Moses and Aron / NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

There can hardly be a more fitting work to mark the beginning of a new era. For Ingo Metzmacher, the encounter with Schoenberg’s music was the initial spark that opened the door for him to discover modernism: »I find his directness and the power of his music fascinating. He dared to step outside the accepted system. Without Schoenberg, modernism would have taken a very different course.«

»Moses and Aron« represents Schoenberg’s religious and philosophical ideas at their most radical. Moses and Aron, the dissimilar brothers, are fighting for a communication of that which cannot be communicated. Aron gains control over the people of Israel with miracles and well-worded orations; he maintains it with dance and the »Golden Calf«. Moses, in contrast, is struggling to adequately articulate his religious vision. »Oh word, that word I lack«: Schoenberg’s unfinished opera ends with this utterance. The composer never succeeded in finding a solution to the theological and conceptual challenges of his material, which the third act was meant to bring.

For Metzmacher, it is in this incompleteness that the pioneering power of Schoenberg’s ambitious creation is revealed. »With unfinished works, I sometimes think that composers are exploring paths without knowing where they will lead. That’s exactly why these works are particularly interesting – because they point to a future. They tear open spaces that would otherwise never be disclosed.«

The musicians of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and their guests explore the spaces Schoenberg opened in his music in a concertante performance of »Moses and Aron« in the Grand Hall and a preview talk/concert the previous evening in the Recital Hall. With Franz Grundheber as Moses and John Daszak as Aron, the Elbphilharmonie is proud to present two soloists who have set new benchmarks in these roles.