Underscoring the power of the orchestra: Ostrava Days

The Ostrava New Orchestra

Andrej Gál

Jiří Rožeň and the Ostrava New Orchestra

By Kurt Gottschalk, 30 August 2023

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“the impression shifted from too much going on to everything going on”

Reviewed at Triple Hall Karolina, Ostrava on 27 August 2023

Kalitzke, Story Teller

Xenakis, Shaar

Page, Tensor (World premiere of 2023 revision)

Zhao, In a Bamboo Grove

Bowden, Wild Colour (World premiere)

Chaloupka, Allegory of the Cave II (World premiere)

Rzewski, A Long Time Man

Ostrava New Orchestra

Andrej Gál, Cello

Daan Vandewalle, Piano

Johannes Kalitzke, Conductor

Roland Kluttig, Conductor

Jiří Rožeň, Conductor

Casting Trump as a 21st-century Brechtian villain

Kurt Gottschalk, 1st September

Donatienne Michel-Dansac is great in the lead at the Ostrava Days new music festival, leering, boasting and swaggering convincingly as the former US President.

****1

Czernowin's Heart Chamber stirs passions at Deutsche Oper Berlin

Liam Cagney, 6th December

Heart Chamber explores how small outer events often correspond to tectonic inner changes.

****1

A shark with shiny teeth

Chanda VanderHart, 18th January

Requiring trained opera singers to focus primarily on acting and asking actors to sing in a renowned opera house puts everyone out of their comfort zone, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

***11

Klangforum explores focused, southern side of Austrian new music scene

Zwölftöner, 30th October

The Klangforum Wien has had its own row of subscription concerts at the Konzerthaus for the past 22 seasons, and a constant during that time has been the regular programming of Austrian composers.

****1

Ultraschall eröffnet in Berlin

Saori Kanemaki, 18th January

Mit verblüffend amüsantem Programm eröffnete das Ultraschall Festival in Berlin und sorgte für Begeisterung unter den Hörern.

****1

Zeitlose Themen und aktuelle Relevanz

Christine Roth, 24th February

Das Warten und der Tod standen im Mittelpunkt des 5. Philharmonischen Konzertes Heidelberg, bei dem die zeitgenössischen Komponistin Chaya Czernowin mit dem Heidelberger Künstlerinnenpreis 2016 ausgezeichnet wurde.

****1

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Kurt Gottschalk

Kurt Gottschalk is a journalist and author based in New York City. His writings on contemporary and classical music, jazz and improvisation have been published in outlets throughout Europe and America and he has two volumes of short fiction to his name. He produced and hosted the Miniature Minotaurs radio programme on WFMU and currently hosts Afternoon New Music on WKCR.

Stories and echoes underscore the power of the orchestra on opening night of Ostrava Days