Munich’s Odeonsplatz Concert is one of the open-air highlights of the year. The magnificent Residenz Palace on one side and the serene, towering Theatinerkirche on the other provide the ideal backdrop for exceptional performances of classical music. In this setting, Juan Diego Flórez presents an impressive aria programme, for which “he is celebrated like a popstar” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) by the Munich public. The Münchner Philharmoniker shine with their maestro Valery Gergiev at the helm. Arias by Mozart, Donizetti, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi; Rimskij-Korsakow: Scheherazade
Festive Advent Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden 2014
Elina Garanca, the star of this festal Advent concert, proves once more “that she has one of the loveliest and finest voices in the whole world”. In Georges Bizet’s “Agnus Dei”, in the “Regina Coeli” from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, she lets her voice “shine and beam, bringing tears to many eyes”, the critics enthuse. Meanwhile Christiane Karg captivates us with her crystalclear soprano, winging its way straight to our hearts. The concert is conducted by maestro Pablo Heras-Casado, whose sensitive touch and style-conscious precision brings out to the full the particularly refined sound of the Staatskapelle. (Der neue Merker)
Festive Advent Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden 2013
Program: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Paulus: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate / Tu virginum corona / Alleluia; Camille Saint-Saëns, Oratorio de Noël: Domine, ego credidi / Tollite hostias; Pietro Mascagni, Ave Maria; Max Reger, Unser lieben Frauen Traum; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker: Decorating the Christmas Tree / A Pine Forest in Winter; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Great Mass in C minor: Domine Deus / Cum sancto spiritu; Giacomo Puccini, Salve Regina; Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Elias: Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen; Adolphe Adam, Cantique de Noël / Macht hoch die Tür
Notte Italiana
Since its première in the year 2000, “Classics on Odeonsplatz” has been a highlight of the Munich cultural season. Flanked by stylishly illuminated historical edifices, such as the Theatiner Church and the Residence, some 16,000 people each year thrill to music in this unique atmosphere. The Feldherrnhalle as orchestral platform and the adjoining historical buildings make Odeonsplatz into an open-air arena with magnificent acoustics. On the program arias by Giuseppe VERDI (“Nabucco”, “Aida”, “La Traviata”), Giacomo PUCCINI (“Tosca”, Gianni Schicchi”, “La Bohème”) and Ruggero LEONCAVALLO “I Pagliacci”, amongst others.
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 21
With unparalleled charm and whirlwind exuberance, world-renowned tenor Rolando Villazón hosts a unique television special in which young musical “stars of tomorrow” are introduced to millions of music lovers as soloists in performances with the Junge Sinfonie Berlin under the baton of Giedre Slekyte und Elias Grandy – a highly successful, casual, briskly paced concert series that appeals to young audiences!
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 13
Program: Giacomo Puccini: “Mi chiamano Mimì” from La Bohème / Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70/1 “Ghost” – Allegro vivace e con brio /
Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor – Pantoum. Assez vif / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “Rivolgete a lui lo squardo” from Così fan tutte / Dmitri Shostakovich: Romance from The Gadfly / Niccolò Paganini:Caprices Nos. 24 & 5 / Richard Strauss “Morgen” / Antonín Dvorák Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72 No. 2 / Franz Schubert “Erstarrung” from Die Winterreise / Qongqothwane (Traditional)
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 9
Program: Giacomo Puccini: Che gelida manina, Aria of Rudolfo from «La Bohème» / Claude Debussy: String quartet G minor, Assez vif et bien rythmé / Franz Joseph Haydn: String quartet D major, Allegretto / Charles Gounod: Ah! Je ris, Aria of Marguerite from «Faust» / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Horn Concerto, E flat major, Andante Rondo / Vitaly Michailowitsch Bujanovský: España / Pablo Sorozábal: No puede ser!, Aria of Leandro from «La tabernera del puerto» / George Bizet: Ouverture to «Carmen» / Giuseppe Verdi: Brindisi, duet of Violetta and Alfredo from «La Traviata»
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2025
The Midsummer Night’s Gala heralds the start of the summer festival season every year, captivating the audience and celebrating the summer against the idyllic backdrop of the extensive castle grounds. On the Wolkenturm stage, chief conductor Fabien Gabel joins star pianist and festival director Rudolf Buchbinder for their first collaboration at Grafenegg. Buchbinder, intimately familiar with the venue, performs a movement from Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor. South African mezzo-soprano Siphokazi Molteno makes her festival debut, alongside American tenor Michael Spyres, recently named Best International Opera Singer at the Oper! Awards. The programme offers a vibrant mix of opera arias, overtures, and orchestral works, featuring Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Puccini’s Turandot, and a spotlight on French and Spanish music.
Springtime in Vienna 2024
Say goodbye to winter blues with this musical bouquet of wonderful melodies. Every year, the Wiener Symphoniker ring in the spring season with their Easter Concert, which has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar for more than 40 years. This edition features conductor Manfred Honeck, the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and world-class soprano Diana Damrau, who dazzles the audience with Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro”, Lehár’s “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß” and Poulenc’s “Gloria” among others. PROGRAM: Music by Bruckner, Brahms, Puccini, Lehar, Orff, Poulenc.
Grafenegg: Midsummer Night’s Gala 2023
For a decade and a half, the Midsummer Night’s Gala has ushered-in the summer season at the Wolkenturm. It is also Grafenegg’s flagship media event, televised around the world. The best artists take centre stage, casting their spell over the audience amidst the idyllic scenery of the Castle grounds. For the cast of this edition – Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, American tenor Eric Cutler and French cellist Gautier Capuçon – Yutaka Sado, principal conductor of the Tonkünstler-Orchester, has put together a dramatic gala programme, with works by Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Prokofiev, Leoncavallo and Dvorák. “Eric Cutler’s tenor was soaring, Gautier Capuçon’s cello melting, the Tonkünstler Orchestra sovereign. And simply stunning the soprano of Lithuania’s opera superstar Asmik Grigorian” (Niederösterreichische Nachrichten)