NEWS
Morgenland Festival Osnabrück awards composition commission to Kayhan Kalhor
To mark its 20th anniversary, the Morgenland Festival Osnabrück, together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, USA, has commissioned a double concerto for cello, kamancheh and orchestra from the Iranian virtuoso and composer Kayhan Kalhor.
Yo-Yo Ma, one of the outstanding musical personalities of our time, will perform the work with Kayhan Kalhor and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of its chief conductor Alan Gilbert on June 29, 2025 in the OsnabrückHalle, opening the upcoming Morgenland Festival Osnabrück. The world premiere will take place two days earlier, on June 27, 2025, at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Kayhan Kalhor writes about his composition “Venus in the Mirror”:
"This concerto for cello, kamancheh (Persian spiked fiddle) and orchestra is an ode to peace and a celebration of a 25-year friendship with Yo-Yo Ma. The piece was written to instill a sense of calm during complicated times and to reflect on the beauty that lies hidden in the balance of what it means to be human."