December 01st, 2023
07:30 pm

«Heidi feiert Weihnachten»– Opera for the whole family

Switzerland, Stadttheater Biel

Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn TOBS

Commissioned by the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn TOBS

www.tobs.ch/de/musiktheater/stuecke/stueck/prod/786/

November 13th, 2023

New CD release: UNCOMMON CONCERTOS – Concertos for Pan flute and Heckelphone, Taranis for large orchestra

There are instruments which, despite their great potential in terms of expressiveness and tonal possibilities, have not been able to establish themselves in the classical concert. These include the pan flute as well as the heckelphone. With just over a hundred instruments in existence worldwide, the latter has its place above all in the great opera houses, where it shines with marvellous solos in operas by Richard Strauss, but also in his Alpine Symphony. With Hanspeter Oggier, pan flute, and Martin Frutiger, heckelphone, Switzerland has two of the world`s most outstanding soloists. This CD features the first recordings of two concertos for these instruments. It also includes TARANIS, a symphonic work for large orchestra inspired by Alpine nature, performed by the ROYAL CZECH SYMPHONIA Hradec Králové under the direction of chief conductor Kaspar Zehnder. This is already the eighth CD release with works by Fabian Müller on the German label ARS Produktion and will be released in December 2023.

January 12th, 2023

Commissioned by the TOBS:
New Opera for the whole family – «Heidi feiert Weihnachten»

Following the sensational success of the opera «EIGER» Fabian Müller and Tim Krohn present «Heidi Celebrates Christmas,» bringing another piece of Swiss history to the stages of TOBS. The direction is led by Anna Drescher (among others, «Zaïs,» «Dido and Aeneas,» and «Die Weisse Rose"), with Kaspar Zehnder at the conductor`s podium. This premiere promises to be an opera experience for the whole family!

Christmas is just around the corner. Heidi spends the winter with her grandfather down in the village. She loves the grandmother of Geissenpeter as if she were her own and is determined to visit her on Christmas Eve. A violent snowstorm prevents her from doing so. However, when the grandfather goes out for errands, Heidi can`t resist: She sets off from the village to visit the sick grandmother – and gets terribly lost. With a newborn little goat under her coat, she wanders through the wilderness and skillfully saves herself with a Christmas touch of providence…

www.tobs.ch/de/musiktheater/stuecke/stueck/prod/786/

January 10th, 2023

World premiere of «Mother Earth» for large orchestra in Taipei

At the New Year`s Concert on January 1, 2023 in the sold-out National Concert Hall, the orchestral work commissioned by the One Song Orchestra had a brilliant premiere under the baton of Lee Che-yi (李哲藝). In the same concert Pi-Chin Chien (簡碧青) played the «Taiwan Rhapsody» for cello and orchestra.

December 21st, 2021

«Highly exciting» - press comments on the premiere of the opera EIGER

«You can`t avoid seeing a new, fresh interpretation of the aging term Gesamtkunstwerk. Eiger is a thrilling evening for all the senses.» Peter König, Der Bund - “A Helvetian Masterpiece” Christian Berzins, Luzerner Zeitung - “The director brought the gripping material to the small stage in a great way. [...] The drama on the mountain gets under your skin. «Annelise Alder, Bieler Tagblatt -» Successful world premiere that captivates [...] from the first note. «Peter Wäch, Jungfrau Zeitung. - «The emotional response of the short opera echoes deeply. […] The performance brings the opera as a total work of art to the eye in a new way through a cleverly balanced interplay of all factors. That makes «Eiger» an independent contribution to the development of music theater.» Michel Schär, stimme-der.kritik.org

December 17th, 2021

Premiere of the Opera «Eiger» at the Theater Biel-Solothurn TOBS

The opera “Eiger”, commissioned by the TOBS Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, based on a libretto by Tim Krohn, celebrates its world-premiere on December 17, 2021 at the Stadttheater Biel, followed by further performances in Biel, Solothurn and other locations. Kaspar Zehnder will be the musical director and the staging is directed by Barbara-David Brüesch. In 2004 the orchestral work “Eiger” was commissioned by the Interlaken Music Festival, a symphonic sketch of the famous Swiss mountain - premiered by Andris Nelsons and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Even then, the idea of an opera based on this music was in the room with the famous climbing drama on the Eiger from 1936 as the basis of the plot. The idea for this opera was then further developed together with the Swiss writer Tim Krohn (it is already the third collaboration).

www.tobs.ch/de/musiktheater/stuecke/stueck/prod/609/

October 23rd, 2021

Winner of the «Rimbaud» for film music 2021 at the Festival Les Rimbaud du Cinema in Paris

The music for the film «A Letter to A`ma» by Hui-Ling Chen won two prizes for the best film music at the international independent film festivals «Les Rimbauds du Cinema» and «SMR13» in France. It also won the Gold Award at the International Independent Festival “Woman Makes Waves” and, in addition to numerous other nominations, was also nominated as one of the five best documentaries at the Golden Horse Film Festival 2021 in Taiwan.

May 17th, 2020

CD Release «Strings on the Move»

The Lithuanian fairy tale of Eglė, the Queen of Grass Snakes, is brought to life alongside the glittering Baltic Sea by Strings on the Move in Zurich as a concertino for the violoncello, four-hand piano and string orchestra, while eight classic Swiss folk songs are transported to the Lithuanian seaport. On the CD published by the Estonian label ERP in partnership with the «Klaipeda Concert Hall» are two works of Fabian Müller, the Concertino for cello, piano for four hands and string orchestra, as well as the «Swiss Suite» for violoncello and string orchestra; with Pi-Chin Chien, violoncello, the piano duo Vilma & Daniel Zbinden, and the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra. On the CD are also two works by the great Lithuanian composer Eduardas Balsys. For excerpts of the music please click on the link below.

www.erpmusic.com/recordings/cd/strings-on-the-move/

January 20th, 2020

Recording of the «Concertino» for cello, piano for four hands and string orchestra

In January 2020, the recordings of two works on CD will take place in Lithuania, the Concertino for cello, piano for four hands and string orchestra, as well as the «Swiss Suite» for violoncello and string orchestra; with Pi-Chin Chien, violoncello, the piano duo Vilma & Daniel Zbinden, and the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra. The CD is expected to be released in spring 2020.