Unlike the piano, the violin or even the flute, the oboe is a relatively rare instrument for a solo career. And when a soloist such as Albrecht Mayer plays the oboe, one wishes composers had written more works for this weetly mellow instrument. Critics write about the “divine spark” that inspires his playing, and about the “miraculous oboe” that turns into “an instrument of seduction.” With his particularly warm tone and exceptionally broad palette of nuances, it’s no surprise that Albrecht Mayer is one of today’s most sought-after international oboists. In this documentary portrait of the oboist, we retrace the musician’s impressive career and witness some of its many high points. Mayer embarked on a professional career in 1990, when he joined the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra as solo oboist. Two years later, he made the transition to the absolute top league with his appointment as solo oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and since then he has made countless international appearances, playing under such eminent conductors as Abbado, Rattle and Harnoncourt. In addition to his work as a soloist, Mayer also attaches great importance to chamber music. He is a permanent member of the Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble and also plays with such partners as Thomas Quasthoff, Matthias Goerne and Leif Ove Andsnes.
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at Teatro Colón – A Tango Evening
On the occasion of the “Festival de Música y Reflexión” at the Teatro Colón, Daniel Barenboim and his West Eastern Divan Orchestra celebrate the centennials of two extraordinary Argentinian musicians in 2016: Alberto Ginastera, eminent creator of modern classical music interfused with folkloristic elements, and Horacio Salgán, whose voice was distinctive in the development of Argentine tango during the 20th century. Barenboim and the WEDO present with “solidity and agility” Ginastera’s Violin Concerto as well as three tango compositions by Salgán. “It was the most particular concert of those Daniel Barenboim and the WEDO had programmed” (La Nación).
Thielemann conducts Brahms Symphony n. 2
The Vienna Philharmonic play a home game with Brahms’ D major Second Symphony. Every phrase had the combination of lightness, warmth, core and swell to make it feel ideally satisfying in a very relaxing-deep-in-your-belly sort of way. Paired with Christian Thielemann, one of the few conductors the orchestra allows to really lead and inspire them, they were completely in their element.
Portrait Anna Netrebko – Report About Anna
Her rise to international fame may have been meteoric, but her radiance is nothing less than galactic: Anna Netrebko, soprano and superstar. A phenomenal artist, she has been breaking all records in the world of classical music, and has injected a much-needed shot of youthful vitality into the classical scene. She can dominate the musical stage as Violetta Valéry in “La Traviata” or blend seamlessly into an ensemble as Susanna in “Le nozze di Figaro.” She can move audiences to tears with Russian songs or bring down the house with operetta arias. She is versatile, talented, gorgeous – and deserves to be in the spotlight. Yet though she may have all the makings of a diva, she prefers to play with the notion rather than live it out. This documentary shows Anna Netrebko as she really is: a natural, unaffected young woman full of fun, energy and, yes, boundless ambition and self-confidence. We accompany her to her parents’ home in Krasnodar and to her apartment in St. Petersburg. She relates her beginnings at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, where she scrubbed the floors of the lobby¿ And we see the visible impact she makes on a dignified public when she is awarded the Russian State Prize by President Putin. In candid conversations, she tells us about her plans for the future, her hobbies, her loves, but also her fears and how fame has changed her life. Revealing insights are also provided by conductor Valery Gergiev, Netrebko’s mentor, and tenor Rolando Villazón, her most important stage partner. The program contains a wealth of excerpts from Netrebko’s most recent performances in operas such as “La Traviata,” “La Bohème,” “Rigoletto,” and “War and Peace,” and features a side-splitting rendering of Lehár’s “Meine Lippen küssen so heiss” that brilliantly spotlights the humor, spontaneity and naturalness of this one-of-a-kind artist.
