NEWs

Les essences‘ NEW REHEARSAL ROOM

A new cooperation with Essen City’s pearl

The Essen-based ensemble Les essences lets the audience look behind the scenes and eavesdrop on the actually very secret rehearsals in all transparency. In this way, well-known and unknown musical works can be experienced as they are created in a greenhouse.

In the glass pavilion on the „Tummelwiese“, in cooperation with the Grugapark.

Next rehearsals: 21. & 22.6.2023, 10:30-18:00

NEWs

Les essences OPEN AIR

A festive concert with Mozart‘s entertainment music

Performing the music possibly on its original context, Les essences presents an open air program with Mozart’s Cassations and Divertimenti. These youth works by Mozart will be performed under Önder Baloglu’s direction for a special audience: for the students of Les essences cooperates with the University of Duisburg-Essen and plays this colorful program on a central open air forum of the Essen Campus

23.6.2023, 18:00, University Duisburg- Essen, Campus Essen, Rondell Gelbe Cafete

NEWs

Les essences in Tel Aviv!

Focus on Harp Festival

Another exciting tour is coming up in April: the core quartet of Les essences and Israeli harpist Lior Ouziel play a debut concert at the „Focus on Harp“ series. An own arrangement of Mendelssohn‘s double concerto and „Conte Fantastique“ by André Caplet are on the program. This tour is generously supported by the Office of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for Economy, Science, Education, Youth and Culture in Israel.

14.4.2023, 13:00, Ran Baron Hall, Tel Aviv

NEWs

Les essences‘ Easter tour

On the road with Haydn‘s Seven Last Words

Performing the music possibly on its original context, Les essences tours a very special program, Haydn’s masterpiece, The Seven Last Words, in an own arrangement for strings, through the easter weeks. First performance takes place at the 44. Duisburger Akzente, as a part of the exhibition „Museum of the Moon“ on March 29th. On Good Friday, April 7th at the Lighthouse Essen, Les essences performs the masterwork as a part of a Good Friday‘s service just like Haydn‘s intentions. The last concert of this tour is also the last part of a trilogy which Önder has been designing at the St. Barbara church in Moers in the last years: „Of Coming and Going“. In this trilogy, H.I.F.Biber‘s exceptional Rosary Sonatas are being combined by different masterworks, according to the subjects of the Rosary Sonatas.

29.3.2023, 20:00, Salvatorkirche Duisburg

7.4.2023, 17:00, Lighthouse Essen

16,4,2023, 17:00, St. Barbara Moers-Meerbeck

NEWs

ROSAMUNDES SCHUBERT

Les essences’ mini series honoring the Rosamunde-Quartet-Munich

On the search of the true chamber music and its essences Les essences planned two concerts with the support of the Ministry for Culture and Sciences of North Rhine-Westphalia and Sparkasse Essen, honoring its mentor Andreas Reiner and his world famous string quartet, the Rosamunde-Quartet. In this series, the core quartet of Les essences performs the string quintet by Schubert together with the cellist Anja Lechner of the Rosamundes and Andreas Reiner works with Les essences as a mentor on an arrangement of Schubert’s „The Death and the Maiden“ and C-minor Ouverture D8.

25.9.2022, 18:00, Bürgermeisterhaus Essen-Werden

20.11.2022, 16:00. Haus Fuhr Essen-Werden

NEWs

les essences at koNzerthaus doRtmund!

PEACE CONCERT FOR UKRAINE

Together with the Mozart Society Dortmund and two of their excellent scholarship holders, the Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina and the Ukrainian trombonist Polina Tarasenko, LES ESSENCES will perform under the direction of Önder Baloglu a concert for peace on June 3, 2022 in Konzerthaus Dortmund, one of the most exquisite halls in Germany. The proceeds from this benefit concert go to the aid organization CARE and to the clinic for child and adolescent medicine in Dortmund, which helps sick children and their families who have fled the Ukraine.

3.6.2022, 20:00, Konzerthaus Dortmund

NEWs

LES essences in NRW!

BATTLE OF THE TURKS OR HOW COFFEE CAME TO EUROPE

After its successful concert in CRR Istanbul, Les essences is now presenting this colorful program in North Rhine-Westphalia. The first concert takes place on May 28th in Katakomben-Theater Essen, one of the most important world music stages of NRW. This is no coincidence, as the program shows the first examples of world music ideas of the baroque and classic eras. The second concert will take place on May 29th in Rheinberg at City Hall and for the 3rd concert at the Orchesterzentrum NRW in Dortmund, the students of Orchesterzentrum will be joining Les essences and work intensely in a workshop atmosphere while learning by doing together with Les essences musicians. More details can be found on the Agenda page.

NEWs

LES essences in istanbul!

BATTLE OF THE TURKS OR HOW COFFEE CAME TO EUROPE

When on September 12, 1683 the Ottoman army of Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha was de- feated by an international troop led by the Polish King John III. Sobieski was forced to retreat, the second siege of Vienna by the Turks was successfully repelled. While the Turks had posed a threat to the Austrian metropolis for several centuries, the culture of the Ottoman Empire was fascinating. With a gradual change in the image of the Orient, a reconciliation of the Occident and the Orient was eventually even strived for, because at the latest since the Enlightenment, topics such as tolerance, magnanimity and international understanding have been dealt with. Not only did the “Turkish drink” reach Europe, but the Janissary music as military music of the Ottomans with the generous use of percussion instruments and often also the use of high wind instruments was often imitated.

Les essences will be performing its programme "Battle of the Turks or how Coffee came to Europe" at the renowned CRR Concert Hall on April 15th.

NEWS

Les essences receives funding

Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia supports the ensemble

Les essences, the international Chamber Orchestra founded by Önder and based in Essen, is selected for 3-year ensemble funding by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. With this financial support Les essences will build up a colourful concert series in Essen, performing all around the city, collaborating with important musicians and institutions.

Besides the Ministery of Culture and Science, Sparkasse Essen is a generous supporter of Les essences as well.