The MDR will produce a recording.

In addition, Lera Auerbach is also in charge of a project week at the Dresden Music Academy in the spring of 2012, including a symposium and a portrait concert, among other events.

11 February 2012
Dresden
Frauenkirche, 8 PM
World premiere: Lera Auerbach
”Requiem” for 2 boys’ voices, countertenor, bass baritone, boys’ choir, male choir and orchestra
Mark Stone (bass baritone), Maarten Engeltjes (countertenor)
Boys’ Choir of the St. Paul’s Cathedral London
Boys’ Choir of the Thomas’ Church New York
Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden
Vladimir Jurowski (direction)

BERLIN KAMMEROPER
VOCAL CONSORT BERLIN
KONZERTHAUS BERLIN
Berlin, Germany

THE BLIND
A Cappella opera for 12 singers based on Maeterlinck’s eponymous drama

PREMIERE
Thu 13 Oct.  20:00  | Fri 14 Oct. 20:00 | Sat 15 Oct. 20:00 | Wed 19 Oct. 20:00 | Thu 20 Oct. 20:00

Composer: Lera Auerbach
Librettist: Lera Auerbach
Conductor: Philip Mayers
Music Director: Cornelia Heger
Stage Director: Frank Michael Zeidler
Costumes: Manuela Mildt
Costumes: Anja Mikolajetz

Info & Tickets

FINNISH NATIONAL BALLET
Helsinki, Finland

CINDERELLA – A Tragic Tale
A compelling new version of the “Cinderella” story based on original music by Lera Auerbach

PREMIERE
Fri 14 Oct. 19:00 | Sat 15 Oct. 19:00 | Wed 19 Oct. 19:00 | Fri 21 Oct. 19:00 | Thu 27 Oct. 19:00 | Sat 29 Oct. 19:00 | Tue 1 Nov. 19:00 | Thu 3 Nov. 19:00 | Sat 5 Nov. 14:00

Composer: Lera Auerbach
Choreographer: Terence Kohler
Conductor: Luke Dollman
Assistant: Sophia Fernandes
Sets and costumes: Jordi Roig
Lighting design: David Bofarull

Info & Tickets

STANISLAVSY BALLET
Moscow, Russia

THE LITTLE MERMAID
A modern but timeless interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid“
“Commissioned by the Royal Danish Ballet and the Hamburg Ballet”

REVIVAL
Fri 21 Oct. 19:00 | Sat 22 Oct. 19:00

Composer: Lera Auerbach
Choreographer: John Neumeier
Conductor: Felix Korobov

Info & Tickets

THEATER AN DER WIEN
Vienna, Austria

GOGOL
Opera in seven scenes and three acts
Music and libretto by Lera Auerbach - In Russian with German surtitles
“Commissioned by the Theater an der Wien with the support of the Vienna Mozart Year 2006 and patronage by Gallery Sistema and Viacheslav Sheianov in honor of Raisa Sheianova”

PREMIERE
Tue 15 Nov. 19:30 | Fri 18 Nov. 19:30 | Mo 21 Nov. 19:30 | Thu 24 Nov. 19:30 | Sat 26 Nov 19:30

Composer: Lera Auerbach
Librettist: Lera Auerbach
Conductor: Vladimir Fedoseyev
Director: Christine Mielitz
Set designer: Johannes Leiacker
Costume designer: Kaspar Glarner
Light designer: Stefan Bolliger
Choreographer: Arila Siegert
Dramaturgy: Christian Baier

Info & Tickets

Since its foundation in 1548 the Staatskapelle has always recognised the importance of including recent and contemporary music in its repertoire. Former music directors Heinrich Schütz, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner, as well as composers Richard Strauss, Paul Hindemith or Ferruccio Busoni in the early 20th century, were frequently inspired by the flexible and brilliant tonal range of this former court orchestra to develop their musical ideas. This important tradition was reaffirmed in 2007 with the appointment of the first Capell-Compositeur, or Composer-in-Residence, an annual position whose title refers to a post once held at Dresden’s royal court by Johann Sebastian Bach. After Isabel Mundry, Bernhard Lang, Rebecca Saunders and Johannes Maria Staud, we will once again welcome a »Capell-Compositrice« for the 2011/2012 season: the Russian-American composer Lera Auerbach, who will offer three new works for the various concert forms of the Staatskapelle, as well as giving insight into her creative process through lectures and a project week in collaboration with Dresden’s College of Music. She will also perform at the piano at the International Shostakovich Festival in Gohrisch together with members of the Staatskapelle.