Stefan Herheim: The Drama Lies in the Music
One of the world’s most sought-after opera directors, Stefan Herheim, has begun an intense rehearsal period at the MusikTheater an der Wien, where he will shed new light on Johann Strauss II’s classic operetta “Die Fledermaus”. We get unique access to the process behind one of his most ambitious and controversial interpretations, set in Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1938. With the cameras up close, artistic breakthroughs, creative triumphs and moments of deep doubt are revealed. The ensemble is challenged, and expectations are sky-high. The question is as simple as it is dramatic: Will Herheim’s new “Fledermaus” end up as a success… or a scandal?
300 Years Giovanni Batista Pergolesi – The complete Operas: Adriano in Siria, Il Flaminio, Il Prigionier superbo
In 2010, the music world celebrated the 300th birthday of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, one of the most important and fascinating composers of the early 18th century. C Major Entertainment and UNITEL honour the composer, violinist and organist by presenting his complete stage entertainments recorded at the famous Pergolesi Festival in the composer’s home town, Jesi. Performed by singers and musicians specialising in the music of the 18th century. The cycle includes: ‘Adriano in Siria’ + ‘Livetta e Tracollo’ (193’), ‘L’Olimpiade’ (approx. 210’), ‘Salustia’ (approx. 170’), ‘Il Prigionier superbo’ (124’), ‘Lo Frate ‘nnamorato’ (approx. 200’), ‘Il Flaminio’ (183’) and ‘La Serva Padrona’ (approx. 50’).
Sir András Schiff in Weimar
In the classical city of Weimar, where his great compatriot Franz Liszt once worked, Sir András Schiff, who was knighted in 2014, devoted himself to three of his “great loves”: Bach, Beethoven and Schubert. The setting could not have been more fitting: For the first time, it was possible for a production to record a piano recital at the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar. PROGRAM Bach: Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother in B flat major, BWV 992; Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 “Pastoral”; Schubert: Three Late Piano Pieces , D. 946, Hungarian Melody in B minor, D. 817
Salzburg Festival 2022: Il trittico
Il trittico was premiered in New York on 14 December 1918, composed while the First World War was still raging in Europe. At first glance, the three one-act operas Gianni Schicchi, Il tabarro and Suor Angelica seem to have no connection with each other; their common denominator is solely the entanglement of man in a fateful destiny that only exceptionally, for a moment, seems to promise a happy outcome to the “adventure of life” — a set of themes that in its complexity seems to be in such good hands with few directors as with Christof Loy. The main female roles in the three opera acts are performed by the Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, a very rare and tremendous feat, but once again connects the works to each other. “Grigorian is […] a wonderful, intense performer: a gracefully graceful Donna fragile as Lauretta, a feverishly longing for love while tormented by guilt Giorgetta, and a desperately lost Angelica rebelling with defiance.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Salzburg Festival 2022: Bluebeard’s Castle & De Temporum Fine Comedia
The Salzburg Festival presented Bluebeard’s Castle in a double bill evening together with Carl Orff’s De temporum fine comoedia. In his staging of the two works, Romeo Castellucci, reveals the profound connections in their juxtapositio between interiority and explosion of violent power.
Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) BWV 248, Cantata No.6
Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” was first heard in its entirety at Leipzig’s St. Thomas church at Christmastime 1734. Some Leipzig church-goers may have recognized some of the melodies, since Bach used material from earlier works, sometimes reworking the music to fit new texts. This practice, called the “parody technique”, was frequent in Bach’s time. The six separate, large-scale but related parts of the Oratorio tell the Nativity story through texts of the apostles St. Matthew and St. Luke, and through traditional or newly written material. Bach is credited with shaping the text and selecting the Biblical passages in such a way that the work follows a logical sequence. This contribution gives the piece a musically dramatic and compelling textual unity. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt founded the “Concentus Musicus Wien” in 1953. It has since become one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments or faithful reproductions. With its opulent decor and gilt ornamentation, the Austrian Baroque church of Waldhausen provides a setting evocative of Bach’s times. An added highlight of the program is the retelling of the Nativity story with the magnificent carved figures of two master wood-carvers of the Baroque period from Upper Austria. Also heard on the recording are the distinguished tenor Peter Schreier, bass Robert Holl and the Tölzer Boys’ Choir.