CONDUCTOR
Karl-Heinz Steffens is at the Prague State Opera on Sunday 20th March conducting the premiere of Franz Schreker’s Der ferne Klang, the mysterious and passionate work that propelled Schreker to fame, in a new production by Timofey Kulyabin. This continues Steffens’ exploration of Musica non Grata, the series he initiated which is dedicated to “unwelcome…Read more ›
Karl-Heinz Steffens takes the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra to Stockholm’s Konserthuset this Saturday. Featuring soprano Siobhan Stagg, the French programme includes Rapsodie Espagnole, one of Ravel’s first major orchestral works, and Impressionist masterpieces, Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Debussy’s La Mer, as well as Brett Dean’s orchestration of Debussy’s Ariettes Oubliées. More about the programme
The Czech State Opera’s new production of Wagner’s stormy and romantic Der fliegende Holländer premieres today under the baton of Music Director Karl-Heinz Steffens and is followed by a run of nine performances. This production by Norwegian theatre director and designer Ole Anders Tandberg features a fine cast including Joachim Goltz as The Dutchman and Elisabeth…Read more ›
This weekend Karl-Heinz Steffens takes up both his clarinet and basset horn to participate in the Mendelssohn Festival at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, a two-day celebration of the composer curated by Elena Bashkirova which also features an arrangement of his songs by Aribert Reimann as well as works by his sister Fanny Hensel and Mozart.…Read more ›
Karl-Heinz Steffens embarks upon a weekend of performances in Prague to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Alexander Zemlinsky’s birth; these concerts form part of the Musica Non Grata series that he has initiated in his post of Music Director at the Prague State Opera. In addition to well-known works such as the Lyric Symphony,…Read more ›
This week Karl-Heinz Steffens embarks upon his 2nd season as Music Director of the Norrkӧping Symphony Orchestra. The concerts include Sibelius’ atmospheric Oceanides and Symphony no.2; to complete the programme, the American violinist Esther Yoo joins them to perform Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. Details HERE.
This week Karl-Heinz Steffens steps in for Edo de Waart with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in a programme comprising Richard Strauss’ Wind Serenade and Metamorphosen and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll. The concert is being recorded on Friday 12th March for streaming on Antwerp Symphony Orchestra platforms as well as for television broadcasting on the TV channel…Read more ›
Karl-Heinz Steffens is thrilled to be in Norrköping for his first concerts as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. They celebrate the opening of the season with two seminal Beethoven symphonies, nos. 3 & 5, and are joined by internationally renowned Swedish baritone Peter Mattei singing Mahler Kindertotenlieder on 5th September,…Read more ›
Back in Prague, Karl-Heinz Steffens is delighted to be on stage with the orchestra of Prague State Opera conducting a gala concert to open the 20/21 season, his second as Music Director. The concert marks the beginning of the four-year Musica non Grata project dedicated to “unwelcome music” written by composers who fell victim to…Read more ›
Recorded during Steffens’ time as Music Director of the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the series of 20th Century works was released to critical acclaim. Rob Cowan, for Gramophone Magazine, says ‘…Rarely have I enjoyed a creative compilation as much as I’ve relished Capriccio’s enterprising l0-disc Modern Times Edition, where the conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens inspires the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie…Read more ›