“The Dream of Gerontius”, Edward Elgar’s striking musical meditation on life after death, showcases superb choral writing and Wagnerian inflections. Daniel Harding leads the Orchestre de Paris. Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená performs as Guardian Angel alongside Andrew Staples and John Relyea in the Grand Salle Pierre Boulez. Created in 1900, this great oratorio, often called the “English Parsifal”, is considered a national gem. While it has been the subject of unconditional admiration for more than a century in England, it was rarely performed outside England’s borders. Even if George Bernard Shaw had no doubt that Elgar’s music was to be immortal, it took some time to prove that he was right. The powerful work, which keeps in tradition with greats like Beethoven, is now revered throughout the world and in this case receives a stellar staging in the beautiful Philharmonie de Paris.
Leonard Bernstein: Mass
Monumental, delirious, transgressive – Mass by Leonard Bernstein is doubtlessly one of the most abundant scores in musical history. On the occasion of the composer’s 100th birthday, Bernstein expert Wayne Marshall, the Orchestre de Paris, its Chorus and Children’s Chorus and the Ensemble Aedes take on this “extravagant, exuberant and endlessly inventive creation” (The New York Times). Oscillating between playful experimentation and musical comedy, between brass band and gospel, the Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers creates whirlwinds of grandeur in a post-1968 atmosphere. Bernstein mixes jazz, rock and classical music, combines traditional liturgical elements with Broadway style compositions, and brings on stage electric guitars alongside three choirs and 24 soloists. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, Bernstein’s Mass premiered in September 1971 at the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Bernstein composed the exceptional score at the time of sexual revolution, of the women’s and the environmental movement and the peak of the Vietnam War. In this very tense political situation, Mass caused fierce controversy, because it contained messages of peace and fraternity which were supposed to indirectly proclaim Bernstein’s rejection of the Vietnam War and his antiestablishment attitude. “Arguably the best thing Bernstein ever wrote!” (The Washington Post)
Quatuor Diotima: Livre de Boulez
At the Cité de la musique in Paris, the Quatuor Diotima, one of the world’s most in-demand ensembles, presents Pierre Boulez’ Livre pour quatuor. Written between 1948-49 in a period of complete radicality, this work is an exercise in formality and fragmentation. Boulez’ work has been profoundly revised in collaboration with the Quatuor Diotima. The unaccomplished fourth movement has been completed by Philippe Manoury.
Franz Schubert – Winterreise
“Winterreise” by Franz Schubert – unquestionably one of the best known works in the lieder repertoire – engages with its audience in a new and unexpected form: in a creative encounter with Schubert’s masterpiece, the celebrated lieder specialist Matthias Goerne, pianist Markus Hinterhäuser and South African director, set designer and
theatre artist William Kentridge joined forces on stage and traced newly imagined, deeply moving images. In short animated films, Kentridge visualises Goerne’s and Hinterhäuser’s sonic contribution. A memorable meeting “of melancholy and magic” (La Marseillaise).
Berlioz, Requiem
In September 1975 Leonard Bernstein celebrated a triumphal return to Paris after a four-year absence, conducting the Orchestre National de France in two concerts. One featured exclusively works by Maurice Ravel, the other the Berlioz Requiem. Both concerts were recorded by Unitel. Bernstein had the good fortune to be able to conduct the monumental Requiem at the venue of its 1837 world premiere, the church or St. Louis des Invalides.
Plácido Domingo at Arena di Verona
Opera legend Plácido Domingo returns to the spectacular Arena di Verona with a programme dedicated to the great Italian composers Verdi and Giordano. Jordi Bernàcer conducts the orchestra of the Arena di Verona from the center of the Arena, which creates an incredible surround sound, embedded in a perfectly staged light show. The musical heart of the evening are long excerpts from La Traviata, where Domingo’s dark voice fits wonderfully for the role of Germont. An extraordinary evening, culminating in long applause for the charismatic singer. “Domingo performed with bravura, alternating with the spectacular Saioa Hernández” (operaactual.com).
Sonya Yoncheva & Vittorio Grigolo at Arena di Verona – Love Duets
Passion that burns, consumes and sometimes kills – it’s the central theme of this concerto lirico, which marks the finale of a very special summer festival at the Arena. The two star singers Sonya Yoncheva and Vittorio Grigolo present “with dramatic and passionate synergy” (OperaClick) some of the most beautiful love duets of opera history. Accompanied by Plácido Domingo as conductor, they combine French repertoire (Gounod, Massenet, Bizet) with famous Italian pieces by Verdi and Puccini, like “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca, “Un bel di vedremo” from Madama Butterfly or “Mimì?!…Speravo di trovarvi qui” from La Bohème.
Flórez 20 Years at Rossini Opera Festival
Juan Diego Florez will headline the 2018 Rossini Opera Festival with a new production of “Ricciardo e Zoraide.” The production will mark the tenor’s return to the festival and will mark yet another Rossini role debut. Florez will be joined by Pretty Yende and will be conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. Marshall Pynkoski will direct the new production.Florez has performed at the Pesaro Festival for the past 20 years where he has sung such opera’s as “William Tell,” “Matilde di Shabran,” “Le Comte Ory,” and “La Donna del Lago.”
Da Ponte & Friends
Da Ponte and Friends takes audiences on a journey through the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte, highlighting his pivotal role in introducing Italian opera to America. The show explores the diverse worlds Da Ponte inhabited: the court of Vienna, revolutionary Europe, and the birth of the New World. Through his collaborations with Mozart, Salieri, and others, Da Ponte’s work bridges the classical and the revolutionary, connecting the past with the present. Conceived by Claudio Orazi and Francesco Zimei, this project honors Mozart’s legacy and beyond, featuring the Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Alvise Casellati, with soloists Salome Jicia (soprano), Giovanni Sala (tenor), and Levent Bakirci (baritone). Actor Giampiero Judica narrates as Da Ponte, bringing to life the librettist’s memoirs. The performance includes famous arias from operas by Da Ponte, Mozart, Salieri, Martín y Soler, and others, showcasing both beloved and rarely heard works
A Johann Strauss Celebration – The Wiener Symphoniker in Trieste
For decades, the Wiener Symphoniker has welcomed spring with a bouquet of lively melodies. This edition goes international as the orchestra and chief conductor Petr Popelka ring in the season in Trieste with works by Johann Strauss, the composer of the year, but also pieces by Franz Lehár, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Erich Korngold.