2024/25 Highlights from Boosey & Hawkes London
The coming season brings an extensive collection of new and recent works by Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski composers, including John Adams, Lera Auerbach, Unsuk Chin, Anna Clyne, James MacMillan and Mark-Anthony Turnage.
Here are highlights selected by Boosey & Hawkes in London taking place in Europe. For season highlights taking place in North America click here.
4 September, Utrecht
Oscar Bettison On the slow weather of dreams (world premiere)
As the culmination of Bettison’s residency with Asko|Schönberg, his new 45-minute work for voices and large ensemble is toured around the Netherlands, including the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam (12 Sep), and travels to the Musica festival in Strasbourg (20 Sep), conducted by Clark Rundell. Utilising the same scoring as De Staat by his teacher Louis Andriessen, Bettison’s work summons a surreal voyage of a boat through the night sky.
> Concert info
11 September, London
James MacMillan Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere)
The London Symphony Orchestra under Antonio Pappano opens its season with the world premiere of MacMillan’s ghostly new Concerto for Orchestra, with the work travelling on for performances in Sweden, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA. Other MacMillan highlights this season include a major four-concert focus at the Konserthuset in Stockholm (14-17 Nov), Christmas Oratorio in Budapest (12 Dec) and the London premiere of Violin Concerto No.2 with Nicola Benedetti (3 Apr).
> Concert info
28 September, Bonn
Ferran Cruixent Trinity (world premiere)
The world premiere of Cruixent’s new triple concerto is presented by the Sitkovetsky Trio and the Hessischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra under Ivan Repušic. The work is inspired by texts by the Hindu-Catalan philosopher Raimon Panikkar, describing the three-way interdependence of spiritual, cosmic and human dimensions, echoing the ‘together’ theme at the Beethovenfest in Bonn. This year has seen the premiere of Cruixent’s video game-inspired Metaverse III in Cordoba and performances of his percussion concerto Focs d’artifici at the Berlin Philharmonie.
> Concert info
13 October, Hamburg
Steve Reich Reich/Richter (German premiere)
The recent collaboration between composer Steve Reich and artist Gerhard Richter continues to travel widely with its German premiere presented at the Elbphilharmonie, followed by a further performance by ensemble unitedberlin at the Konzerthaus in Berlin (20 Oct). This season also brings Reich/Richter’s Danish premiere by the Athelas Sinfonietta in Copenhagen (28 Jan) and a performance in Brighton directed by Colin Currie (23 Mar).
> Concert info
14 October, Regensburg
Aziza Sadikova Strahlender Engel (world premiere)
The new horn concerto by the Tashkent-born composer is presented by the Regensburg Philharmonic with soloist Gabriel Maul and conductor Stefan Veselka. The latest in a series of angel-themed works, the new concerto is inspired by Pushkin’s poem Angel and follows Sadikova’s orchestral Angelo di Fuoco, composed in 2022 within Sadikova’s residency with the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini in Parma.
> Concert info
1 November, Tampere
Osmo Tapio Räihälä Harmattan (world premiere)
The Tampere Philharmonic under Hannu Lintu gives the first performance of Räihälä’s new orchestral overture. The title refers to the cold and dry, tropical winter wind blowing from the Sahara towards the Gulf of Guinea. The Harmattan whips up an intense orchestral sandstorm, leading to a flurry of excitement and danger, before the wind subsides and the music fades into silence and shimmering anticipation.
> Concert info
10 November, London
Magnus Lindberg Viola Concerto (UK premiere)
Following its world premiere in Helsinki in February, Lindberg’s new concerto for Lawrence Power travels on to London with the Philharmonia under Esa-Pekka Salonen, with further performances by the NDR Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (16 Feb), the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg (9 Mar) and the St. Louis Symphony (14 Mar). Other Lindberg orchestral highlights this season include TEMPUS FUGIT in Porto (30 Nov) and Chorale in Budapest (8 Dec).
> Concert info
16 November, Manchester
Anna Clyne This Moment (UK premiere)
Clyne’s Composer in Association role with the BBC Philharmonic brings the first UK performance of This Moment, following its premiere by the Philadelphia Orchestra. This miniature meditation on collective grief and loss reflects on words by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s, “this moment is full of wonders”, together with moments ‘borrowed’ from Mozart’s Requiem. Clyne is currently composing PALETTE, a concerto for electronically augmented orchestra, with first performances scheduled in 2025.
> Concert info
2 December, Rotterdam
Michel van der Aa From Dust (world premiere)
Van der Aa’s new virtual reality opera installation is unveiled at De Doelen in Rotterdam. During this 20-minute journey, each audience-of-one will take part in a personalized story. Through interacting with their surroundings, the audience will meet the opera’s protagonist and her five alter egos, performed by the six members of vocal ensemble Sjaella. Van der Aa is currently working on a new music theatre piece for Dutch National Opera.
