-May 2023-
My big dream came true with the premiere of ’Der Kleine Prinz on April 28th — finally composing for an A-orchestra, finally getting rehearsal time and as the icing on the cake working with a wonderful ballet company – Ballet X. That was an absolute highlight. The collaboration with the chief choreographer in Schwerin, Xenia Wiest, was unique – always available, always motivating, always creative.
I can only take my hat off to the fact that she entrusted me with composing a whole evening for the
‘Mecklenburgische Staatskappelle’ (under the direction of Aki Schmitt) and the ballet company, even though she didn’t know me before.
Thank you also to all people at ‘Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater’. Yes it is quite a small house and a small city. But the people working there are all super friendly and warmhearted. I never had a single moment of bad vibes. That was unique.
Last but not least the one person with whom I would have NEVER ever be able to write 1 hour of orchestra music in 5 months: my mentor Alan Belkin – you are the man !
Now I’ll continue with composing for the installation ‘Only The Dead Aren’t Alive’ with Nick Reimann in Baden / Austria. More details soon.
Then as announced the rehearsals at the ’Volkstheater’ in Vienna will start for the production of ‘Malina’ – a novel by Ingeborg Bachmann (premiere on September 8th), followed by the production ‘Ur-Sonate’ by Kurt Schwitters at the ‘Deutsches Theater‘ in Berlin, which will premiere on November 17th.
I would be happy to to do one last theatre production in 2024 at the ‘Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg’ – where it all began 16 years ago. The circle would close. I would see many loved ones back there. The premiere would be on April 4th, 2024. Another collaboration with my favorite stage-director Claudia Bauer. The piece is called ‘Hinter jedem großen Idioten gibt es sieben Frauen, die versuchen, ihn am Leben zu halten.’ by Selina Fillinger —– but no contract has been signed so far.
After that there will be a voluntary theatre break until 2025. I’d like to learn new composition-techniques again, make new videos, meet new musicians, conductors & ensembles and finally meet back all my friends in Belgium – 2023 will be the first year within the past 25 years in which this will not have been possible . All of this takes and needs time and that’s why there will be a ‘theatre break’ for the rest of 2024.
Some private words – normally I try to avoid that. So you’d better not get used to that 😉
upcoming projects
-March 2023-
The premiere of the new adaptation of ’Der Kleine Prinz’ on April 28th, together with Ballet X at Schwerin, is coming up. We are all really looking forward to it.
Composing 1 hour of music for orchestra in 5 months – it was an extreme experience that would never have worked without important people around me and the great cooperation with the chief choreographer Xenia Wiest.
After that it continues without interruption.
At the end of May, I will do some vocal quartet recordings together with Nick Reimann from Vienna, for whom I’ll compose music for an installation.
Then the rehearsals at the ’Volkstheater’ in Vienna will start for the production of ‘Malina’ – a novel by Ingeborg Bachmann. Here, too, great hapiness, because there are many lovely and committed employees and artists at the ‘VoT’ and the sound department is a dream.
The premiere will be on September 8th, 2023.
During and after the rehearsals for ‘Malina’, the work on several compositions for the following production at the ‘Deutsches Theater‘ in Berlin is pending. It will be a very extensive work, which will premiere on November 17th, 2023.
At the same time, the cooperation with the fantastic vocal ensemble ‘AuditivVokal‘ from Dresden will be intensified and I would like to contribute some compositions for their tour in December. It’s going to be very exciting because I’d like to try out new compositional techniques that I haven’t had any experience with yet.
And then the year is already over.
In 2024 there could possibly be a return to one of my old places of work in Hamburg, which I would be very happy about. More will not be revealed yet, because everything is still relatively uncertain.
Another new Video
-January 2023-
Last year I got to know the dancer and choreographer Xenia Wiest of the ‘Ballett X Schwerin’.
Working with her is something very special – not only artistically, but also the way we communicate, exchange ideas and interact with one another.
‘Remember the Ladies’ is the result of our first production together and we’ve been working on the next project for months.
The ballet is about strong women, emancipation, the fight for their rights, their freedom and their ideals.
New Video online
-December 2022-
A new video which is realized in collaboration with Parisian video artist Romain Al. ’L’Historie d’un Tunnel’ is online.
It’s about conventions / tunnels in which you are forced into from birth and which leaves you behind with scars. You almost drown from all the rules and regulations…then the bomb – liberation. The forest stands for something beautiful, open, free…
But at the very end you can see how the next tunnel is waiting – even in the forest.
