Giuseppe Verdi’s emotional political thriller, brilliantly captured in Andreas Kriegenburg’s puristic staging, becomes a musical feast in Salzburg with a high-class ensemble including René Pape, Luca Salsi, Marina Rebeka and Charles Castronovo. Conductor Valery Gergiev gives a “musically differentiated and overall convincing interpretation of Verdi’s sonically immensely subtle score” (Die Zeit). The Wiener Philharmoniker and the choir of the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor perform superbly.
T.H.A.M.O.S.
Wherever they are, that’s where the action is. The Catalan theatre group La Fura dels Baus is staging T.H.A.M.O.S at the Felsenreitschule Salzburg. The performance is based on Thamos, King in Egypt, with interlude music by Mozart for the heroic drama written by Tobias Philipp Freiherr von Gebler, supplemented by other compositions by Mozart and texts by Nikolaus Tesla, Antonin Artaud and Alicia Aza. Mexican conductor Alondra della Parra conducts the Camerata Salzburg and a singer ensemble starring René Pape and Fatma Said.
Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) (Mozart 22)
“The Magic Flute” is Mozart’s most popular and beloved opera, and its melodies – from Papageno’s folkloric tunes to the Queen of the Night’s breathtaking coloraturas – are familiar even among non-listeners of classical music. In this production by Pierre Audi, however, it is the eyes and not the ears that first fall under the spell of this truly magical “Magic Flute.” From the illustration on the stage curtain to the incredible, wildly colored, primeval-looking monsters, animals and decorative elements on the stage, the production is dominated by the unmistakable expressive world of the Dutch artist and sculptor Karel Appel. A co-founder of the acclaimed Cobra Group, Appel developed a darkly expressionistic idiom and was the “secret dramaturge” of the production, says director Audi. Appel died at the age of 85 three months before the premiere of “Die Zauberflöte” at the Salzburg Festival. Blending smoothly into Appel’s exotic designs, director Pierre Audi’s production is neither a contemporization nor a deconstruction of Mozart’s German Singspiel, which was written in 1791 and was one of Mozart’s last works. Instead, Audi leaves the alleged stylistic breaks and unresolved conflicts between good and evil as they are and seeks to “give them a home,” as he puts it. He relates the fairy-tale story of the “Magic Flute” in a sensual and playful, but never childlike or childish way, using Appel’s sets as a component of his vision. While the sets may be a treat for the eyes, the music is a feast for the ears. Metropolitan Opera and La Scala star Diana Damrau shines as a Queen of the Night who effortlessly tosses out her coloraturas with dazzling accuracy. René Pape’s Sarastro is a worthy counterpart, a solemn figure with balsamic bass tones. Paul Groves’ supple tenor voice ensures a faultless Tamino next to the captivatingly natural lyricism of Genia Kühmeier’s Pamina. Christian Gerhaher is a welcome, almost restrained Papageno. His Papagena, Irena Bespalovaite, brings her fresh musicality to the ensemble. The Vienna Philharmonic is led with an expert hand by the great Riccardo Muti.
L.v.Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies
As a musical highlight during the Summer Olympics 2012 in London, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim performed all nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven during the famous BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Also available: DOCUMENTARY “Barenboim on Beethoven: Nine Symphonies that changed the World”. A film by Michael Waldman; Cat. No. A02007374 // SYMPHONIES Lengths: No. 1 = 29′ / No. 2 = 35′ / No. 3 = 53′ / No. 4 = 39′ / No. 5 = 35′ / No. 6 = 44′ / No. 7 = 39′ / No. 8 = 30′ / No. 9 = 78′
Le Concert de Paris 2019
«Le Concert de Paris» is an exceptional event held each year on Bastille Day at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, as a prelude to the traditional July 14th fireworks display. Two of Radio France’s most prestigious musical institutions, the Orchestre National de France and the Radio France Chorus, under the baton of maestro Alain Altinoglu, propose a top-quality programme, giving pride of place to the voice and brings together some of the world’s greatest soloists, including Khatia Buniatishvili, Roberto Alagna, René Pape, Gautier Capuçon, Gaëlle Arquez, Jakub Orlinski and many more!
