Sarah Nemtsov ranks among the most exciting musical voices of her generation, one whose “disturbingly intense sonic images of the reality around her” (Deutschlandfunk) incorporate references to literary and sociopolitical topics as well as to the Jewish musical tradition. Numerous highlights from her catalogue of some 150 works – comprising chamber music, ensemble and orchestral works and several operas – are featured in the close of the current season, and the next season will also see exciting Nemtsov projects. An overview:

Festivals

At the 2022 Ruhrtriennale, her instrumental cycle Haus will be staged by Heinrich Horwitz and Rosa Wernecke. The Swiss festival Les Amplitudes presented a portrait of the composer with works of all dimensions, and her new trio starlings, sparrows had its world premiere at the Witten Days for New Chamber Music.

Listen to starlings, sparrows online

Creation

A tetralogy based on the Creation myth of the Kabbalah is being composed for the Cologne Radio (WDR) Symphony Orchestra, the Nikel ensemble and the Elbphilharmonie (with Ensemble Resonanz).

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“A Night Piece”

With a title borrowed from the poem by Sylvia Plath, black trees is an indirect poetic approach to Beethoven with false fugatos and Beethoven’s characteristic “seeming-inability-to-end”. The world premiere was given by the Altenburg-Gera Philharmonic Orchestra under Johannes Kalitzke.



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Opera

Sarah Nemtsov is currently working on her latest opera: Ophelia (2020-22), on a libretto by Mirko Bonné. The premiere will take place in 2023 at the Saarland State Theatre. The premiere of a further new opera, Wir (after Yevgeny Zamyatin) is planned for the Dortmund Opera.

Watch our Sarah Nemtsov playlist