‘The Giacomo Variations’ is a chamber opera play based about the late Giacomo Casanova, who, in the face of his approaching death, is still trying to find out, what he was living for, if not only to be coveted and desired by the woman he loves. Giacomo, played by John Malkovich, presents his memories and stories to impress Countess Isabella, the beautiful young sister of his host Karl Emanuel Count von Waldstein and of course has his try on the nurse, the seamstress and the kitchen maid, while he is developing his philosophical view on love, medicine, fashion, and cookery. The play by Michael Sturminger with music concept by Michael Haselböck is based on opera scenes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte.
The Queens of Pop
ARTE viewers voted for the ‘Queens of Pop’. 8 pop queens were chosen from 50 proposals and these are presented in a 26-minute documentary: From the 1960s: Diana Ross. From the 1970s: Donna Summer and Debbie Harry. From the 1980s: Madonna. From the 1990s: Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. From 2000-2009: Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The title of the programme, ‘Queens of Pop’, in itself shows where the emphasis lies – none of those simplistic chart rankings, but instead a documentary series that looks at our cultural history, dealing with the women who shaped popular music over the past fifty years.
Anoushka Shankar – Traveller
Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar is one of the leading figures in World Music today. She is deeply rooted in Indian classical music, having studied exclusively
with her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, from the age of nine. Thriving as a composer, she has been exploring fertile ground in the crossover between Indian music
and a variety of genres including flamenco, electronica, jazz and Western classical music. In her latest album ‘Traveller’ she finds her way into the nuances of modern flamenco through the vivid lens of Hindustani technique. The film features a concert at the Festival de Músiques Religioses I Del Món De Girona on July 3rd, 2011.
The Infernal Comedy
The stage-play for a Baroque-Orchestra, two Sopranos and one actor is based on the real-life story of Jack Unterweger, a notorious womanizer and celebrated author and journalist, who was suspected of killing prostitutes in Vienna, Graz, Prague and Los Angeles; later vanished from Vienna, fled into the U.S., got arrested in Miami, transferred to Austria, accused and finally committed suicide after being convicted of homicide in eleven cases.
Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration
Located in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, Tanglewood is one of the world’s most beloved music festivals and serves as the summer home for the famed Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration festures the BSO, the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, under the direction of conductors Keith Lockhart, Andris Nelsons, John Williams and David Zinman. Performers include pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and vocalist James Taylor, as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver. Program: COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man; BERNSTEIN Three dance episodes from On the Town; Selections / Great American Songbook; HAYDN Piano Concerto in D, 2nd & 3rd movements; TCHAIKOVSKY Andante cantabile, for cello and strings; SARASATE Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra; RAVEL La Valse; BEETHOVEN Choral Fantasy
RCO: Giovanni Antonini conducts works by Bach, Haydn and Mozart
Italian conductor Giovanni Antonini, one of the leaders of the Italian period instruments movement, conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performing music by Bach, Haydn and Mozart. —– PROGRAM: Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 / Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 38
RCO: Mariss Jansons conducts Strauss and Tchaikovsky
Mariss Jansons conducts Richard Strauss’ famous tone poem “Tod und Verklärung” together with Tchaikovskys famous 5th symphony and a work by Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar, who died in 1942 and who’s music was considerably influenced by Richard Strauss. —– PROGRAM: Johan Wagenaar: The Taming of the Shrew / Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung / Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
RCO: Iván Fischer conducts Beethoven – The Complete Symphonies
Starting in 1922, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed a Beethoven cycle at the end of each season, during which all the symphonies – and other works too – would be performed, often in quick succession. The cycle was interrupted for the first time in 1957 for three performances of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. The tradition then began to dwindle, with the last Beethoven Series performed in 1978. Now for the very first time, the orchestra will be performing all the symphonies in a single cycle, spread out over two seasons, under the direction of Iván Fischer. Approx. 06:00:00.
Lang Lang in Vienna
‘The most popular pianist on the planet’ (CNN) performs at the stunning Musikverein in Vienna, recorded for the first time at a special TV recital! “For me, there are few halls around the globe that have the same prestige as Carnegie Hall and the Musikverein. Of course there are other great halls, but I always feel these two have a unique place in people’s hearts. So I felt that after Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein would be the place where I should do another live recordings.” (Lang Lang) The programme also includes special backstage features, interviews and much more. ‘To his millions of fans worldwide the 27-year-old Chinese musician is a God-like star, whose skill and energetic performance style put him in a league of his own.’ (CNN) Works: Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”, Albéniz: Iberia Book 1, Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83, Chopin: Étude No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 25, Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 “Heroic”, Grande Valse Brillante No. 2 in A flat major, Op. 34, No. 1
Dudamel conducts the Verdi Requiem at the Hollywood Bowl
“Gustavo Dudamel puts an intimate flourish on Verdi’s Requiem”, the Los Angeles Times writes about Dudamel’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the Hollywood Bowl. “A page was turned and a new chapter begun in the maturation of a music director.” Dudamel is joined by a cast of high-class singers: Ildebrando D´Arcangelo, who regularly performs at La Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper, London’s Royal Opera or the Salzburg Festival, the upcoming star tenor Vittorio Grigolo, who regularly guests at La Scala, Covent Garden, the MET etc., Michelle DeYoung, who performs with leading orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra etc., and Julianna Di Giacomo, who regularly guests at the MET, the LA Opera an other international opera houses. Also available: Making Of (18′).