The cancellation of Clara Iannotta’s new concerto, commissioned for Carolin Widmann at the NOW! Festival, has sparked an open debate about artistic freedom, innovation, and institutional limits.
The planned world premiere of Clara Iannotta’s Violin Concerto sand like gold-leaf in smithereens, written for Carolin Widmann and the Essener Philharmoniker, has been cancelled just days before its scheduled debut at the Philharmonie Essen’s NOW! Festival. The decision, which followed a vote within the orchestra, has prompted public statements from the composer, the soloist, the management, and later from the musicians themselves — revealing tensions between artistic innovation and orchestral practice.
The cancelled premiere
The new concerto was commissioned by the Philharmonie Essen as part of a dual residency: Clara Iannotta as portrait composer of the NOW! Festival 2025, and Carolin Widmann as the Philharmonie’s portrait artist. The program was to feature Iannotta’s premiere, Berg’s Violin Concerto, Lisa Streich’s Papierschnitt, and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, conducted by Elena Schwarz.
Widmann expressed her disappointment in a statement posted on social media, writing that she had “immersed [herself] in [Iannotta’s] soundworld” and was “heartbroken to hear that the orchestra has decided in a vote not to perform this violin concerto premiere.” She added that she will still perform the Berg Concerto, but not Iannotta’s work, “as today’s answer on it, and as her ideal (I) of a violin concerto.”
Clara Iannotta’s response
In a detailed public statement on her website, Iannotta described the cancellation as “the first time in [her] career” that an orchestra had refused to perform one of her works. She recounted that two years earlier, when discussions began, she had been told she could not use unconventional instruments but later received assurances that she could “do whatever [she] needed.”
After submitting the score, she said, the orchestra “held a vote” and proposed an “effectively obstructive” additional fee for the musicians’ use of objects and extended techniques. “In a secret vote, 30% of the musicians refused to play the piece,” she wrote. The decision, she said, was made “without even consulting the conductor or the soloist.”
Iannotta’s statement went beyond this particular case, framing it as part of a wider cultural issue:
“If situations like this are not addressed, they risk creating a climate where composers — especially younger ones — begin to anticipate refusal and adapt their language in advance. This quiet form of self-censorship can have a devastating effect: it discourages risk, limits artistic freedom, and gradually narrows the collective imagination.”
She also criticized what she called “a profound lack of curiosity,” warning that orchestras “cannot claim to represent our time if they accept only one type of music — the one that fits within the most conventional definitions of instrumentation and form.”
The management’s explanation
In an official communication, the Philharmonie Essen announced the program change, confirming that Iannotta’s new concerto “will no longer be on the program” and that conductor Elena Schwarz would also withdraw from the concerts, which remain scheduled for 30 and 31 October.
The joint statement from the Philharmonie and the Essener Philharmoniker attributed the cancellation to “significant deviations” from agreed conditions. According to the statement, the composer “did not comply” with the parameters regarding the use of special instruments or sound objects and delivered the final materials “significantly delayed,” only in October instead of August. The short timeframe, they said, “prevented necessary solutions for a professional performance.”
Dr. Merle Fahrholz, General Director of the Aalto Musiktheater and the Essener Philharmoniker, emphasized that the decision followed discussions with the orchestra’s board:
“There were restrictions from the beginning regarding the instrumentarium. This clear statement on our part was unfortunately undermined. The vote concerned only the use of special instruments and additional sound objects but led to the cancellation of the premiere.”
Marie Babette Nierenz, Artistic Director of the Philharmonie Essen, expressed regret, noting that this was “the first time in the 15-year history of the NOW! Festival” that a planned world premiere had to be cancelled. She added that future opportunities to realize Iannotta’s concerto would be sought in the coming years.
The musicians’ statement
Following these public exchanges, the members of the Essener Philharmoniker released their own statement clarifying their position. They rejected the impression that the orchestra had collectively refused to perform Iannotta’s concerto, stating that they had “tried to make the premiere possible until the very end” and that the cancellation decision was made by the artistic management and “came as a surprise.”
According to the musicians, the score and performance materials were received only two weeks before the scheduled premiere — “significantly later than agreed” — leaving insufficient time to prepare for the work’s special requirements. They cited organizational and safety concerns regarding certain techniques, such as bowing on Styrofoam panels with high-quality bows and using stones near delicate string instruments.
The statement adds that the orchestra management sought a “preliminary sense of opinion” within the ensemble to apply contractual regulations about special instruments and objects. “A large majority of the musicians were willing to carry out the premiere as planned,” the statement reads, though “some colleagues expressed understandable concerns that could not be resolved in the short time available.”
The musicians conclude by expressing regret over the situation and its escalation:
“We regret the situation that has arisen and the public escalation, which has overshadowed the actual artistic purpose. We hope that Clara Iannotta’s work and the importance of new music will continue to remain at the center of public attention.”
About the composer
Born in Rome in 1983, Clara Iannotta is an Italian composer and curator based between Berlin and Paris. Her works are performed by leading international ensembles and orchestras and have earned her numerous distinctions, including the Ernst von Siemens Composers’ Prize and the Hindemith-Preis (both 2018), as well as the Premio Abbiati (2021).
She has served as artistic director of the Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik (2014–2024) and currently leads the music programming of the Festival d’Automne à Paris. In 2025, she will assume a professorship in composition at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP).
Her three portrait albums — A Failed Entertainment (Edition RZ), Earthing (Wergo), and Moult (Kairos) — each received a place on the German Record Critics’ Award (Bestenliste).
Update — October 27, 2025
The Philharmonie Essen has since announced that Tito Ceccherini will replace Elena Schwarz as conductor for the concerts on 30 and 31 October. The program now includes Elena Firsova’s Night in Appen (2021), performed in place of the cancelled premiere of Clara Iannotta’s Violin Concerto. The rest of the program, featuring works by Lisa Streich, Hindemith, and Berg, remains unchanged.
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