This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Munich Philharmonics. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev which enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. Such a compilation appeals to the audience – the press raved: “The interpretations [of the five piano concertos] were so different, that an extremely enlightening portrait of Prokofiev came off“, not least “the new maestro was shining with the Munich Philharmonics” (SZ).
The Prokofiev Marathon
This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Münchner Philharmoniker. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev who enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5; Widmann: “Con Brio”, Concert Overture for Orchestra; Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major, KV 622
The Prokofiev Marathon
This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Münchner Philharmoniker. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev who enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto (for the left hand) No. 4; Shchedrin: “Tanja – Katja”, Romance in Folk Style for Woman’s Voice and String Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 “Naughty Limericks”; Hartmann: Simplicius Simplicissimus, Suite
The Prokofiev Marathon
This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Münchner Philharmoniker. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev who enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Max Reger: Four Tone Poems after Arnold Bocklin, Op. 128
The Prokofiev Marathon
This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Münchner Philharmoniker. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev who enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. PROGRAM Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2, von Weber: “Invitation to the Dance” arr. for orchestra by Hector Berlioz
La forza del destino
A raging torrent of love, vengeance and redemption set against the backdrop of a world in flames, Verdi’s La forza del destino is one of the landmarks of 19th-century opera. In the right hands, it can be one of opera’s most cathartic experiences, and in 1998 few conductors in the world generated more electricity than Valery Gergiev at the helm of his rejuvenated Mariinsky forces, conducing the fascinating 1862 version of the score, as premiered in St Petersburg. With Galina Gorchakova as Leonora and supercharged emotional commitment from the whole cast, Elijah Moshinsky’s classic staging has rarely felt more vital – or more thrilling.
Les Troyens
Monumental operas deserve epochal stagings. And ‘Les Troyens’ by Hector Berlioz is such a work. This grand opera, complete with ensembles and ballets, large choruses and orchestral set pieces, is given an appropriately grand treatment in this production by the renowned Catalan theater group ‘La Fura dels Baus’ recorded at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts. In this coproduction with St. Petersburg’s Mariinski Theater and Warsaw’s Wielki Theater, the Fura’s director, Carlus Padrissa, has gathered around him his faithful collaborators Franc Aleu (video), Roland Olbeter (sets), Chu Uroz (costumes) and Peter van Praet (lighting) who crafted Valencia’s sensational ‘Ring des Nibelungen’ (also available from UNITEL ). ‘That this is such a feast for the eyes, a veritable orgy of optical opulence, is due to the sheer inexhaustible fantasy and creativeness of the Catalan artist group’ (Das Opernglas).
The Fiery Angel
Valéry Gergiev is said to be at his best when interpreting Russian composers. Convincing evidence is given with this production of Sergei Prokofiev’s “The Fiery Ange”l from the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Prokofiev’s disturbingly enigmatic opera was never performed during his lifetime – it was considered too decadent by Stalin and his successors – but David Freeman’s imaginative production asserts it as one of the composer’s greatest masterpieces. Galina Gorchakova and Sergei Leiferkus inspire with brilliant performances in the two main roles.
The opera is derived from a novel by the Russian decadent Valéry Bryusov. Ostensibly, it is a tale of religious hysteria and demonic possession and also explores symbolically the love triangle endured by the writer and his self-destructive lover, the poet Nina Petrovskaya.
David Freeman has completely entered into this opera’s strangely unnerving world. Evil is all around us and in his sensational production the image is taken quite literally.
War and Peace
From the Kirov Opera St. Petersburg 1991 This production marked an historic ‘first’ collaboration between Russian and British operatic talent. Producer Graham Vick, designer Timothy O’Brien and lighting designer Matthew Richardson mounted a War and Peace that was revolutionary in staging terms for the Kirov Opera. The galvanic conductor Valery Gergiev fielded a cast of the company’s finest singers, including Nicolai Othotnikov, Irina Bogachova, Yuri Marusin and Yelena Prochina, supported by a huge, expertly-rehearsed chorus. The impact of this War and Peace is formidable. (Sung in Russian)
Simon Boccanegra
Verdi’s masterpiece „Simon Boccanegra“ is presented in a „clear and levelheaded“ (The New York Times) staging by Andreas Kriegenburg from the Salzburg Festival. The tragedy of the corsair who becomes Doge of Genoa and is poisoned shortly after having found his lost daughter is conducted by Valery Gergiev, „makes for gorgeously beautiful tone colours“ (Der Kurier). The excellent cast includes Luca Salsi („Italy’s finest baritone today“, Financial Times) in the title role, René Pape („in sumptuous voice“, Financial Times) as his contrahent Fiesco, as well as Marina Rebeka and Charles Castronovo as the loving couple Amelia and Adorno who „together create islands of bliss in duet and action.“ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung). Valery Gergiev provides for an excellent musical realization, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor perform superbly: “The Wiener Philharmoniker seemed to have virtually conspired with the conductor and the work, shining into every hidden sound angle, playing out all their sovereignty and opera experience” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).