Commissioned Works and First Performances

Since 1995, when Christoph Poppen became Artistic Director and established its unmistakably dynamic profile, the ensemble has presented over seventy world premieres. Composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Wolfgang Rihm, Tan Dun, Chaya Czernowin and Jörg Widmann have written works for the ensemble, and since 2006 alone the MKO has commissioned pieces from Erkki-Sven Tüür, Thomas Larcher, Bernhard Lang, Nikolaus Brass, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, Klaus Lang, Mark Andre, Peter Ruzicka, Márton Illés, Miroslav Srnka and Tigran Mansurian. 

In cooperation with the RIAS Kammerchor and financed by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation the MKO has commissioned three outstanding composers of our time – Salvatore Sciarrino, Pascal Dusapin and Georg Friedrich Haas – writing new works for choir and orchestra. During the premieres in several European Cities in the years 2014 until 2016 the commissioned works will be faced with other important repertoire works.