> Opera info
8 December, Cologne
York Höller Prolog und Abgesang (world premiere)
The Gürzenich Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä presents the premiere of Höller’s new concert opener at the Philharmonie, as an 80th birthday tribute to the composer in his home city. This compact orchestral fantasy is based on a motif from one of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke for piano, expanded to form the piece’s entire melodic-harmonic structure. Höller offers the farewell of the title as a swan song for the post-war peace and prosperity, currently under threat in Europe once again.
> Concert info
15 December, Berlin
Mark Simpson Hold Your Heart in Your Teeth (world premiere)
Timothy Ridout is soloist in Simpson’s new viola concerto, premiered by the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester at the Berlin Philharmonie, conducted by Robin Ticciati. The title draws on a Romanian saying, meaning to be brave in the face of fear. Other Simpson highlights over the season include the UK premiere of the Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with soloist Jason Lewis (25 Sep) and Thomas Adès conducting Israfel at the Berlin Philharmonie with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester (26 Jun).
> Concert info
16 December, London
Kurt Schwertsik Last Days in Old Europe (world premiere)
The Nash Ensemble gives the world premiere of Schwertsik’s new trio at the Wigmore Hall. The horn is the composer’s own instrument and the new work is written for Richard Watkins together with violinist Benjamin Nabarro and pianist Alasdair Beaton. The coming season also brings Fioretti per San Francisco at the Leipzig Gewandhaus with MDR forces conducted by Dennis Russell Davies (6 Apr) and ends with the composer’s 90th birthday (25 Jun).
> Concert info
2025
9 January, Berlin
Donghoon Shin Threadsuns (Viola Concerto) (world premiere)
Amihai Grosz is viola soloist in Shin’s new concerto Threadsuns, titled after the poetry collection by Paul Celan and dedicated to the memory of Peter Eötvös. The first performances feature the Berlin Philharmonic under Tugan Sokhiev at the Philharmonie, with future dates planned by the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Austria. Shin’s recent orchestral score Upon His Ghostly Solitude, inspired by the poetry of Yeats and the music of Berg, travels this autumn to the Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä (31 Oct).
> Concert info
12 January, London
Mark-Anthony Turnage Sco (world premiere)
Turnage’s new guitar concerto features long-time jazz collaborator John Scofield and was commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday. Rattle and the LSO travel for the French premiere of Sco at the Philharmonie de Paris (14 Jan) and the conductor is at the helm of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for two performances of Remembering in Munich (13 Feb) and Vienna (15 Feb). The Nash Ensemble premieres Turnage’s sea shanty-inspired nonet Haul Away at London’s Wigmore Hall (14 Dec).
> Concert info
22 January, Zürich
John Adams After the Fall (European premiere)
Vikingur Ólafsson is soloist in Adams’s new piano concerto, premiered by the San Francisco Symphony in January and travelling to Europe for performances by the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zürich (22 Jan), Hamburg (16 Mar) and Paris (18 Mar) and by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (3 May). This season sees Adams’s latest opera, Antony and Cleopatra, staged for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with Gerald Finley and Julia Bullock in the title roles (12 May).
> Concert info
24 January, Valladolid
Gabriela Ortiz Dzonot (European premiere)
Alisa Weilerstein is cello soloist in the first European performances of Ortiz’s new concerto, following its premiere by the Los Angeles Philharmonic this autumn. Performances in Valladolid, conducted by Thierry Fischer, are part of the composer’s residency with the Orquestra Sinfónica de Castilla y León and future performances are planned by co-commissioners the Philharmonia in London and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de São Paulo.
> Concert info
24 January, Madrid
Brett Dean In spe contra spem (Spanish premiere)
The Spanish premiere of Dean’s recent work for two sopranos and orchestra is given by the Orquesta Nacional de España under Jaime Martín, with soloists Jennifer France and Emma Bell in the opposing roles of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth Tudor. Other Dean highlights in the coming season include Marin Alsop conducting Fire Music in Vienna (23 Jan) and Berlin (20 Feb) and the London Philharmonic Orchestra issuing a collection of live recordings from the composer’s recent residency.
> Concert info
4-9 February, Paris
Olga Neuwirth Festival Presences feature
Radio France’s Parisian new music festival offers a portrait of Neuwirth as featured composer in its 2025 edition. Highlights include two concertos for soloist and orchestra: locus...doublure...solus with pianist Tamara Stefanovich and ...miramondo multiplo... featuring trumpeter David Guerrier, both with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The festival also unveils Neuwith’s new Tombeau for orchestra and electronics, written as a memorial tribute to Pierre Boulez in his centenary year, with a further performance by the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne (9 Mar).
> Festival info
11 February, London
Mark-Anthony Turnage Festen (world premiere)
The Royal Opera stages Turnage’s new opera, based on Thomas Vinterberg’s acclaimed film depicting a family celebration that takes an increasingly dark turn. The world premiere staging by Richard Jones features a cast led by Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley, Natalya Romaniw and Eva-Maria Westbroek, with Edward Gardner conducting Royal Opera forces. Turnage has recently completed a new version of Edith Nesbit's classic The Railway Children to be staged by Glyndebourne (Autumn 2025).