“From birth, humans are immersed in a tunnel of one dimension and one direction. It guides them, contains them and takes them through spaces that have been made inaccessible: spaces that are out of the ordinary, multidimensional… free !”
Some more Prizes
-November 2022-
The production ‘Humanistää!‘ showed at the ‘Volkstheater Wien‘ for which I composed the whole music, won more prizes during the prestigious ‘Nestroy-Awards‘ in Austria: ‘best production 2022’, ‘best director 2022’ and ‘best actor 2022’.
New Music & Videos
-August 2022-
There is new music from me with great drawn videos by Andreas Metzler on my YouTube channel:
CLICK HERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The project ‘Ode an die Popmusik’ is the result of many different events.
First and foremost is my admiration for Alfred Schnittke. In particular, I was fascinated by his collaboration with Lev Atamanov, among others for ‘The Ballerina on the Boat‘.
This gave rise to the idea of persuading my longtime friend Andreas Metzler to create drawn videos for some of my compositions.
Thanks to Martin Frieß, who has been supporting me with angelic patience for many instrument-specific questions and problems for several years, I was able to win really great musicians (mainly from the ‘Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg‘) for the recording-session.
The pieces were originally created for the season opening of the Sasel-Haus in Hamburg and were integrated into a kind of ‘double concert’, the first part of which has been Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ suite, arranged for flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and double bass.
Using the same instrumentation, ‘Ode an die Popmusik’ emerged as a cycle of contemporary re-compositions of well-known songs.
More Prizes
-August 2022-
The production ‘Humanistää!‘ showed at the ‘Volkstheater Wien‘ for which I composed the whole music, won more prizes: for ‘best production 2022’, ‘best actor 2022′, best costumes 2022’ and ‘best stage 2022’ of all theatres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Some News
-August 2022-
Quite a while since I’ve been here.
The last couple of months, I’ve been writing for the production ‘Remember The Ladies‘ for the ‘Mecklenburgisches Staatsballett‘. Now the chief choreographer Xenia Wiest takes over and creates the right steps to the music. I’m really excited about the project. Working with Xenia is a lot of fun and creative exchange.
Now I have some days to compose a small commissioned work for Claudia Bauer, the Staatstheater Kassel and the production ‘Les Contes D’Hoffmann‘.
From September 1st, the full focus will be on creating the composition of the music for the production ‘Der Kleine Prinz‘ – also for the ‘Mecklenburgisches Staatsballett‘. I only have 6 months to write 1 hour of orchestral music – that’s more than athletic. Right now it’s a feeling between great joy, hapiness, stress and panic, whether I’ll make it.
Beethoven 9th
-May 2022-
At the moment I’m working for the ‘Orchester Plauen/Zwickau‘ with their conductor Leo Siberski, composing a transition bewteen Frank Sinatra’s ‘I’ve got you under my skin’ and the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. It’s fun !
Listening
-April 2022-
A new piece, titled ‘Hymne an die Musiek’, which I composed for the vocal-ensemble AuditivVokal will be performed during 3 concerts in May:
26.05.2022
Verehrungsklänge
Barockschloss Rammenau
27.05.2022
Verehrungsklänge
Peterskirche Leipzig
28.05.2022
Verehrungsklänge
SLUB Dresden
Music Video Awards
-April 2022-
The video for my composition ‘Peace’ which was created by Willem Rabe of ‘neoanalog‘, is selected for the ‘Silver Screenings’ during this year’s festival of the ‘Berlin Music Video Awards’. I’m very happy about that.
Please watch and listen to it HERE.
Ballet
-March 2022-
I’ll start a new collaboration with choreographer Xenia Wiest from the ‘Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater’. We’ll work together for 2 productions: A ‘Triple Bill’ in October for which I will compose round about 20-30 minutes of music and another big production in 2023 for which I will write the music for the whole evening. More info soon. I’m very curious about this new adventure.
New Videos
-February 2022-
I uploaded new videos on my YouTube channel.
‘Pentagon Of Poetry’ describes a bundle of 5 contemporary vocal compositions which are the result of the collaboration with the vocal ensemble ‘AuditivVokal‘ from Dresden and its conductor Olaf Katzer. Four poems by Goethe, Nietzsche and Lenau serve as the textual basis, as well as a list of well-known authors’ names, which were set to music in the ‘Autoren-ABC’.
