Article by Fritz Jurmann in the Vorarlberger Nachrichten, November 29th 2022.
The piano work Reset by Gerda Poppa was premiered by Hanna Bachmann.
Luxembourg. A success for two ambitious musicians from Vorarlberg: just a few days ago, the young pianist Hanna Bachmann, originally from Röthis, gave the official world premiere of the piano work Reset by fellow Röthis resident Gerda Poppa in a concert at the Foyer européen in Luxembourg City. Poppa herself was present and shared her impressions: “Hanna interpreted the piece so wonderfully—it was an immensely rewarding experience for me!”
Gerda Poppa studied organ with Bruno Oberhammer and composition with Herbert Willi at the Vorarlberg State Conservatory, graduating with distinction. She is the principal organist at the Rankweil Basilica and, with a catalogue of more than 30 works, often nature-inspired and highly resonant with contemporary experience, she continues to attract attention among Austrian composers. Reset, a piano work of eleven minutes’ duration, was commissioned by Hanna Bachmann during the first lockdown in spring 2020 and bears the subtitle Variations on Corona. Its premiere was originally scheduled for London in 2021 but — like so much else — fell victim to the pandemic. Now the piece has finally received a successful premiere in a representative setting in Luxembourg, in the presence of the Austrian Ambassador.
Pianist Hanna Bachmann is regarded as one of the region’s outstanding keyboard talents. She studied with Ferenc Bognar at the Vorarlberg State Conservatory and with Florian Krumpöck in Vienna, and she has already drawn international attention with performances across Europe and the Americas. More recently she has also appeared as a song accompanist and chamber musician with her own trio. None other than Kirill Petrenko, the Vorarlberg-raised maestro, now chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, once gave her a highly promising recommendation, one that she has since impressively fulfilled.