> Opera info
22 February, Stuttgart
Johannes Boris Borowski The Waves (world premiere)
The SWR Vocal Ensemble gives the first performances of Borowski’s new choral cycle for 24 voices drawing upon texts from Virginia Woolf’s 1931 experimental novel which explores the weaving together of multiple consciousnesses. The premiere at the Evangelische Kirche Gaisburg in Stuttgart, conducted by Marcus Creed, is followed by a first Dutch performance at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam (27 Feb).
> Concert info
22 March, Potsdam
Detlev Glanert new work (world premiere)
Markus Stenz conducts the first performance of Glanert’s new orchestral intermezzo, composed for the Kammerakademie in Potsdam. Next season also brings German and Spanish premieres of the composer’s recent Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra with soloist Christoph Sietzen in Frankfurt (13 Sep) and San Sebastian (13 Mar). Midori performs Glanert’s Violin Concerto No.2 with the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg (11 Apr) and on tour with the Bundesjugendorchester (19-30 Apr).
> Concert info
26 April, Luxembourg
Elena Kats-Chernin Lene fliegt ins Zirkusland (world premiere)
The newest in Kats-Chernin’s series of operas for young audiences is staged by the Luxembourg Philharmonic as part of a family circus weekend. The composer again collaborates with librettist Susanne Felicitas Wolf on this fairy tale circus opera full of suspense, magic, humour and poetry. This autumn brings stagings of Kats-Chernin’s widely-performed Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver in Trier (11 Sep) and her recent music theatre version of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol in Kiel (24 Nov).
> Opera info
30 April, Vienna
Hannah Eisendle new work (world premiere)
Boosey & Hawkes’s most recent composer signing, Hannah Eisendle, conducts the world premiere of her new 15-minute orchestral score with the Concert-Verein in Vienna. Recent works by the Austrian-born composer, conductor and pianist include two scores for the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, heliosis and Azinheira, premiered under the batons of Marin Alsop and Joana Carneiro respectively.
> Concert info
2 May, Schwetzingen
Mike Svoboda Adam und Eva (world premiere)
The world premiere of Svoboda’s new Genesis-themed opera is presented by singers from the Landestheater Linz at the Schwetzingen Festival. Scored for six vocalists, actor, choir and orchestra, the stagework sets a libretto by Anne-May Krüger based on the comic play by Peter Hacks. The Fall of Man is interpreted here as the seizing of the unattainable: only by acting in contradiction to God does man become like him - as the creator of himself - and thus free.
> Opera info
6 May, Hamburg
Manfred Trojahn Trame lunari (world premiere)
Commissioned by the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Mozartfest in Würzburg, as part of a residency, Trojahn’s new double concerto is scored for viola, piano and chamber orchestra. Ensemble Resonanz is conducted by Riccardo Minasi with Nils Mönkemeyer and William Youn as soloists. The composer’s recent Henry James opera Septembersonate returns to the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf (4 Oct), and Achéron for four percussionists and orchestra is performed in Duisburg (14 May).
> Concert info
11 May, Bremen
Lera Auerbach Adam’s Lament (world premiere)
The Bremen Philharmonic gives the premiere of Auerbach’s new orchestral score Adam’s Lament conducted by Valentin Uryupin. This is a successor to her widely performed Eve’s Lament, inspired by Milton’s depiction of the loss of paradise. Highlights this season also include Symphony No.6 ‘Vessels of Light’ (17 Nov) and the world premiere of Labyrinth (14 Feb), both in Berlin as part of a ‘creative focus’ at the Konzerthaus, and a new orchestral work conducted by Manfred Honeck at the Vienna Konzerthaus (22 Jun).
> Concert info
15 May – 1 June, Leipzig
Dmitri Shostakovich anniversary feature
The 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death is marked by a major series in Leipzig, centred on the Gewandhaus, encompassing opera, orchestral and chamber. Highlights include performances by the Boston Symphony and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras with Andris Nelsons on the rostrum. Repertoire ranges from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Leipzig Opera House, to complete cycles of Shostakovich’s 15 symphonies and string quartets. Novelties include performances of his film and light music, together with rarely heard vocal music, and the University of Music and Theatre hosts an academic symposium on the composer.
> Festival info
18 May, Hamburg
Unsuk Chin The Dark Side of the Moon (world premiere)
Following the international success of Alice in Wonderland, Chin turns in her second opera to the world of psychology combined with a sinister Faustian theme. The premiere of The Dark Side of the Moon at the Hamburg State Opera is staged by theatre collective Dead Centre and conducted by Kent Nagano, with a cast including Thomas Lehman, Bo Skovhus and Siobhan Stagg. Other Chin highlights in the coming season include first London (12 Oct) and Paris (19 Dec) performances of her recent orchestral work Alaraph.
> Opera info
5 June, Liverpool
Grace-Evangeline Mason new work (world premiere)
Mason returns to the texts of American poet Sara Teasdale for her new work for soprano and orchestra, premiered by Sophie Bevan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Domingo Hindoyan. The new season is launched for Mason with a further performance of the Teasdale-inspired ABLAZE THE MOON by the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester conducted by John Storgårds (21 Sep) following its premiere at the 2023 BBC Proms.
> Concert info
