We were deeply sorry to learn of the passing pf Peter Eötvös. He was one of the guiding figures of contemporary music, relentlessly inspiring generations of musicians to their best way forward into the unknown.

BCMG have long respected his values and work as a composer, particularly his operatic works, and his educational vocation has always been a force of nature.

We were due to premiere the UK premiere of his work Secret Kiss and the world premiere of the version in English in 2020, which was cancelled due to COVID. We were one of the co-commissioners of the work through our world renowned Sound Investment scheme.

 We are honoured to be giving this performance as the UK premiere later this year, unfortunately without Peter. We will always strive to follow his example.

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Peter Eötvös's chamber opera, Secret Kiss, is based on Alessandro Baricco’s novel Silk and takes its title from a scene in the book, the story of a French silkworm trader who travels to Japan and becomes obsessed with the concubine of local baron.

Conceived first in Japanese, BCMG will give the long overdue world premiere of the English version.

Secret Kiss will receive performances all over the world by our international commissioning partners Casa da Música Porto (Remix Ensemble), Plural Ensemble Madrid, Bunka Kaikan Tokyo, Musikfabrik Cologne and MÜPA Budapest. The Gageego Ensemble gave the world premiere of the Japanese version in Gothenburg this year.

Composer, conductor and teacher, Peter Eötvös combined all three roles in one very high-profile career. His music features regularly in the programmes of orchestras, contemporary music ensembles and festivals worldwide, and as composer and conductor he led projects focusing on his work in cities across the globe.

https://www.harrisonparrott.com/artists/peter-eotvos