“The Teatro Massimo succeeds in creating a masterpiece. This is also due to music director Omer Meir Wellber.” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) Giuseppe Verdi composed Les Vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) – a story of oppression and revolt against the French rulers – in French. Palermo-born writer and director Emma Dante links the opera to present-day Palermo with the city’s mafia past and the tragic deaths of judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. This was the catalyst for a series of uprisings and social actions that led to the reopening of the Teatro Massimo and the re-appropriation of urban spaces, which are reflected in Dante’s production. While Emma Dante’s imagery creates a richness and intensity feast for the eyes, musical director Omer Meir Wellber ties the knot to make this production from the Teatro Massimo a true gem.
Parsifal
In the magnificent Teatro Massimo in Palermo, British stage director Graham Vick and Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber bring Richard Wagner’s last opera Parsifal in a suspenseful interpretation to the stage. In this Parsifal, the myth of the Holy Grail is woven into real-life events, a parable of the suffering of those who flee war and conflict zones to freedom. Omer Meir Wellber makes a highly successful debut as music director in Palermo where Richard Wagner composed this monumental opera during a long stay. The singers are excellently cast, above all a passionately singing Julian Hubbard as Parsifal and Tomas Tomasson embodies Amfortas superbly as a glorified prophet figure. “Graham Vick strips Parsifal of mysticism to deliver a powerful indictment of divisive ideologies” (Musical America); “Julian Hubbard as Parsifal is a sensation” (neue musikzeitung)
Il crepuscolo dei sogni
Music from operas by Henry Purcell, Verdi, Monteverdi, by Richard Strauss and Rossini, by Boito and other composers from over 200 years of music history. A so-called pastiche opera. The conductor is Omer Meir Wellber and the director is Johannes Erath. Soprano Carmen Giannattasio, baritone Markus Werba and bass Alexandros Stavrakakis sing on stage and in the stalls. The new season of Palermo’s Teatro Massimo opens with a completely new form of musical theatre. An opera vision – without a plot that is concrete at first glance, explains director Johannes Erath: “But of course there is a common thread. Not in the narrative sense, in the storytelling sense, but it’s more of an emotional journey, like a rollercoaster of emotions.” PRESS “A hymn to the empathic magnificence of opera” (La Repubblica) / “An unprecedented opening” (La Repubblica Palermo)
Don Pasquale
“Don Pasquale” is, along with “L’elisir d’amore” and “La fille du régiment,” one of the three musical comedies by Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) that still rank highly in today’s operatic repertoire. In this production “full of energy and with a stellar cast” (La Repubblica), the celebrated Italian comedian, actor, writer and cabaretist Antonio Albanese brings all of his wit and spirit into play. He judiciously combines a bittersweet depiction of amorous relations and the liberating laughter that brings us back down to earth!
Golda Schultz, Rolando Villazón, Ludovic Tézier at Neuschwanstein Castle
The internationally acclaimed artists Rolando Villazón, Golda Schultz and Ludovic Tézier crown the castle concerts on the final evening at Neuschwanstein. At the grand finale in the castle courtyard, the names of the soloists are as impressive as those of the composers: Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Mascagni and Léhar. As at the beginning, the finale of the Neuschwanstein Concerts 2025 is once again a passionate journey through the world of opera. Realised with the highest musical finesse and quality by the renowned Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. The conductor is none other than Omer Meir Wellber. The conductor and composer is regarded as one of the hottest opera and concert conductors of our time.