"Tipping Points" is a newly commissioned concerto for violin, orchestra, and voice, and includes six new poems by poet Nick Drake, interwoven between the six movements of the work. The themes of the 25 minute work, both in the music and the poems are about the powers of nature and the confronting emotions triggered by collapsing ecosystems. They bring together the ancient and the modern. As one of the poems says: "The tipping point of the heart is when it breaks".

Commissioned by WDR Funkhausorchester Köln and Noorlands Opera, "Tipping Points" is a strong statement for the Earth and the environment this work promises to inspire and move. The concerto premieres on the 8th of September 2023 by the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne (Germany), and is performed by violinist Niklas Liepe together with singer Alma Naidu.

Another performance takes place at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn (Germany) on the 9th of September 2023. These concerts also include the World Premiere performances of arrangements made especially for the evening for Niklas Liepe of Portman's existing music "Flight", "Leaves And Trees" (from the album "Ask The River") and "On My Planet" (from the opera "The Little Prince").

Listen to an interview with Rachel Portman by the Beethovenfest here.

More performances are planned for 2024:

2 March 2024, 20:00h in Bremen (Germany), Die Glocke.
3 March 2024, 20:00h in Hannover (Germany), Großer Sendesaal (Landesfunkhaus)
14 March 2024, 20:00h in Stuttgart (Germany), Liederhalle
17 March 2024, 11:00h in Hamburg (Germany), Laeiszhalle
19 March 2024, 20:00h in Karlsruhe (Germany), Konzerthaus
20 March 2024, 20:00h in München (Germany), Herkulessaal
27 March 2024, 20:00h in Nürnberg (Germany), Meistersingerhalle
28 March 2024, 20:00h in Wiesbaden (Germany), Kurhaus
31 March 2024, 18:00h in Bonn (Germany), Maritim Hotel