Pier Luigi Pizzi’s much acclaimed 1992 production of La Traviata was recorded at what was one of Venice’s most exquisite 18th-century opera houses, La Fenice, tragically destroyed by fire in 1996, and now rebuilt. This glorious house is where La Traviata was premiered in 1853. In this memorable performance, Slovak soprano Edita Gruberova takes the leading role of Violetta, the tragic heroine, persuaded by Alfredo’s father, Giorgio, to sacrifice her happiness with Alfredo for the sake of family honour.
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
The title role of “Les contes d’Hoffmann”, Jacques Offenbach’s most ambitious opera, requires an exceptional tenor. The Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam found him in John Osborn. He beautifully shows the sufferings of Hoffmann, the prototype of the German romantic period artist, in the “enormously clever production” (Concerti) by Tobias Kratzer. Among the top vocal cast are Nina Minasyan, Ermonela Jaho and Christine Rice as the three women in Hoffmann’s “tales”. Vocal powerhouse Erwin Schrott sparkles with devilish charisma and Carlo Rizzi excels on the rostrum of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. “Unanimous applause for all!” (NMZ)
Bregenz Festival 2009: Aida
Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an ‘open-air spectacle of superlatives’ (Die Zeit) that throws a bridge between ancient Egypt and today’s U.S. Under Carlo Rizzi, the Wiener Symphoniker brilliantly support the chorus and soloists, among whom Iano Tamar (Amneris) and Tatiana Serjan (Aida) stand out.
La Traviata
Within only a few years, Anna Netrebko has become one of the most acclaimed performers of our time, whose popularity transcends by far the boundaries of classical music. With her CDs garnering phenomenal sales and her stage appearances causing worldwide box-office stampedes, Anna Netrebko is on her way to becoming the new diva assoluta. This recording of Verdi’s “La Traviata” from the 2005 Salzburg Festival – the uncontested and hopelessly sold-out highlight of the festival season – captures the triumphal performance not only of Anna Netrebko as Violetta Valéry, but also of Rolando Villazón as her lover Alfredo. The glamorous Russian soprano and the heartthrob Mexican tenor have become the new dream team of the opera world.
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
The “superb, sinister“ Tales of Hoffmann at the Dutch National Opera with “excellent soloists, the impressive John Osborn” (Theaterkrant) and “Christine Rice, a vocally and physically voluptuous Giulietta“ (bachtrack.com), “mezzosoprano Irene Roberts, who plays and sings brilliantly” (Groene Amsterdammer) and “Erwin Schrott, singing the four villains for the first time, made it look like a blast.” (bachtrack.com) “Les Contes d’Hoffmann is a parade of golden voices”. (Volkskrant) Maestro Rizzi conducted with elegance and momentum the chorus and the „excellent playing Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra”. (Volkskrant) “Spectacular” (Trouw) “This production effortlessly fascinates from start to finish.“ (Theaterkrant)
Bregenz Festival – Lake Stage Opera Box
“Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an “open-air spectacle of superlatives” (Die Zeit about Aida) “A gigantic set with iconic qulities – a masterly achievment“ (Die Welt about Andrea Chénier) “David Pountney finds stunning answers to the everlasting questions surrounding ‘The Magic Flute’.” (Der Tagesspiegel about Die Zauberflöte) „A bit of Hollywood in Bregenz: Melodies for the millions, impressively staged grand opera.“(ZDF heute journal about Turandot) „… Kasper Holten’s production of Carmen on Es Devlin’s extraordinary set was a knockout. …“ (The Telegraph)
Aida
Set against the magnificent backdrop of Lake Constance, every production at the Bregenz Festival faces strong natural competitors. But with this first-ever production of Verdi’s “Aida” (in an abridged version) on the lakeside stage, it is easy to overlook the beauty of the surrounding nature. Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an “open-air spectacle of superlatives” (Die Zeit) that throws a bridge between ancient Egypt and today’s U.S. The stage effects are stunning: ruins of the Statue of Liberty pieced together with the help of giant cranes, boats carrying priestesses and prisoners – parts of the opera even take place in the lake itself! And in the Grand March – one of the most famous marches in opera – a golden elephant comes sailing into view on a barge¿ Under Carlo Rizzi, the Wiener Symphoniker brilliantly support the chorus and soloists, among whom Iano Tamar (Amneris) and Tatiana Serjan (Aida) stand out. Drawing capacity crowds of over 200,000 spectators in just one season, “Aida” is the festival’s most successful opera to date, even more successful than the “Tosca” production, which has been immortalized in the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”.
Rossini Opera Gala
The Rossini Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary and its prominent name-giver with a top-class gala concert. The quality of singing is unmatched, bringing together renowned and frequent artists of the Festival with a new generation of promising Rossini voices. With the passionate direction of Carlo Rizzi and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI one can enjoy a firework of scenes and arias, starring star tenor Juan Diego Flórez, American tenor Lawrence Brownlee, Italian baritone Nicola Alaimo, Russian mezzo-soprano Anna Goryachova or American soprano Angela Meade, to name only a few. The reviews were full of praise for this All Star Game: Viva Rossini!
Rossini Opera Festival 2014: Armida
Armida is one of Rossini’s most beautiful operas and a work which clearly privileges the prima donna, here interpreted by Carmen Romeu, a Spanish soprano who started in Pesaro as a student with the Rossini Academy in 2011 and has graduated to important roles. On her side, a brilliant trio of three tenors: Randall Bills, Dmitry Korchak and the outstanding Antonino Siragusa. In this “Dramma per musica”, loosely based on episodes from Torquato Tasso’s epic “Jerusalem Delivered”, is a visually striking magical opera. Luca Ronconi, the second grand master among the great Italian directors alongside Giorgio Strehler, has staged the conflict between Christians and pagans, between the love of the sorceress Armida and the knight Rinaldo, as a homage to Sicilian puppet theatre. A sold out highlight of the Festival.
L’equivoco stravagante
The directing duo Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier create a superb and witty realization of L’equivoco stravagante (The Bizarre Misunderstanding), one of the less-known operas of Gioachino Rossini. In addition to the amusing ironic staging, conductor Carlo Rizzi together with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and his excellent singer ensemble including Teresa Iervolino and Davide Luciano offer an absolute musical highlight of the Rossini Festival. “The evening is simply stunning” (Neue Musik Zeitung).