Munich’s court theater was the venue for the premiere of Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo’ on 29 January 1781; today, it hosts another premiere of this same work, now to celebrate the reopening of this sparkling Rococo gem of a theater, now known after its architect as the Cuvilliés Theater. Restored at the cost of over 25 million euros, the theater provides an exultant red, gold and white setting for Mozart’s opera seria, which is considered as the first of the seven uncontested masterworks of Mozart’s dramatic oeuvre. In the title role, John Mark Ainsley tackles his demanding lines with impressive firmness. Idamante, a role usually sung by a contralto, is rivetingly portrayed by the tenor Pavol Breslik. As Ilia, Juliane Banse glows with tenderness, the opposite of Annette Dasch’s darkly simmering Elettra.
Franz Lehar: The Land of Smiles
Staatskapelle Dresden; Staatsopernchor Dresden Top-class soloists, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Sachsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden present highlights from Lehar’s popular operetta The Land of Smiles. Besides a bittersweet love story, the piece offers one of the greatest operetta hits: “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz”. According to conductor Christian Thielemann “Operetta only becomes really good when it is performed at a very high level”, a challenge that the Staatskapelle Dresden together with Jane Archibald, Erin Morley and Pavol Breslik masters impressively.
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: The Opening Concert
“HERE TIME BECOMES SPACE” : In January 2017 the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg finally opened its doors with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester under the baton of Principal Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and several top-class soloists. The audience enjoyed an exceptional celebration with numerous guests from the worlds of culture and politics, plus 1,000 people who won tickets in an international raffle. The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester performed an exciting programme that spans across all musical eras, from the Renaissance to the present. It culminated in a brand-new commissioned work, created especially for this occasion by the most important living German composer Wolfgang Rihm. In varying instrumentation and with outstanding soloists the possibilities of the Grand Hall and its acoustics are explored.
Lucrezia Borgia
The phenomenal Edita Gruberova, the world’s undisputed Queen of bel canto, proves once again why she deserves this title: following he tumultuously applauded concert debut as Lucrezia Borgia in Barcelona, her mesmerizing role debut in a staged version of this work took place at the Bavarian State Opera and was acclaimed just as frenetically, and rightly so. Her performance, noted ‘Opera Magazine’, ‘vindicated the Munich audience’s near-idolization of her’. With ‘Lucrezia Borgia’, Gruberova follows up her recent triumphs in ‘Roberto Devereux’ and ‘Norma’ with another bel canto masterwork.
Lulu
Alban Berg’s opera ‘Lulu’ is the story of a lower-class girl who sleeps her way to fame and fortune before losing everything she has and finding death at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Conductor Marc Albrecht supports the two main protagonists, Patricia Petibon’s Lulu and Michael Volle’s Dr. Schön, with the rich sonorities of Berg’s music. Particularly impressive are the gigantic backdrops that dominate the stage and were painted by Daniel Richter, one of the leading German artists of our time.
Berlin Opera Night 2007
OPERA NIGHT 2007 for the German AIDS Foundation live from the Deutsche OperBerlin with world-renowned artists presented by Max Raabe PROGRAM: 1. Overture (from: L‘ITALIANA IN ALGERI) / 2. La calunnia è un venticello (from: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA) / 3. Sempre libera (from: LA TRAVIATA) / 4. Pourquoi me réveiller (from: WERTHER) / 5. Nemico della patria (from: ANDREA CHENIER) / 6. La mamma morta (from: ANDREA CHENIER) / 7. O Fortuna (from: CARMINA BURANA) / 8. Fortuna plango vulnera (from: CARMINA BURANA) / 9. O mio babbino caro (from: GIANNI SCHICCHI) / 10. Cruda sorte (from: L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI) / 11. Una furtiva lagrima (from: L’ELISIR D’AMORE) / 12. Si mi chiamano Mimì (from: LA BOHÈME) / 13. Ah! Non credea mirarti … Ah! non giunge (from: LA SONNAMBULA) / 14. Lippen schweigen (from: DIE LUSTIGE WITWE) / 15. Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert! (from: GIUDITTA) / 16. Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (from: DAS LAND DES LÄCHELNS)
LSO: Rattle conducts Christ on the Mount of Olives
In the words of Sir Simon Rattle, Beethoven is “absolutely inescapable”, especially in the year of his 250th anniversary. Nevertheless, Christ on the Mount of Olives is a rarely heard masterpiece and Beethoven’s only oratorio, which combines the emotive force of the composer’s later Missa Solemnis with the theatre of a Bach Passion. With orchestra, chorus and soloists, it tells the story of Jesus’ prayer and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. “What Rattle made clear is that the music is full of life. It is hard to imagine this performance being bettered.” (Financial Times)