None other than Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz has been engaged for the stage direction of the new production of Fidelio from the Theater an der Wien. There, at one of the oldest opera houses in Vienna, L.v. Beethoven was what one would call today a composer-in-residence. In his third opera production Waltz brilliantly stages the second version of the opera in the breathtaking set designed by the German-American architectural practice Barkow Leibinger. The abstract staircase landscape in the form of a double helix, symbolizing prison, extends space into the back theatre and is infinitely changeable in the cinematic lighting concept of Hollywood regular Henry Braham. Manfred Honeck at the rostrum of the dynamic Wiener Symphoniker leads a superb and versatile cast of “vocally oustanding“ (Der Standard) singers: Nicole Chevalier bewitches vocally and dramatically on her stage debut as Leonore, Eric Cutler gives Florestan a powerful voice. Christof Fischesser, Gábor Bretz, Mélissa Petit complete the strong ensemble. But the production, which was sold out months before, never saw its stage premiere, as the Theater an der Wien sadly had to shut down due to the Covid 19 pandemic a few days before. Thanks to an incredible effort by all participants, the opera house was converted into a film studio at short notice so that Christoph Waltz’s “convincing production” (Die Zeit) of Beethoven‘s flaming musical plea for freedom and humanity could be preserved for posterity. “An ingenious, enigmatic direction” (Münchner Merkur)
Currentzis & Sasha Waltz: Beethoven No. 7 at the ancient theater of Delphi
In the ancient theater of Delphi, against the backdrop of the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, musicAeterna, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, in conjunction with a new choreography by Sasha Waltz and her company. Beethoven completed the symphony in 1812. The premiere 1813 at the height of the wars of liberation was a patriotic event and an enormous success. Wagner’s bon mot of this Symphony as the “apotheosis of dance” is legendary. Thae fusion of the symphony with a
dance performance would certainly have been in the spirit of the grand master of this Gesamtkunstwerk. “Currentzis compares the 7th Symphony to classical, ancient architecture […] the original sound orchestra musicAeterna plays with an almost exemplary transparency.” Deutschlandfunk
450 Years Staatskapelle Berlin
On the occasion of its 450th birthday, the Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of its chief conductor Daniel Barenboim embarks on a journey through music history. With Wagner and Beethoven, two composers are represented who have shaped the Staatskapelle’s repertoire decisively, in both opera and symphonic works. The programme is complemented by advanced music from the 20th and 21st centuries by Boulez and Widmann, the latter having dedicated a newly composed work to the Staatskapelle. PROGRAM Boulez: Initiale for seven brass instruments; Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; Widmann:Zeitensprünge – 450 Takte für Orchester (World premiere of the commissioned work); Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Magic Moments of Music – Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim at Teatro Colón
In 2014, a memorable concert took place at the Teatro Colón: Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim as a piano duo on two pianos. Since their youth, the two have enjoyed an artistic friendship rich in magic moments of music. What happens when these very different personalities form a piano duo? The two superstars had already performed together almost everywhere in the world – but not in their hometown. Their first joint performance in Buenos Aires was a magic moment of music and a kind of folk festival in equal parts. During their stay in Buenos Aires, Argerich and Barenboim went in search of traces of the places where they met as children. And how does Daniel Barenboim himself remember the concert? He laughs: “It’s totally easy with Martha. It’s not like that with everyone. You can only fall in love with her.”
Magic Moments of Music – Harnoncourt conducts Monteverdi
L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi is one of the earliest operas. It tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, a young couple separated by fate and put to the test once again. In 1975, it was to be performed as faithfully as possible to the original, as it had been when it premiered more than 350 years earlier. First on stage in Zurich and later as a film production in Vienna. A radical vision by Austrian conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, directed by star director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Harnoncourt brought back the historical sound experience. He meticulously sought out musicians who played period instruments and brought them together to form an ensemble. He succeeded in making the opera not only comprehensible but also captivating. Outstanding singers such as Anna-Lucia Richter, Rolando Villazón, Elsa Benoit, Äneas Humm and also Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s son Philipp comment on the legendary production from 50 years ago. The film is a testament to the artistry of the great musical innovator Harnoncourt.
