Without notes – without conductor – without chairs: Stegreif shows new ways of what a contemporary orchestra can look like today. In radical recompositions, the international musicians combine symphonic music with improvisation and influences from other genres and involve the audience in original spatial concepts. With these innovative concert formats, the young ensemble inspires a growing audience of different target groups.
Since the orchestra was founded in 2015, at least one new concert programme has been developed every year: #freebeethoven, #freeschubert, #freebrahms, #free∃roica, #bfree, #freemahler, #explore_mozart, #explorefreischütz, #bechange. In addition, co-productions have been realised with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the young North German Philharmonic Orchestra (TRIKESTRA), among others. Stegreif has performed concerts renowned stages such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Brucknerhaus Linz, the Radialsystem Berlin, the Beethovenfest Bonn or the Prinzregententheater Munich as well as at alternative alternative festivals such as FUSION, Detect Classic, PODIUM Esslingen, the Düsseldorf Festival or the Oranjewoud Festival (NL).
VIDEO
PRESS
‘A Bruckner symphony in an interactive format: it’s one of the most goosebump-inducing moments of the evening and pure magic. Rarely do you experience the urgency and exceptional character of this music first-hand as was the case here.’
Urs Mattenberger in der Luzerner Zeitung, 12.09.2024
‘There was thunderous applause and standing ovations for this magnificent performance by an ensemble that had ‘delivered’.’
Reinhard Frank on shz.de, 24.07.2022
‘It’s a success! Bravo!’
Angelika Silberbach in Mainpost, 19.07.2022
‘The passion for music and the virtuosity of the individual pieces can rarely be experienced so closely.’
Ulrike Gerner in taz, 12.10.2019
SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2024/25
Dates available upon request
#IMPROPHONIE
A symphony from the moment
How can music emerge in the moment and in contact with the audience? Where do improvisation and composition meet? Can even an entire symphony be improvised?
Groove – movement – eye contact. The aim of #improphonie is to capture the magic of collective, free improvisation in its spontaneity and to give it a space as an independent work. space as an independent work. The individual strengths of the musicians become the driving energy and communication the actual composer. communication becomes the actual composer.
Artistic direction: Juri de Marco, Lorenz Blaumer
Concept, composition, musical direction: Bertram Burkert
Direction, choreography and conception: Lea Hladka
Costume and stage: Anja Kreher
Duration: approx 70 min
“The most striking overall impression was the atmosphere: away from the spectacular, theatral, merely entertaining, towards mindfulness, humility and appreciation.”
FAZ, 27 September 2022
Dates available upon request
symphony of change –
Final production of the project #bechange – 17 sounds of sustainability
In the symphony of change, Stegreif asks what this change sounds like. The musical arc is spanned from Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709- 1785), Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) to Clara Schumann (1819-1896). Music history is revealed and rewritten when selected works by these historical composers are recomposed by five young and female ensemble members of the Stegreif Orchester and placed in a new context.
Premiere: planned for August 2023
Cast: 24 musicians
Artistic direction: Juri de Marco / Lorenz Blaumer
Recomposition/Arrangement: Nina Kazourian, Tabea Schrenk, Julia Bilat, Helena Weinstock-Montag, Franziska Aller
Co-Artistic Direction Composition: Alistair Duncan
Direction, Choreography: David Fernandez
