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Planned before the pandemic, now finally a reality: the Beethoven Academy Orchestra from Krakow gave an acclaimed guest performance at the Konzert Theater Coesfeld and at the Konzerthaus Dortmund in a matinee of the Mozart Society Dortmund. The “Ruhrnachrichten” especially celebrated conductor Ewa Strusińska: “The Pole is a spirited, energetic, but also an elegant leader. Already in Mozart’s overture to the ‘Abduction from the Seraglio’ she brought the 38 musicians to a very precise and rousing performance”. And the Allgemeine Zeitung Coesfeld wrote enthusiastically about the soloist, a scholarship holder of the Mozart Society: “The great discovery of the evening was the trombonist Polina Tarasenko, …quite unspectacular but highly virtuosic”.

It is rare to experience such enthusiastic applause for a contemporary work as shortly before Easter at the Polish premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s violin concerto “Genesis” by Piotr Pławner and the Sinfonia Varsovia under Alexander Liebreich as part of the Beethoven Festival at the Warsaw National Philharmonic. Marcin Zgliński wrote: “It was wonderful to hear Piotr Pławner in this beautiful, subtle and even somewhat mysterious work”. A concerto that should definitely find its way into the repertoire of great symphony orchestras!

Svetoslav Borisov was once again able to prove his versatility after the Magdeburg ballet premiere with Schönberg’s Verklärter Nacht and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony in January and before the Don Pasquale premiere at the Varna Opera House in mid-March. At the Magdeburg Theatre, he conducted a new production of Richard Strauss’ opera “Ariadne auf Naxos”, moving the plot to the Hollywood dream factory, with references to Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin. First reviews particularly emphasised his “fine sense for tonal refinements and for long climaxes”.

From Stuttgart via Nuremberg, Bonn, Bielefeld, Berlin, Hanover, Hamburg and Bremen to Stralsund: Zofia Neugebauer was celebrated by audiences on a tour with the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn and in concerts with the Philharmonisches Orchester Vorpommern in halls such as the Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and the Theater Stralsund. “Wonderfully soft flute sound” wrote the press about Mercadante’s flute concerto and “technically brilliant and tonally fascinating, true listening pleasure” about Carl Reinicke’s flute concerto in Stralsund, accompanied by GMD Florian Csizmadia.

A year ago, the Anima Trombone Quartet gave its debut concert at the Nikolaisaal Potsdam, and now the four musicians played three acclaimed concerts within three days: at the invitation of the Mozart Society Dortmund, the quartet gave guest performances at the Lensing-Carrée Conference Center in Dortmund and the Orchesterzentrum NRW as well as at the Scena Kulturverein in Burgdorf in front of enthusiastic subscribers and traveling fans. Further concerts in northern Germany this year are already firmly planned.

For Ewa Strusińska, the winter half-year 2022/2023 is filled to the brim with musical theatre and ballet:

In December and January, she led the Royal Swedish Orchestra in a magical, contemporary and ‘visually lavish’ production of the ballet Cinderella (music by S. Prokofiev).This reinterpretation was created exclusively for the Royal Swedish Ballet by Tamara Rojo, artistic director at the English National Ballet, and the costumes are designed by Christian Lacroix. In between, she conducted performances of The Magic Flute in Görlitz and Carmen at the Chemnitz Theatre. In March then, she will conduct the premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera buffa Viva la mamma at the Gerhart Hauptmann Theatre in Görlitz/Zittau.

For the first time in two years, atmospheric, festive and entertaining Holiday performances could be enjoyed everywhere:

Polina Tarasenko made her debut at the Tonhalle Zurich on December 21 in two sold-out concerts with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra conducted by Heiko Mathias Förster. On the second day of Christmas she made her debut with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, playing, like in Zurich, the Trombone Concerto by Leopold Mozart.

Ewa Strusińska conducted a performance of The Magic Flute in the magnificent Görlitz Kaufhaus on Christmas Day and Cinderella with the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm a few days later.

At the Magdeburg Theatre, Svetoslav Borisov was celebrated in the New Year’s Concert for his brilliant programme “A Dance Journey Around the World”.

Another colourful waltz programme with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Western Pomerania was conducted by Florian Csizmadia in three concerts in Stralsund.

UR classics is very pleased to welcome the young Anima Trombone Quartet among its ensembles. The four members Polina Tarasenko (Ukraine), Tolga Akman (Turkey), Elai Grisaru Drori (Israel) and Amit Rozenzweig (Israel) met while studying at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and founded their quartet in 2021. The diversity of traditions from which the musicians come is reflected in their programs and already thrilled the audience at their debut concert in the Nikolaisaal Potsdam in January 2022.

A warm welcome!