Two important premieres are coming up for Luca Francesconi in June: First, Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the world premiere of the orchestra piece Dentro non ha tempo at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Second, the Royal Opera House in London will present a new production of his opera Quartett. Click here for more information and a video trailer about Quartett.

Luca Francesconi has been commissioned to write a new violin concerto for Leila Josefowicz called Duende, The Dark Notes. We talked with Ms Josefowicz about the new piece and her collaboration with Luca Francesconi.

June will see two world premieres for Julia Wolfe. unEarth will premiere on June 1 at David Geffen Hall with Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic (lead commissioner), featuring Soprano Else Torp. Pretty (commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony) will premiere on June 8 with Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin Philharmonic.

 Graham Fitkin receives the prestigious British Composer Award.

In Schwarzerde (Black Earth), Klaus Huber does not tell a linear story, one with a plot that can be followed. Instead, in nine sequences, he interweaves situational elements, poems, surreal dialogues and aphorisms. Michael Schindhelm’s libretto makes use of three languages: German, Russian and Armenian.