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.

New Music 2019
 A Topology of Neue Musik

One striking feature of Neue Musik is how difficult it is to grasp. Thousands of actors are constantly reinventing Neue Musik in hundreds of places in Germany. This is an attempt at an overview.

New Music 2018
 Showtime

Whether it took the form of a riotously funny TV show, or a dystopian macho performance or an over-religious prayer ceremony – in 2018, New Music showed that it was no stranger to the art of entertainment.

New Music 2017
 A Critical Voice that Gives Us Food for Thought

All over the world democratic systems are losing out to authoritarian despots. Jarring tones seem to be de rigueur. So what about contemporary music? Can it act as a kind of counterbalance? It could. And it should. Where has it managed this and where is it still bogged down in repetition? Find out in this review of the year 2017.

NEW MUSIC IN 2016
 Stability and Upheaval

A critical engagement with its own traditions, new festival formats, a stretching of materials, and new structural opportunities meant that in 2016 new music strove to do more than just  make sounds in concert halls. It engaged in social analysis, questioned habits, and took the floor to express its opinions. 

New Music 2015
 LARGELY LOW-KEY

For the realm of New Music the year 2015 was not one of great controversies, but on the German scene there were in fact a lot of changes on the personnel level.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC 2014
 Music and Reality

Darmstadt or Donaueschingen, Witten or Weingarten, Bochum or Berlin – the hotspots for New Music in 2014 were as various as the projects last year: whether music theatre or ensemble work, concept pieces or multimedia performances.... The institutions behind them not only made important concerts possible last year, but also in-depth discussions. 

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC 2013
 Highly ambitious undertakings in German town and country

The contemporary classical music scene in Germany was highly diverse and engaged last year. An overview.

Contemporary Music 2012
 Of theatre fun and farewells

The New Music scene can look back on major premieres, the latest festivals, John Cage’s double jubilee, but also some departures and goodbyes.

Contemporary Music 2011
 Innovative dramaturgies for a new public

New Music reached out to the public in 2011 – and was surprisingly well received. Margarete Zander reviews the latest developments.

Contemporary Music 2010
 As thriving and diverse as ever

The interest in contemporary music theatre remained unbroken in the German-speaking world in 2010.