The KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen is an annual international and interdisciplinary festival from 12 – 29 May, presenting musical theatre, performances, concerts, dance, theatre and installations by international artists. Classical:NEXT delegates receive a professional discount, offering 50% off the full ticket price. Send an email with the keyword ‘Professional Classical: NEXT’ to professionals@kunstfestspiele.de to receive a discount code for your online booking.
Selected performances:
rwh 1-4 is music that moves through the space like breath. The word rwḥ(pronounced rú–akh) comes from the Aramaic and covers a range of meanings: wind, breath, soul, and spirit. In the Bible it stands for the Holy Spirit. The French composer and sound researcher Mark Andre concretises this ‘holy breath’ in his four-part cycle, making it existentially tangible.
An iconic work that was a scandal in its day meets the expressive dance language of Marlene Monteiro Freitas. The Cape Verdean choreographer and director stages Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot lunaire in dazzling images and sends the commedia dell’arte figure – naive, inquisitive, eccentric, lonely – on a whirling adventure.
The Staatsoper Hannover is one of the local partner venues of Classical:NEXT hosting the Opening on Tuesday, 17 May. All Classical:NEXT delegates can benefit from a 25% discount for the below performances at the Staatsoper: use the promo code ‘Classical:NEXT’ which online in the presale and at the box office.
Selected performances:
Director Nicola Hümpel, head of the celebrated Berlin-based musical theatre collective Nico and the Navigators, focuses on the ambivalences and ambiguities of the story’s characters, who encounter each other in the most absurd of situations and constellations. Two cameras record details on stage and project the enlarged images onto a screen, allowing the audience a close view of the events on stage and the expressive performances of the singers. Light-footed and poetical, this staging illustrates how closely the bigger picture and the smallest detail, the comic and the cryptic, are intertwined in Rossini’s musical theatre.
Merciless emotion. A misunderstanding. In his most famous opera, Peter Tchaikovsky outlines the fundamental conflict of the modern age: how emotional coldness and tedium destroy true affection. With Eugen Onegin, composed in 1879, he set to music one of the most well-known works by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. But Tchaikovsky chose a perspective that seems to be diametrically opposed to the intentions of the original: while Pushkin’s casually sparkling verse regards his characters with cool composure, even with irony, Tchaikovsky aims for unconditional identification.
A former Classical:NEXT showcase, Hannover based ensemble ‘Orchester im Treppenhaus’ has been working on an expanded concept of the concert for several years. With a playful research drive, it explores the boundaries of the live concert situation, opening doors to new listening experiences, intimate moments and surprising content.
Recommended performance:
The Inner Journey takes you on a journey through fantastic landscapes, magical experiences and strong emotions. As you sit in your seat, a voice takes you by the hand and leads you through inner spaces flooded with wonderful music: music by Philippe Gaubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fréderic Chopin and Arvo Pärt for string quintet, grand piano, flute and clarinet. A journey through inner worlds inspired by shamanic rites. Instrumentation: string quintet, piano, flute, bass clarinet.
