After my very successful Russian tour in May/June 2016, I conducted a lot of premieres and other new music in Germany. Last June there were 5 world premieres of compositions by  four young composers, varying from chamber orchestra to quintet, played in four different concerts. Their names: Areum Lee, Jinwook Jung, Seungwon Yang, Mehran Sherkat Naderi.

During summer, I conducted 7 concerts in the Netherlands and in Italy (Toscane) with the Viotta Symphony Orchestra. On the program a.o. symphony no. 5 by Shostakovitch, Capriccio Italien by Tchaikovsky, Beethovens 3rd piano concerto.

After summer, there were two wonderful concerts in Bremen (Germany).

The first was with contemporary French music performed by the ensemble ANM with works by a.o. Philippe Leroux and Philippe Hurel. We worked together with Hurel (on his piece “Figures libres”) and the result was fabulous! The picture shows both of us after the concert.

In the second concert, one week later, I conducted the “Pierrot Lunaire” by Schönberg. It was recited by the marvelous singer Katharina Rikus, who performed the piece in a semi-scenic way.  The video gives a short impression of this great concert.

I am very happy to announce that in a few months, I will conduct “Le sacre du printemps” by Stravinsky with the Volgograd Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia). During my whole career, this is one of my favourite pieces and I am really enjoying restudying the piece.

In the same concert, my son Maxime Gulikers will play the violin concerto by Tchaikovsky.

In January there will be 4 more world premieres in Bremen, one of them in a live-broadcast by DeutschlandRadio.

Other great moments in this season will be the cooperation with Amihai Grosz, solo viola player of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with the viola concerto by Walton and the renewed cooperation with the Ensemble New Babylon in a production together with DanceCollective, both from Bremen.

In the next season, I will conduct again (after exactly 20 years) the fantastic Ural Philharmonic Orchestra from Yekaterinburg and the Murmansk Philharmonic Orchestra, both from Russia.

For now, I wish everybody a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!