Annual Reviews

Classical, Contemporary and Early Music 2021
 Reawakening and setbacks

Racism, abuse of power, Covid – 2021 was another year of controversy and profound social debate in the early, new and classical music scene. Hannah Schmidt looks back on some of the main issues and incidents – and how the German classical music scene coped with another pandemic year.

Classical, Contemporary and Early Music 2020
 The year the show went online

As in many other areas of society, the coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on German musical life in 2020. Patrick Hahn recalls what did happen last year all the same in the classical, contemporary and early music scenes.

Early Music 2019
 Poor, but happy!

How is early music faring in Germany at the close of 2019? Well, it’s poor – but happy. This past year, alongside plenty of mainstream festivals, others, brimming with musical idealism, offered highly original programmes of early music. And although historically informed performers still get the short end of the stick in terms of public funding, they are playing more and more concerts. What is more, their enthusiasm and scholarly zest for exploration and discovery remain unabated.

Early Music 2018
 Sought and found: Fresh impetus and a second wind for early music

Early music has long since become a staple of the classical music scene in Germany. But is it still capable of taking risks or being provocative, the way it was in its early years? This was the subject of a symposium held in 2018. Meanwhile, a number of festivals, CD recordings and projects to nurture young talents have gone exciting new ways.

Early Music 2017
 A Year in the Life of (Early) Music ...

The two major anniversaries of Luther and Telemann dominated the year 2017. Anton Steck, Professor of Baroque Violin, looks back over the year in the field of Early Music and examines current issues concerning historical performance practice.

Early Music 2016
 Crossing boundaries in an ever-changing world

In 2016, crossing borders was a dominant theme in politics and in early music. Thorsten Preuß recalls crossovers into folk and jazz, concert formats that broke all boundaries, and the uproar of the year.
 

Early Music 2015
 From the Depths of Time

Not all the blank spots on the map of Early Music have been charted yet – not by a long shot. In addition to new discoveries for the repertoire, 2015 also brought forgotten timbres to our ears as well as new developments in the art of improvisation.

EARLY MUSIC 2014
 A Son Grows Up

The most crucial outcome of the year in early music: the music of Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel came centre-stage in the music world, with a great many CD productions and festival programmes, for the 2014 tercentenary of his birth. Meanwhile, concert organizers and promoters are looking for new ways and concert formats to put early music across.

Early Music 2013
 Everything in a state of flux

It may sound paradoxical, but Early Music is younger than ever. 2013 was not a year of great fireworks, but rather one of steady and generation-spanning changes.

Early Music 2012
 From the ivory tower into the contemporary limelight

The days of the museification and ivory tower isolation of the early music scene in Germany are gone for good. Sabine Fallenstein recaps some of the many noteworthy events, concerts and stage productions in 2012.

Early music in 2011
 The adventure continues

Early music remained very much alive and thriving in Germany in 2011, a year marked not only by the rediscovery of works by Johann Adolf Hasse and Johann Ludwig Bach, but also by the breakthrough of some Baroque ensembles.