Lera Auerbach was born in the city of Chelyabinsk, lying at the gateway to Siberia. After writing her first opera at twelve years of age, she moved to the USA in 1991 where she studied piano and composition at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School. In addition she attended classes in comparative literature at Columbia University. In 2002 she gave her debut at Carnegie Hall, performing her own Suite for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra (Op. 60) together with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. In subsequent years this versatile artist has maintained three tremendously successful careers as composer, poet and pianist. The young composer has already performed at the piano in concert venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Munich’s Herkulessaal, Oslo’s Konserthus and the Kennedy Center in Washington. She has composed works for Gidon Kremer, Vadim Gluzman, Hamburg State Opera Ballet, Kremerata Baltica and many others. Her music has been performed at the Aspen, Ravinia and Schwetzingen Festivals, at Moscow’s Autumn Festival as well as the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival. At first glance Lera Auerbach’s music seems to lean heavily on traditional musical influences. She sees no inconsistency in exploiting tonal language and classical forms in order to explore new paths. Closer attention, however, reveals an entire cosmos of unusual sounds, colours and composing methods, confirming a highly developed personal style.

The Verbier Festival will be held again in 2011 before the backdrop of the Swiss Alps. The Festival, founded in 1994, brings together stars of classical music on 17 days lasting from 15 until 31 July 2011. During the past few years, over 40,000 visitors attended the Festival.

The world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s “Icarus” for orchestra at the “Salle des Combins” awaits festival visitors on 18 July 2011, performed by the Verbier Festival Orchestra under the direction of Charles Dutoit, the Swiss conductor resident in Canada.The Icarus myth has preoccupied Western art time and time again. It tells of the high-spirited cockiness of the boy Icarus, son of Daedalus who built artificial wings for himself and his son, attaching them with wax to their bodies and thus enabling them to escape imprisonment on Crete. High up in the air, Icarus felt godlike and ascended ever higher towards the sun, so that the wings began to melt and he finally fell abruptly into the sea.Lera Auerbach’s “Icarus” essentially consists of the last two movements of her Symphony No. 1 “Chimera.”The composer has supplied the following commentary on her work:“What makes this myth so touching is Icarus’s impatience of the heart, his wish to reach the unreachable, the intensity of the ecstatic brevity of his flight and inevitability of his fall. If Icarus were to fly safely – there would be no myth. His tragic death is beautiful. It also poses a question – from Deadalus’ point of view – how can one distinguish success from failure? Deadalus’ greatest invention, the wings which allowed a man to fly, was his greatest failure as they caused the death of his son. Deadalus was brilliant, his wings were perfect, but he was also a blind father who did not truly understand his child.”

18 July 2011 Verbier
Verbier Festival, Salle des Combins, 7 PM
World premiere: Lera Auerbach“Ikarus“ for orchestra
Festivalorchester Verbier
Direction: Neeme Järvi

Experience The Finnish National Ballet world premiere production of a compelling new version of the Cinderella story for 2011. Music by Lera Auerbach and the arresting and intelligent choreography of Terence Kohler builds an intensive musical theater experience.

Duration 2 h 30 min, 1 intermission
Music Lera Auerbach
Choreography Terence Kohler
Sets and costumes Jordi Roig
Lighting design David Bofarull

Upcoming performances
Fri 14/10 19:00
Sat 15/10 19:00
Wed 19/10 19:00
Fri 21/10 19:00
Thu 27/10 19:00
Sat 29/10 19:00
Tue 1/11 19:00
Thu 3/11 19:00
Sat 5/11 14:00