On December 2, 2025, at 19:30, the Frankfurt Opera will host a portrait concert celebrating the 90th birthday of Helmut Lachenmann. The event is part of the Happy New Ears series, a cooperation between Ensemble Modern, the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt, and the Oper Frankfurt.
The program is dedicated exclusively to Lachenmann’s influential work “Mouvement (– vor der Erstarrung)” from 1983/84. Commissioned by the Ensemble Intercontemporain and championed early on by Ensemble Modern, the piece exemplifies the composer’s concept of “musique concrète instrumentale,” expanding the sound world of traditional instruments through innovative techniques. The performance by Ensemble Modern will be conducted by Enno Poppe. Following the concert, Poppe will moderate a discussion with Helmut Lachenmann as the guest of honor.
This concert is a central event within a broader series honoring the composer. Ensemble Modern also dedicated performances in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Hamburg throughout the 2025 season to Lachenmann, featuring his large-scale work “Concertini.” Additionally, the ensemble marked the occasion with the publication of an interview titled “Staying young,” featuring Lachenmann in conversation with Michael Rebhahn.
The Happy New Ears series takes its name from a New Year’s wish by John Cage, one of Lachenmann’s key influences alongside Luigi Nono and Karlheinz Stockhausen. The concert offers a focused opportunity to engage with the work of a composer who has significantly shaped the landscape of 20th and 21st-century music.