Georges Aperghis' Migrants will be presented in its final form, which includes two additional movements compared to the initial version premiered in 2017: a concertante movement for viola (presented exclusively under the title Migrants-Aria during the presentation of the Siemens Prize to the composer) and an unpublished concluding movement. Below are some words from the composer:  

"This project stems from an idea that had been preoccupying me for some time - a piece about the disappearances of our times, the people going missing right now. (...) We embarked on the adventure of fitting my new work and a revisitation of Janáčeks Diary of One Who Disappeared into a format that would fill an evening. Johannes Schöllhorn agreed to tackle the Janáček, and I am delighted to have the

opportunity to work with him. I for my part am now starting to look for ways to express the disappearances we are currently experiencing. I want to give a face not only to the drowned corpses which wash up on Europe's shores, but to the scores of the living wandering through Europe without an identity, no longer officially recognisable as alive. We are thinking about dividing Janáček’s score into chapters and interspersing them my works, which are a more brutal expression of what is going on today, but equally a response to Janáček's music."

Georges Aperghis

Georges Aperghis - Migrants
for 2 female voices, piano, 3 percussions & strings
World premiere: 22 March 2018
Philharmonie (Kammersaal) / Maerzmusik Festival (Berlin)
Ensemble Resonanz
Agata Zubel, soprano
Christina Daletska, mezzo-soprano
Emilio Pomàrico, conductor

Hungarian premiere: 14 October 2021
Óbuda Danubia Orchestra 
Martin Rajna and Jonas Bürgin from Peter Eötvös mentoring program, conductors
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Georges Aperghis - Migrants I - V
for 2 female voices, piano, 3 percussions & strings + viola solo for IV-Migrants-Aria
World premiere: September 15, 2022 - Festival Musica (Strasburg)
Belgian premiere: November 24, 2022 - Bozar (Brussels)
German premiere: January 18 / 19, 2023 - Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg)
German performance: June 12, 2023 - Kölner Philharmonie (Köln)
Festival Musica (Strasbourg)
Ensemble Resonanz
Agata Zubel, soprano
Christina Daletska, mezzo-soprano
Geneviève Strosser, viola
Emilio Pomàrico, conductor