Whether through its phenomenal acoustics or breathtaking architecture, Valencia’s spectacular Calatrava opera house “Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía” – itself a work of art – seems to bring out the best of all who gather there to celebrate artistic creation. And this production of Puccini’s “Turandot” is no exception! Internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (1993 Golden Palm in Cannes for Farewell My Concubine) delivers an opulent background for the fairy-tale story of the Chinese Princess Turandot, who will marry only a prince of royal blood who can solve her three riddles. With a wealth of sumptuous costumes and palace sets designed and produced in China, Kaige’s staging provides a compellingly authentic accent to Puccini’s exotic orchestral palette.
Nabucco
‘Nabucco’ has long been at home in the Arena di Verona, and for many, the ‘Va pensiero’ chorus is, along with the triumphal march from ‘Aida,’ the very embodiment of the Verona experience. This video production vividly captures this unique experience and provides the viewer with fascinating details that escape many of the Arena’s spectators. Stage director Denis Krief casts the work in a sparse modern setting, providing a highly effective showcase for the true heroes of the evening, the singers under conductor Daniel Oren.
Turandot
Internationally acclaimed Chinese film-maker Chen Kaige (Palme d’Or 1993 for Farewell My Concubine) delivers an opulent staging of the fairy-tale story of Chinese Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles. With sumptuous costumes and palace sets designed in China, Kaige’s production adds a compellingly authentic accent to Puccini’s exotic orchestral palette. Zubin Mehta and his brilliant Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana offer “genuine fireworks of sound” (Wiener Zeitung), Maria Guleghina triumphs as Turandot.
Belcanto D´Amore (Aida, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Turandot)
AIDA
Iano Tamar, Iain Paterson,
Tatiana Serjan, Rubens
Pellizzari
Vienna Symphonic Orchestra
Carlo Rizzi
Staged by Graham Vick
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Raffaela Angeletti
Nino Batatunashvili
Annunziato Vestri
Fondatione Orchestra
Regionale Delle Marche
Daniele Callegari
Staged by Pier Luigi Pizzi
TURANDOT
Maria Guleghina, Marco Berti,
Javier Agulló
Orquestra de la Comunitat
Valenciana
Zubin Metha
Staged by Chen Kaige
LA TRAVIATA
Svetla Vassileva, Massimo
Giordano, Valdimir Stoyanov
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro
Regio di Parma
Yuri Temirkanov
Staged by Karl-Ernst & Ursel
Herrmann
RIGOLETTO
Francesco Demuro, Leo Nucci
Nino Machaidze, Marco Spotti
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro
Regio di Parma
Massimo Zanetti
Staged by Stefano Vizioli
Le Donne di Puccini
Berlin Opera Night 2005
Each year, the traditional Festive Opera Gala combines real musical delight and the joy of charity. The gala, which is organised for the benefit of the German AIDS-Fund, has for years been one of the social highlights on the German agenda. The soloists of the 2005 Gala are Lucia Aliberti, Marcelo Álvarez, Lado Ataneli, Maria Guleghina, Michaela Kaune and Anatoli Kotscherga.