One year after the death of director Patrice Chéreau, his critically acclaimed staging of From the House of the Dead will be performed at the Staatsoper im Schiller Theater in Berlin.

When his production was performed in 2009 at the MET, critics were thrilled:

“Critics aren't supposed to use the word ‘perfect.’ It sounds excessive and insincere, because, after all, nothing in life or art is absolute. But when confronted with a production of such overwhelming excellence as From the House of the Dead at the Met, the urge to use the P-word is just about irresistible.” (The New York Post, 16 November 2009)

“Leoš Janáček’s From the House of the Dead, is a total triumph, perhaps one of the finest things that the Met has ever done.” (The New Yorker, 30 November 2009)

Watch the Staatsoper Berlin’s trailer on YouTube:

Leoš Janáček: From the House of the Dead
Opera in 3 acts | 100'
critical-practical version (by Sir Charles Mackerras and John Tyrrell)
7.12.2014, Staatsoper im Schiller Theater, Berlin; Tom Fox, Pavlo Hunka, Eric Stoklossa, Stefan Margita, Peter Straka, Vladimir Chmelo, Jiri Sulzenko, Heinz Zednik, Ladislav Elgr, Ján Galla, et al.; Staatsopernchor; Staatskapelle Berlin, cond. Simon Rattle
Further performances: 10, 13, 17 and 21.12.2014

The US première of Georg Friedrich Haas’ dark dreams takes place tonight, 6 October, at Carnegie Hall in New York with Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic.

We’ve prepared a two-minute audio excerpt, an interview between Georg Friedrich Haas and Karsten Witt and also the full digital score for you.

Watch an excerpt of dark dreams:

The New York Times has reviewed Georg Friedrich Haas’ dark dreams. Read the full review online.

The world première will be followed by national premières in Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria in March; the United States première will take place on 6 October at Carnegie Hall.

The composer on dark dreams:

“The high level of both orchestra and conductor, and Simon Rattle’s high opinion of in vain, initially rather paralyzed than encouraged me. […] I didn’t intend to have a contrabassoon solo – but it soon became clear that it had to be there. There was this incredible performer [Sophie Dartigalongue], so that the possibility for the solo was created.”

View the full study score of dark dreams:

Georg Friedrich Haas: dark dreams
for orchestra | 23'
national premières: 03.03.2014, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg; 04.03.2014, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; 05.03.2014, Philharmonie, Luxembourg; 06.03.2014, Philharmonie, Köln; 07.03.2014, Musikverein, Vienna; 06.10.2014, Carnegie Hall, New York; Berliner Philharmoniker, cond. Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker dedicated their gala concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Philharmonie on 20 October to the theme of “space music”. Among the pieces performed was the world première of Wolfgang Rihm’s IN-SCHRIFT 2. The 15-minute orchestral work is closely linked to IN-SCHRIFT, which is one Rihm’s most performed orchestral works.

(German) reviews of the evening are available on Der Tagesspiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and the Berliner Zeitung.

The latest addition to the illustrious list of conductors in our Mahler interview series is Sir Simon Rattle.

Sir Simon talks to UE about his own very personal relationship with Mahler’s music and the challenges for a conductor when performing his music.