Kent Nagano at festivals in Munich, Edinburgh and Salzburg

On 1 July Kent Nagano will be conducting the premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s opera „Saint François d’Assise“ at this year’s Munich Opera Festival, a production by Hermann Nitsch. Messiaen’s only opera tells the story of Saint Francis of Assisi in eight scenic meditations, based on memories and legends by the saint’s companions. Messiaen focuses on the “development of god’s mercy in a human’s soul” as he himself said about the composition.

Besides the festival premiere, music director Kent Nagano will be conducting numerous other performances during the Munich Opera Festival such as the premieres of the past season: „L’Enfant et les sortilèges“ by Maurice Ravel and „Der Zwerg“ by Alexander Zemlinsky as well as the ballet evening with music by Ravel “Wohin er auch blickt…/Daphnis and Chloé“.

From 16 to 18 August Kent Nagano will be guest at the Edinburgh Festival together with his Orchestre symphonique de Montréal that will be celebrating the inauguration of their new concert hall on 7 September in Canada. In Edinburgh, the orchestra will present a programme with works by Tan Dun and Takemitsu, Stravinsky’s “The firebird”, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 and more.

At this year’s Salzburg Festival Kent Nagano will be conducting the Camerata Salzburg in three concerts on 12, 21 and 24 August with works by Ives, Hartmann, Mahler, Britten, Bartók, Schubert amongst others.

All of Kent Nagano’s summer festival concerts at a glance:

Kent Nagano at Munich Opera Festival

1 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Messiaen: Saint François d’Assise Premiere

Further performances: 5/10 July

2 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Wagner: Lohengrin

Further performances: 6 July

9 July, Max-Joseph-Saal

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

ATTACA – Youth Orchestra of Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Mussorgsky: Night on the Bare Mountain

Wagner: Ouverture to Tannhäuser and Venusberg

Strauss: Death and Transfiguration

Brahms: Symphony No. 4

12 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Ravel: Wohin er auch blickt…/Daphnis and Chloé

13 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

Further performances: 16 July

22 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Ravel: L’enfant et les sortilèges

Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg

27 July, Nationaltheater

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Wagner: Tristan and Isolde

Further performances: 31 July

Kent Nagano at the Edinburgh Festival

16 August

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Debussy: La Mer

Tan Dun: „Water concerto“ for water instruments and orchestra

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 „Pastorale“

Wang Beibei, percussion

17 August

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Takemitsu: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden

Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

Stravinsky: The firebird

Waltraud Meier, Mezzo soprano

18 August

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Soloists)

Ravel: Introduktion und Allegro

Chin: Fantaisie mécanique for five instrumentalists

Schubert: Octet F major

Kent Nagano at Salzburg Festival

12 August

Camerata Salzburg

Ives: The Unanswered Question

Hartmann: Symphony No. 4

Mahler: Adagietto

Mozart: Concerto for piano and orchestra B major

Maria João Pires, piano

21 August

Camerata Salzburg

Brahms: Serenade No. 1

Britten: Lachrymae for viola and strings op. 48a

Strauss: Metamorphosen

Tabea Zimmermann, Viola

24 August

Camerata Salzburg

Beethoven: Große Fuge op. 133

Bartók: Music for strings, percussion and celesta

Webern: Six pieces for large orchestra op. 6

Schubert: Symphony No. 7

Ives: From the Steeples and the Mountains