Young South-African soprano Pretty Yende first came to international attention in 2010 when she was the first artist in the history of the Belvedere Competition to win First Prize in every category. In this concert at the stunning Smetana Hall in Prague she is performing works by Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Arditi, Mozart, Bellini, Delibes Suppé and Bernstein.
Má vlast
Is there any more evocative piece of national music than “Ma Vlast” or “My Country”? Smetana’s six orchestral poems – the most famous of which is “Vltava” with its instantly recognizable melody and evocation of this great river – tell of Bohemia’s lands and legends. It is performed here by the orchestra so strongly associated with Czech identity and an institution that continues to represent Czech culture on the international stage.
Opera Gala with Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni
Two world-renowned baritones Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni lead the audience through a gallery of opera characters which the “kings of high-Cs” cannot portray. They introduce themselves as devoted friends (Marquis Posa), rulers (Phillip II. and King Herod), devils (Mephistopheles) and the most famous operatic embodiment of evil (Iago) … . Most composers devoted the roles of lovers to tenors; yet, the most famous seducer of all times, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, is a baritone … . —— Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein, Gaetano Donizetti