Livestream: Sir Simon Rattle – without audience

Programme

Ondřej Adámek
"Where are You?", for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra [2020] - commissioned by musica viva and the London Symphony Orchestra | world premiere

Olivier Messiaen
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum - für Bläser und Orchester

Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor

Magdalena Kožená, Mezzo-Soprano

Norbert Ommer, Sound design

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

about the programme

Where do we come from, and where are we headed? These are the great existential questions faced by the two composers in our concert, each in a very personal situation. In 1963 organist-composer Olivier Messiaen was commissioned by the French state to write a piece commemorating the fallen in the two world wars. A devout Catholic, he trusted in the Christian promise of resurrection and discovered new musical forces in nature and in India, a culture far removed from the West. His paths in this quest cross with those of Czech composer-conductor Ondřej Adámek, whose new work, commissioned by Bavarian Radio’s Musica Viva series and the London Symphony Orchestra, confronts the at once simple and great question of God’s existence. He begins exactly where the Bible begins: his new work, written for mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, begins and ends with the Word.

Concert photos

Sir Simon Rattle at musica viva

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená

World premiere of Where are You? by Ondřej Adámek at the Philharmonic Hall in the Gasteig Munich

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená during the world premiere of Ondřej Adámek's Where are You?

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Magdalena Kožená and Sir Simon Rattle

Sir Simon Rattle during the world premiere of Ondřej Adámek's composition Where are You?

Sir Simon Rattle conducts Olivier Messiaen's Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.

Hermann Menninghausm viola

Flutist Ronja Machold

Impressions from the rehearsals

Sir Simon Rattle with composer Ondřej Adámek during rehearsals for Where are You?

Rehearsal for the world premiere of Ondřej Adámek's composition Where are You?

Start of the rehearsals for Ondřej Adámek's Where are You?

The designated chief conductor of the BRSO Sir Simon Rattle

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená during rehearsals for the world premiere of Where are You?

Violinist Korbinian Altenberger from the BRSO

Musicians of the BRSO with Sir Simon Rattle

Sir Simon Rattle

PART OF THE MUSICA VIVA CONCERT SERIES

This concert is part of the musica viva concert series. Founded by the German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann in 1945 in Munich, musica viva is still one of the world’s most famous events for future-oriented and contemporary music, where many experimental works and performances for orchestra and chamber music receive their premiere.

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BRSO-concerts without live audience until april 5, 2021

On March 3, 2021, the Federal Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states decided to extend the lockdown until March 28, 2021, among other measures to contain the corona pandemic. The orchestra’s anticipation of being able to play in front of a live audience again after Lockdown is great. Unfortunately, it is extremely unlikely that this will be possible before Easter. Therefore the BRSO has decided not to give concerts in front of a live audience up to and including April 5 (Easter Monday).

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