The Advent concerts have long become a tradition, and numerous internationally renowned artists have since accepted the invitation to the annual Advent concert. For this production, the audience can look forward to the Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, who is on stage with the Saxon State Opera Chorus and the Saxon Staatskapelle under the baton of Riccardo Minasi. In addition to soprano Nikola Hillebrand, another prominent guest is Thomas Quasthoff, who celebrates his fiftieth stage anniversary this year.
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert 2025
The Wiener Symphoniker once again welcomed the summer with their yearly open-air concert in the heart of Vienna. For the fourth time, the Kaiserwiese – set against the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel – becomes the backdrop of a shared musical experience connecting generations, styles and stories. With a cross-genre programme combining operetta, musical, jazz and pop, the orchestra traces a lively Viennese tradition that has been bringing people together since the 19th century. Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff brought Frank Sinatra’s repertoire to life with his unmistakable voice, joined by soprano Alina Wunderlin, who moved effortlessly between classical music, operetta and jazz. Double bassist and composer Georg Breinschmid and his trio offered a jazz-inflected tribute to Johann Strauss, while singer-songwriter Lemo added a contemporary touch.
Red Ribbon Celebration Concert – Building Bridges for Peace
Now, in its fourth year, the Red Ribbon Celebration Concert has become an integral part of the world famous Vienna Life Ball Weekend, one of the biggest fund-raising events to further the cause of those living with HIV or AIDS. Staged in the legendary Burgtheater, the concert assembles a line-up of stars which reads like the who is who of classical music. Anna Netrebko, Juan Diego Florez, Piotr Beczala, Elena Maximova, Thomas Quasthoff, Yusif Eyvazov and Kristine Opolais as well as the jazz singer Gregory Porter perform an extraordinary concert according to the motto “Building Bridges for Peace”. From Porter’s hit “Water under Bridges” to a humorous interpretation of Franz Lehar’s “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” by Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov, the stars where celebrated with “only bravos” (Salzburger Nachrichten).
BBC Proms 2017: Rattle conducts Schönberg’s Gurre Lieder
Sir Simon Rattle starts his tenure as the London Symphony Orchestra’s new Music Director with a concert at the prestigious BBC Proms – 40 years after his first appearance with the LSO, in October 1977 at the age of 22. The Royal Albert Hall’s cavernous space provides the perfect surroundings for this supersize scale performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. The force of over five hundred voices from the London Symphony Chorus, the CBSO Chorus, and Orfeó Català meet the LSO and a superb lineup of soloists, led by Rattle, putting on “a brilliantly blazing show” (The Daily Telegraph). Their BBC Proms performance is “an intoxicating embrace of the gigantic ebb and flow of Schoenberg’s score … an ecstatic celebration!” (The Guardian)
Berlin Opera Night 2006
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 2006 Gala are Daniela Barcellona, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Marius Brenciu, Malena Ernman, Soile Isokoski, Klaus Florian Vogt, Thomas Quasthoff, Maria Virginia Savastano, Violeta Urmana and Ramon Vargas.