Inaugural concert by Prof. Diemut Poppen

Participants

Diemut Poppen → viola
Chiara Opalio → piano

Program

Works by Johannes Brahms, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Dowland, Henry Vieuxtemps and Benjamin Britten

On July 6, 2024, the new professor at the College of Music Freiburg Diemut Poppen, who has been teaching in Freiburg since April 2024, will give her inaugural concert. Together with pianist Chiara Opalio and students, she will perform a varied program that showcases the versatility of the viola: including songs by John Dowland, a solo suite by Johann Sebastian Bach and a sonata by Johannes Brahms.

Diemut Poppen has planned a challenging, varied program for her inaugural concert, which she will perform together with pianist Chiara Opalio and students. In it, she will demonstrate the tonal versatility of the viola, from medieval and romantic pieces to modern music. Together with a quintet ensemble of viola students, she will perform two medieval songs by the English lutenist and composer John Dowland, which she herself rewrote for viola: "If my complaints could passions move" and "Lachrymae: Reflections on a song of Dowland", based on a piece by John Dowland and arranged by Benjamin Britten. "This is an important work for viola and, in my opinion, one of Benjamin Britten's best," says Diemut Poppen.

Concert spans from the Middle Ages to modern times

"Like this piece, the whole concerto spans an arc from the unholy atmosphere of draughty medieval castles to the longing for divine beauty and harmony." This comes afterwards with the first solo suite by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 1007). This is followed by a leap into the Romantic period with an elegy by Belgian composer Henry Vieuxtemps and a sonata by Johannes Brahms (No. 2 in E flat major, op. 120), which is difficult to play. Diemut Poppen plays on a "dreamlike Amati viola", which is currently at her disposal. "It has a very warm, enveloping sound that comes very close to a singing voice," explains the violist.

One of the best violists of her generation

Diemut Poppen is one of the most outstanding violists of her generation. Coming from a musical family, she was already giving concerts at the age of nine. She completed her studies in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Aachen, Berlin (University of the Arts) as well as in Bloomington, USA, and in Paris. She is the initiator of several chamber music festivals in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. Diemut Poppen was principal violist in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and until 2014 in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Her repertoire is wide-ranging: in addition to the well-known solo and chamber music literature for viola, it also includes unusual compositions and new music. At the age of just 29, Diemut Poppen was appointed professor of viola and chamber music at the Saarbrücken University of Music. She is currently a professor at the College of Music in Freiburg as well as a visiting professor at the Zurich University of the Arts and the famous Spanish Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid.