Berlin composer, 58, dies during opera rehearsals
mainIn the midst of Deutsche Oper rehearsals of his opera DIDO, a companion piece to Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, the composer Michael Hirsch has died. He was 58.
Born in Munich, Hirsch moved to Berlin in 1981, writing several operas for the German circuit. He was also a stage performer, a member of the Freyer-Ensemble.
DIDO continues its run tomorrow. The Deutsche Oper website makes no mention of the composer’s sudden and unexpected death.
Died in rehearsal? The premiere was on January 28th and tomorrow is the 5th performance.
So it is not sheduled to open tomorrow… A simple glance at the Deutsche Oper homepage would have provided the info.
This is a sort of orbituary and it would be fitting to at least have all the information correct.
Instead of finding fault with Slipped Disc, you should be wondering why the Deutsche Oper website cannot find the space to record the death of a composer whose work it is performing.
Also true!
A Klangkünstler on the right moral side of postwar German history.
Not to be confused with American composer Michael Hersch.
The Deutsche Oper Berlin website does now carry a detailed obituary on its ‘Aktuelles’ page, which presumably took a while to appear because of the totally unexpected nature of the composer’s death. I’m afraid your previous correspondent is correct to say that Mr Hirsch did not pass away mid-rehearsals but after his work had been premiered, which of course does not make the fact of his death any less upsetting.