Please listen and watch HERE.
Theatertreffen Berlin
-February 2022-
The production ‘Humanistää!‘ showed at the ‘Volkstheater Wien‘ for which I composed the whole music (nearly 2 hours) is invited to the ‘Theatertreffen Berlin‘. The ‘Theatertreffen‘ honours the best 10 theatre productions of the year of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This year the jury visited more than 500 productions. An invitation for the ‘Theatertreffen‘ is a bit like winning the Oscar for a film. We are all very happy and it’s been more than 50 years that the ‘Volkstheater‘ has been invited for the last time. For me it’s the second invitation after 2017 (with the production ’89/90′ / Schauspiel Leipzig).
YouTube Channel
-January 2022-
Please visit my YouTube Channel to listen to and watch some of my latest compositions.
Extra Features
-December 2021-
The right uppercorner shows a direct link to my new YouTube channel:
If you scroll down a little bit to ‘projects’, I added 2 categories ‘compositions’ and ‘orchestrations’.
And finally you can find a new video ‘Dawn – me² + 1’ in the ‘videos’ section.
New Visuals & YouTube Channel
-November 2021-
Some concerts have been cancelled due to corona and Willem Rabe of neoanalog already finished the new visuals for my CD ‘me² +1’. So I could already create my new YouTube chanel which will only consist of my most valuable music, projects and compositions. Have a look.
Next project to be online will be my music sung by AuditivVokal.
News News News
-November 2021-
Many things happened.
On the 16th of October we could celebrate the premiere of ‘memento’ – a dance production of choreographer Tim Plegge and the ‘Hessisches Staatsballett’. Dark Fader (Roald Baudoux and me) composed several pieces for the evening.
After that, we made the recordings with AuditivVokal happen. I’m so much looking forward to the result of this recording session. But there will still be a lot of work with cutting and mixing. I hope that I can put the result online by the end of January 2022.
That will also include the creation of a new YouTube channel on which I’d like to put my most valuable compositions, combined with good visuals.
Beside AuditivVokal, the result of a cooperation with neoanalog will be seen on this channel. At the moment, these guys are busy with creating the visuals for one of my CDs: ‘me2+1’. I’m so happy that I found them. Willem Rabe is so motivated, creative and helpful. Thank you so much ‘neoanalog’ !
Further on, I arranged 2 pieces for the WDR Funkhausorchestra. I hope the result can be seen and watched very soon on YouTube.
At the moment we are working on a theatre production in Vienna. The premiere will be on the 17th of December.
Busy days, lots of plans and ideas. I love it.
Scholarship
-August 2021-
Some news here. I got a scholarship from the German GEMA. I’m very happy about that. It gives me some freedom to be creative and independent.
Another thing is that there might be an opportunity to record some of my vocal-compositions together with the fantastic AuditivVokal Ensemble from Dresden end of October. At the moment I’m cleaning up my compositions for this occasion.
I’m also doing some notation-software work for publishers. So busy days over here.
Brass Reduction
-April 2021-
I accepted an offer to write a reduction of the brass section in Franz Lehár’s ‘Paganini’ for the Clara-Schumann-Philharmoniker Plauen-Zwickau.
A smaller line-up is needed due to Corona restricitons.
Vienna Calling
-April 2021-
I just signed a contract for a production with Claudia Bauer at the ‘Volkstheater‘ in Vienna.
It’ll be quite a mountain to climb. The idea is to make a kind of a spoken opera with words/text of Ernst Jandl.
The premiere will be on the 17th of December 2021.
Additional Music
-April 2021-
Tim Plegge the house-choreographer of the ‘Hessisches Staatsballett’ is very happy with the music Roald Baudoux and I produced for his next production ‘memento‘ and he asked us for some additional compositions.
‘Work’ (Fun !!) starts next week. Yeah !
New Music Is Finished
-January 2021-
With our project ‘Dark Fader‘, Roald Baudoux and me just finished the composition of 9 electro-acoustic pieces for ‘memento‘. Please read more about it in the article below.
The premiere will take place on the 9th of april.
Last week I also finished 6 new compositions of mine for the production ‘Die Rechtschaffenen Mörder‘ (premiere on the 28th of March at Staatsschauspiel Dresden). We will start rehearsing next week and I’m looking so much forward to hear my music being performed by the fantastic AuditivVokal Ensemble.
