‘Rarely is such a warm, captivating and smooth voice heard here in the Netherlands,’ wrote Peter van der Lint in the Dutch newspaper Trouw following the Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto’s last performance with the RCO, for which he garnered wide acclaim with the orchestra singing Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death on 25 August 2010. Now he returns with his favourite arias from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. After the interval, a truly unique event takes place: for the very first time, a work by Anton Bruckner is performed at one of the legendary Concertgebouw Christmas Matinee’s – and what’s more, it is conducted by chief conductor Mariss Jansons. ——- Program: W.A. MOZART: ‘Madamina, il catalogo è questo’ from ‘Don Giovanni’ KV 527; ‘Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso’ from ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ KV 492; Overture to ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ // ANTON BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7. (Cat. No. UNITEL A865500010000)
The Weimar Recital – Franz Schubert: Songs & Ballads
Konstantin Krimmel, the rising star of song interpreters and the renowned pianist Daniel Heide perform Franz Schubert’s settings of ballads and poems from the German classics. It was filmed in the “Book Cube” of the venerable Anna Amalia Library in the heart of Weimar. Wonderful pictures of the city of classics complement the impressive setting.
St. John Passion
In 2024, J. S. Bach’s “St John Passion” celebrates 300 years since its creation. To celebrate this milestone, the Thomanerchor and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Thomaskantor Andreas Reize present the masterpiece at St. Thomas Church Leipzig in its original version, together with a star cast of soloists and Julian Prégardien as the evangelist.
Mass in B minor
In Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church, Masaaki Suzuki and his Bach Collegium Japan perform Bach’s Opus summum: the Mass in B minor, which marks the 2023 Bach Festival’s festive closing. They are joined by an excellent ensemble of soloists who perform the arias as well as the choral parts together with the chorus of the Bach Collegium Japan.
Lise Davidsen: Christmas from Norway
Lise Davidsen, one of the most celebrated and sought-after sopranos on the world stage, presents a personal programme of seasonal favourites from the Folketeateret in Oslo. Mixing traditional carols and Christmas songs – from Norway and across Europe – with music by Bach, Humperdinck, Hugo Wolf, the programme provides the perfect selection to get into the seasonal spirit, all sung with the spectacular voice and artistry that have brought the Norwegian soprano accolades and acclaim from Bayreuth to New York
Fatma Said – On the Way to Egypt
For the 2022/23 season, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin welcomed Cairo-born Fatma Said, a multi-award-winning soprano of international renown, as Artist in Residence. Said is known for the impressive diversity of her voice and repertoire: whether classical, jazz or traditional music, the young artist is well at home in many worlds. Her role as an intermediary between the musical cultures around the Mediterranean is particularly evident in the concert entitled “On the Way to Egypt”. The multi-faceted program, conducted by Alondra de la Parra, begins by looking from Egypt to the European compositional tradition and then from Western Europe to North Africa and Arabia.
Doppelganger – Jonas Kaufmann
Contemporary Opera Director Claus Guth and celebrated Set Designer Michael Levine transform PARK AVENUE ARMORY Hall for a spectacular reimagining of Schubert’s Schwanengesang. The cycle forms a series of masterful snapshots of all that life has to offer, and features a performance that transcends genre: Jonas Kaufmann and his longtime accompanist, pianist Helmut Deutsch, interpret the collection of songs, augmented by additional Schubert repertoire an atmospheric soundscape and transformative light and video projections to create a production that is part performance, part installation. “a rare treat … the theatrical ingenuity and visceral force was so strong that the audience let out an audible gasp of shock” (The New York Times), “a remarkable theatrical coup … Kaufmann’s burnished tenor remains potent, unleashing powerful torrents of sound.” (The Financial Times), “Doppelganger is awesome experimental theater on a grand scale … There’s really nothing like it in New York right now.” (Theatermania)
Maria Callas at Paris Opera – The Concert 1958
Maria Callas made her debut in Paris in 1958. In front of the magnificent backdrop of the Paris Opera (now the Palais Garnier), she shone with arias from Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi’s The Troubadour and Gioachino Rossini’s The Babier of Seville. A spectacular performance in the city that became her home until her death in 1977. Her debut in front of the grandiose backdrop of the Paris Opera was a social event that drew crowds from all over Paris. Among the guests were numerous celebrities from politics, society and culture, including Charlie Chaplin and Brigitte Bardot. Maria Callas took to the stage in designer clothes and adorned with a million dollars’ worth of jewels. She began with “Casta diva” from Vincenzo Bellini’s “Norma”, followed by Leonora’s sad aria and the poignant “Miserere” from the fourth act of Giuseppe Verdi’s “The Troubadour”, before she lifted the mood with “Una voce poco fa” from Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”. Maria Callas took the Parisian audience by storm. At the time, nobody could have guessed that Paris would become her city of destiny, where she would settle and where she would die far too young in 1977 at the age of just 53.
Jonas Kaufmann at Arena di Verona
Experience an unforgettable gala evening with Jonas Kaufmann. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of opera and wonderful melodies. In the magical setting of the Arena di Verona, the “King of the Tenors” shows the incomparable versatility of his repertoire: from the most beautiful opera arias, including from Tosca, La Traviata and Otello, to operetta classics such as “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” and moving songs from great film classics such as West Side Story. Jonas Kaufmann celebrates the 100th opera season in the Arena di Verona with this unique gala concert this year. And the “wonder tenor” (Le Monde) does not come alone: with Sonya Yoncheva and Ludovic Tézier, three of the world’s greatest opera stars are on stage for this very special evening.
Christmas Oratorio
Bach’s timeless, irresistible Christmas Oratorio returns to Leipzig – and to St. Thomas’s Church, where several of its six gorgeous cantatas were heard for the very first time in 1734-35! Adding to the historical import of this unmissable event are the Gewandhausorchester, one of the world’s oldest and most venerated orchestras founded in 1781, and the Thomanerchor (St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig), a legendary ensemble formed over eight hundred years ago in 1212 and directed by Bach himself between 1723 and 1750. The eighteenth person to hold the post of Thomaskantor since Bach, Andreas Reize leads the impeccable orchestra and choir – joined by soloists Christina Landshamer, Benedikt Kristjánsson, and Konstantin Krimmel – in a festive and delightful performance of one of those cherished works from which the holiday spirit flows unfettered and ebullient.