Claudio Abbado conducts Beethoven’s Music to Egmont and Mozart’s Requiem at Lucerne Festival
The opening of the Lucerne Festival 2012, Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in the first part present a most powerful composition dedicated to Goethe’s hero Egmont, the Incidental Music to ‘Egmont’ by Beethoven. The second part of the program includes Mozart’s last composition, the Requiem in D Minor, which was left unfinished due to the early death of the composer.
Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra – A special feature in celebration of the maestro’s 80th birthday!
On the occasion of Claudio Abbado’s 80th birthday in June 2013, this special feature throws a glance at Abbado’s work with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. The close connection between the orchestra and its conductor is documented by excerpts from rehearsals and concert recordings as well as personal interviews with the maestro talking about composers, his approach to their works and the collaboration with the orchestra. —– With excerpts from: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART “Haffner Symphony” and Requiem (featuring René Pape), Anton BRUCKNER Symphony No. 1, Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 9 and Adagio from Symphony No. 10, Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Incidental Music to Goethe’s Tragedy “Egmont” featuring Juliane Banse and Bruno Ganz.
Requiem A
Requiem A – the ‘A’ in the title stands for ‘Beginning’ (German ‚Anfang’), ‘setting off’ (Aufbruch), ‘ash’ (Asche), and ‘breathing’ (atmen). Words that describe the mourning, reconciliation and new beginnings after a time of conflict. Composer Sven Helbig wrote his Requiem A in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Dresden’s destruction and the end of the Second World War. However, war is not at the centre of his piece; he wants to thematise the subsequent reconciliation and forgiveness. Helbig, a self-taught composer of music for choir, orchestra, and chamber ensembles and a multi-instrumentalist, has collaborated with artists such as Snoop Dog, Rammstein, and the Pet Shop Boys. The performance of Requiem A features visuals by the Icelandic film artist Máni M. Sigfusson, underscoring the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Kreuzchor Dresden, soloist René Pape, and the live electronics of Sven Helbig himself.
Beethoven Celebration Berlin
In 2020, Ludwig van Beethoven is the focus of the Staatskapelle Berlin’s suberb open-air concert. With star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter playing Beethoven’s Violin Romances Nos. 1 & 2, the composer anticipated the romantic genre of the „song without words“. In capturing the expressive „singing on the instrument“, the virtuoso talent and remarkable art of Anne-Sophie Mutter are once again demonstrated. Daniel Barenboim has devoted his life to Beethoven‘s work and mentality. The musical director, pianist and cultural activist conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin and the State Opera Chorus in this concert. Giving justice to the 9th Symphony with its insistent appeal to humanity and its forward-looking utopian character, are the high calibre artists: Julia Kleiter, Waltraud Meier, Andreas Schager and René Pape.
Ivor Bolton conducts the Dresden Festival Orchestra
This glamerous concert opened the prestigious Dresden Music Festival 2019. Together with Dresden-born singer René Pape the Dresden Festival Orchestra under the baton of Ivor Bolton dived deeply into the romantic repertoire. Highlight of the evening was the world premiere of songs by Franz Schubert arranged for bass and orchestra, including “Prometheus“ D 674 as well as songs from the cycle “Schwanengesang“: Das Fischermädchen, Am Meer, Die Stadt, Der Doppelgänger, Ihr Bild, Der Atlas and An die Musik. Preceeding is Carl Maria von Weber’s overture to his opera “Euryanthe”, which during his lifetime had no easy lot: the music was greatly praised, the libretto however was laughed at. The spring-like first symphony by Robert Schumann was drafted in only four days and written out in three weeks – in a blissful stage of his life shortly after his marriage to Clara Wieck.