Nice X-Mas Present
-December 2020-
Today I found back the contract for my first ballet production in my post box. That’s been a dream of mine for a long time – being part of the fusion between music and movement.
I asked my good friend Roald Baudoux from Dark Fader to join me. We will work for the ‘Hessisches Staatsballett’. The production is called ‘memento‘ and the choreaographer will be Tim Plegge.
The premiere will take place on the 16th of October 2021 in Darmstadt. The plan is to perform ‘memento’ in Darmstadt and Wiesbaden.
Productions in Leipzig and Dresden
-September 2020-
2 new theatre productions for which I will design the music will have their premiere on the 28th of March at Staatsschauspiel Dresden and on the 29th of April 2021 at Schauspiel Leipzig.
In Dresden we will perform ‘Die Rechtschaffenen Mörder‘ – a debut novel from Ingo Schulze.
We will be joined by some fantastic singers of AuditivVokal for which I’m allowed to write new compositions. The stage director will be Claudia Bauer.
In Leipzig we will work on the debut of ‘Widerstand’ – a theatre play especially created for Schauspiel Leipzig. The stage director will be Enrico Lübbe.
Orchestrations
-August 2020-
I was asked to write classical orchestrations of 4 well known Pop-Songs for the Sasel Haus. We decided to take ‘Rehab’ (Amy Winehouse), ‘Hallelujah’ (Leonard Cohen), ‘Norwegian Wood’ (The Beatles) and ‘Ring Of Fire’ (Johnny Cash). The line-up will be: Flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and double bass. Join the concert on the 16th of May 2021 – it will be fun.
Production in Frankfurt
-June 2020-
Last week I signed a contract for a production at the Schauspiel Frankfurt. We will work on Klaus Mann’s ‘Mephisto’. I’ll be the musical director and Claudia Bauer will be the stage director.
The rehearsals will start in August and I think we’ll be the opener of the season. The premiere is at 3rd of October 2020.
I’m looking forward to it.
Concerto For Double Choir
-March 2020-
I just finished my new ‘Concerto for Double Choir’ after having composed very intensely for the last couple of months, while simultaneously learning my new notation program ‘Dorico‘ (which is fantastic – finally I got rid of ‘Sibelius’ which made me angry much too often).
The Concerto will hopefully be performed by the end of 2020 by ‘Collegium Vocale‘ with their conductor Florian Lohmann who is a real master.
New CD out now !
-January 2020-
Some great news at the beginning of the year:
I found a nice Belgium-Based Label for my CD ‘me2+1’ which I recorded, produced and mixed with great musicians and friends.
Have a look here:
https://off-recordlabel.blogspot.com/2020/01/ouc023-peer-baierlein-me-1.html
This CD is about colours and energy and not the parameters to which most of us are used to (melody, harmony, rhythm).
Enjoy it on a quiet moment of your day/life.
Igor Strawinsky – L’Histoire Du Soldat
-October 2019-
On the 20th of october there will be a concert at the ‘Sasel Haus‘ for which I’m distributing some orchestrations. One part of the evening will be Igor Strawinskys „L’histoire du soldat – Die Geschichte des Soldaten“ together with the actors Victoria Trauttmansdorff and Wolf-Dietrich Sprenger.
For the other part, the visitors could choose their favorite classical works and I adapted them for Igor Strawinskys Septet-Line-Up. For more info, click here.
New Website – Welcome
-April 2019-
I think it was in 2017 when we played at a little private event and I met Johannes Töws for the first time.
He was one of the guests and it turned out that he was an illustrator. I saw some of his works and fell in love with his drawings immediately.
I told him:’ Johannes, there will come a day when I’ll contact you and we’ll work together’.
Last year I decided to refresh my website.
The basic idea was to have much less unnecessary personal information.
The visitors should see nice paintings with lots of funny little details which conjure a smile on their faces.
Of course Johannes was the first choice for this ‘assignment’.
We decided to first brainstorm – each for his own – to find a common thread for the site.
When we talked some days later we both had the exact same idea.
We wanted to tell the history of music in 6 pictures – starting in a bygone era, ending in the mañana.
Johannes wanted to add 3 main figures (they don’t have names yet). These are the little blue, green and yellow chimeras which can be seen in each picture. They evaluate together with their instruments and environment.
Most people don’t have time nowadays. But if you do have, take some minutes and explore Johannes’ fantastic work of art please.
