Sarah Maria Sun: Musica Viva in Munich

On 23 October 2025, the soprano Sarah Maria Sun will perform Jörg Widmann‘s Versuch über die Fuge in the series Musica Viva of the Bayerischer Rundfunk at the Herkulessaal - Residenz Munich. Together with musicians of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Korbinian Altenberger (violin), Lorenz Chen (violin), Benedict Hames (viola) and Jaka Stadler (cello), Sarah Maria Sun focuses on Jörg Widmann’s compositions for string quartet. Further works of the programme will be his 1. Streichquartett, Choralquartett, Jagdquartett and 4. Streichquartett. The soprano is a regular guest at symphony orchestras and string quartets for Widmann’s piece Versuch über die Fuge: In 2026 she will perform it with the Bamberg Symphony in Bamberg and with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover at the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen.

(published on 7 October 2025)

T. Augestad: Marthaler-Revival

The highly acclaimed production Wachs oder Wirklichkeit (wax or reality) by Christoph Marthaler, Anna Viebrock, Malte Ubenauf and ensemble will have its revival on 13 October 2025 at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg Platz Berlin with the mezzo-soprano Tora Augestad. Further performances will take place on 19 October 2025 and 30 November 2025 as well as during the entire 2025/26 season. As performers on stage Hildegard Alex, Franz Beil, Magne Håvard Brekke, Altea Garrido, Olivia Grigolli, Jürg Kienberger, Rosa Lembeck and Clemens Sienknecht will join Tora Augestad.

 Jürgen Otten resumed enthusiastically in the magazine OPERNWELT:
Or a spiritual-sounding a cappella choral piece by Gesualdo, sung in the gallery like a serenade about the limitations of life. Or the kitsch pop song ‘Nimm mich in die Wirklichkeit’ (Take Me into Reality) by Beate Ling, which Tora Augestad, dressed as a Taylor Swift lookalike in a skimpy blue glitter dress, breathes so sweetly into the hall that one could almost drown in sentimentality. It is not only at this moment that one gets the feeling that this (dialectically infused) reality might be more profound than Heidegger's being, which only scratches the surface. And that really doesn't seem like the worst idea: that one can gain something more from life than just the principle of decline, which is so often discussed on this poetic evening of music theatre. And sometimes 90 melancholic minutes are enough for that.

(published on 30 September 2025)

Holger Falk: Autumn sounds in Erl

On 2 October 2025, the baritone Holger Falk will perform together with the pianist Herbert Schuch and the Musicbanda Franui at the Ausklang Festival at the Festspielhaus Erl. The festival’s second edition will once again focus on the border areas, grey areas and intersections between the genres of classical and folk music as well as popular music. On each festival day, encounters between the most diverse musical worlds take place. On this evening, songs by Hanns Eisler and Robert Schumann will meet with contrasting works played by Franui and the percussionist Vivi Vassileva.

(published on 22 September 2025)

S. Defrise: I Hate New Music! at La Monnaie

On 19 and 20 September 2025, the soprano Sarah Defrise will present her outstanding solo programme I Hate New Music! at the Malibran Room at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels. The show takes both connoisseurs and newcomers to new music on a highly entertaining journey through modern music, shining a spotlight on various clichés in the industry. In this 1.5-hour programme, actress and singer Sarah Defrise plays and sings pieces such as Luciano Berio Sequenza III, John Cage The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, Georges Aperghis PUB 2, Erwin Schulhoff Sonata Erotica and Cathy Berberian Stripsody. The production is by Natacha Kowalski, the lighting design is by Jean-Louis Bonmariage and the text was written by Sarah Defrise herself.

(published on 15 September 2025)