En9 — COMPOSER: Detlev Glanert
BERLIN | The prolific German opera composer crafts a compelling voice for his new Cello Concerto
WORDS AND INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL ZARATHUS-COOK
Speaking with German composer Detlev Glanert, one gets the feeling of speaking to an artist at large, and a poet at heart. With passing quips such as “I have doubts about simple music,” and “I don't reinvent the wheel, but I'm interested to travel,” his penchant for the written word is apparent. This penchant derives perhaps from his prolific output as one of the foremost opera composers in Europe—his latest, The Jewish woman of Toledo, premiered at Dresden’s Semperoper this February, with Robert Carsen in the director’s chair. That’s just one of the notable debuts for the tireless composer this year.
When he joined me from Berlin, the subject of our conversation was not opera but his equally sizable compositions for orchestra. His newly commissioned Cello Concerto premiered on January 19 at the Luxembourg Philharmonie under the baton of their conductor Gustavo Gimeno (also conductor of the Toronto Symphony). Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting — and co-commissioned by the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the Cologne Philharmonie, and the Toronto Symphony — the concerto was composed with German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser in mind. Along with Gimeno’s Toronto connection, Moser’s Canadian roots is also partly why the concerto will be making an appearance with the Toronto Symphony for its third performance ever (the second being in Cologne) this March. Despite the many compositional boxes he’s checked in his career, his first swing for solo cello was a relished challenge that left him with more food for thought.
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