Following an invitation from the organisation Musical Youth of Novi Sad, the MCO makes its debut in Serbia at Novi Sad Music Festival NOMUS. The festival is one of the most significant classical music events in Serbia. It has evolved from national into international, and, in recent years, has become the centre of productive and open exchange of ideas and ways of thinking between domestic artists and musicians from abroad. The MCO contributes a programme of twentieth-century American music, which will be performed again in Cologne two days later as part of the ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln festival.

The concert opens with two works with literary connections: Philip Glass' Company for string ensemble was commissioned for the dramatisation of Samuel Beckett's prose poem in 1983. Company is a lyrical, emotional piece based on the story of a man, presumably at the end of his life, who hears a voice from his past and must come to terms with a profound solitude. In Bernstein's elegant Serenade for solo violin, strings, harp and percussion, five movements follow the structure of Plato's Symposium, in which some of Athens’ greatest minds gather to offer their thoughts on the true nature of love.

Alongside Glass, two other leading Minimalist figures are John Adams and Steve Reich. The first part of Reich's four-part Drumming opens with four pairs of tuned bongo drums and is influenced by the composer´s visit of Africa in summer of 1970. John Adams' Shaker Loops, based on the idea of oscillating patterns, comprises four dynamic, almost electrically charged movements. It is one of his most performed pieces and has been choreographed several times.

This programme marks the young Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes' debut with the MCO. Chief Conductor and Music Director at the Royal Swedish Opera from 2012, rising star Renes has conducted many of Europe’s most prestigious orchestras including the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. 

Soloist Patricia Kopatchinskaja appears with the MCO for the second time following her acclaimed rendition of Beethoven's Violin Concerto under Philippe Herreweghe in 2007. Since completing her studies in violin and composition in Vienna and Berne, the Moldovan violinist has appeared with orchestras throughout Europe, made numerous award-winning recordings and won international prizes and awards for her innovative playing and fresh style. According to Kopatchinskaja, "as an interpreter I am most interested in communicating the meaning and inner workings of the music I play. Curiosity drives me to explore many different musical frontiers and I'm ready to take the risks that this process entails."