Members of the orchestra say of Clara Iannotta’s new concerto, ‘the decision to cancel was made by the artistic management’, not the musicians
The musicians of the Essen Philharmonic have issued a statement to The Strad clarifying their position following the cancellation of the world premiere of sand like gold-leaf smithereens, a new violin concerto for detuned violin, orchestra and electronics by Clara Iannotta. The work was due to be performed by the leading soloist Carolin Widmann on 30 and 31 October.
In contrast to some reports that the orchestra had collectively opposed the performance of the new work, the musicians state that ‘Until the end, we as an orchestra tried to make the premiere possible. The decision to cancel was made by the artistic management and came as a surprise to us.’
Iannotta’s score had specified some challenging special techniques – such as bowing on Styrofoam plates and the use of stones in close proximity to valuable instruments. ‘There were concerns regarding the safety of the instruments and working materials, for which we as an orchestra could not find solutions on our own.’ This was exacerbated by the fact that the complete score and parts only arrived two weeks before the concert dates, which the orchestra said gave them ‘no time to prepare for the special demands of the work nor to clarify open questions with the management’.
Management put a vote to the musicians; while the majority were willing to go ahead with the premiere, some others raised concerns. However, the orchestra stated that discussions between players and management in order to find a solution ‘were sometimes initiated too late or not conducted with sufficiently empowered personnel. As a result, a genuine dialogue or joint decision was hardly possible.’
In an Instagram post, Widmann wrote of her disappointment at the cancellation: ‘Clara wrote a wonderful piece… I have practised it and immersed myself in her sound world… this piece already had a special place in my heart.’
The orchestra’s statement (which has been translated from the original German) appears in full below.
Statement by the Members of the Essen Philharmonic on the Cancelled Premiere of Clara Iannotta’s Violin Concerto:
In recent days, the public has gained the impression that the members of the Essen Philharmonic had collectively opposed the performance of Clara Iannotta’s new violin concerto. This does not correspond to the facts. Until the end, we as an orchestra tried to make the premiere possible. The decision to cancel was made by the artistic management and came as a surprise to us. The work was commissioned for the NOW! Festival and was supposed to be premiered as part of a regular symphony concert. However, the complete score and the parts only arrived two weeks before the concert date, significantly later than agreed. There was no time to prepare for the special demands of the work nor to clarify open questions with the management.
The use of the specified objects and playing techniques – among others, bowing with high-quality bows on Styrofoam plates – meant a considerable additional organisational and material effort. Such bows usually cost several thousand euros. Likewise, the use of stones in close proximity to sensitive string instruments caused justified concern, as it could not be ruled out that these might fall from the music stand or slip from the hand during playing. There were concerns regarding the safety of the instruments and working materials, for which we as an orchestra could not find solutions on our own.
The orchestra management therefore asked the orchestra representatives for support and for an assessment of the mood within the orchestra. This was expressly a preliminary opinion, to determine the tariffs for special instruments and objects in this specific case. A large majority of the musicians were willing to realise the premiere as planned. At the same time, some colleagues expressed justified concerns that could not be dispelled in the short time available. It was further complicated by the fact that necessary coordination discussions were sometimes initiated too late or not conducted with sufficiently empowered personnel. As a result, a genuine dialogue or joint decision was hardly possible.
We regret the situation that has arisen and the public escalation, which has overshadowed the view of our own artistic concerns. We hope that Clara Iannotta’s work and the significance of new music will continue to be at the centre of public perception.
The Essen Philharmonic have been committed for many years with great dedication to contemporary music and new sound concepts – both within the NOW! Festival and in other concert formats.
Essen, October 2025
On behalf of the members of the Essen Philharmonic orchestra committee:
Prof. Alexander Kritikos (Chair)
Joachim Graf (Deputy Chair)
Natalie Arnold
Karla Müller
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