Magic Moments of Music – Rudolf Nureyev’s Swan Lake
An incredible 89 curtain calls is testament to the ballet history that was written at the Vienna State Opera on October 15, 1964. The event is a performance of Swan Lake choreographed by Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who also took on the male lead role of the Prince. His partner is the British prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. In his novel interpretation of Swan Lake, Nureyev revolutionises the role of the male dancer, seeking to be her equal counterpart. This great moment in music includes theexcerpts of the legendary ballet recording, while the documentary passages with Nureyev reveal and make tangible this exceptional and fascinating personality. In newly filmed conversations, dancers and companions Michael Birkmeyer and Gisela Cech, who danced alongside Nureyev at the premiere of Swan Lake, share some personal memories of the iconic figure, while new protagonists of today’s ballet world look back at Nureyev and his work from the perspective of our times.
Magic Moments of Music – Leonard Bernstein and Krystian Zimerman interpret Brahms
It was a unique coming together in Vienna in 1984 when enigmatic pianist Krystian Zimerman and charismatic maestro Leonard Bernstein stepped onto the stage and in front of the cameras to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. The result was indeed a magic moment of music and a landmark in the career of Krystian Zimerman. In this episode Zimerman gives a rare interview, and for the first time in a TV documentary, speaks in detail about the background to the concert recording and why the collaboration with Leonard Bernstein radically changed the course of his artistic life. Eminent colleagues including Hélène Grimaud and Igor Levit as well as close confidants of Leonard Bernstein such as the conductor Marin Alsop and his former assistant Charlie Harmon also tell us what makes this concert a great moment for them.
Magic Moments of Music – Menuhin & Karajan play Mozart
Yehudi Menuhin is considered the prodigy of the past century. He was celebrated and adored as once W.A. Mozart, whose Violin Concerto No. 5 he interprets for this recording. After many years of performing and traveling, the outbreak of World War II marked a turning point for Menuhin. He plays in front of Allied troops, soldiers, and wounded. His concert in the liberated concentration camp Bergen-Belsen confronts him, the protected boy prodigy, with unimaginable horror. But Yehudi Menuhin does not despair. He decides to dedicate his life and his music to reconciliation and peace. As early as 1947, he returns to Berlin for a guest performance, the first Jewish musician to do so. Only a few years older, Herbert von Karajan takes a completely different path. His life is marked by the search for perfection and musical greatness. During the Nazi era, Herbert von Karajan builds his career in Germany and becomes one of the most influential and important conductors of the postwar period. This 1966 recording, masterfully staged by award-winning feature film director Henri-Georges Clouzot, proves that such contrasting biographies do not stand in the way of magical musical moments. International stars from the music scene such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Hope, or Hillary Hahn, but also greats of cinematic art such as Sunnyi Melles and Bruno Monsaigeon, let themselves be enchanted by this valuable contemporary testimony, which documents the only collaboration of these musical legends. Together we experience how timeless beauty is realized in sound ideals and how music can still contribute to reconciliation today.
Magic Moments of Music – Franco Zeffirelli’s La Bohème
This magic moment with music by Giacomo Puccini and artworks by Zeffirelli opens a window into the tender and melancholically intimate story of Mimì in bohemian Paris.
After the great success of Zeffirelli’s production of La Bohème at La Scala in Milan, Herbert von Karajan and Zeffirelli were compelled to turn it into an opera film. The screen adaptation of Puccini’s masterpiece featured the choir and orchestra of the Milan Scala and among others, Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi and Rolando Panerai. The young Mirella Freni, who sang the role of Mimì for over 50 years, gained fame the world over, not least because of her natural and pure voice. South African soprano Pretty Yende, who was a student of Mirella Freni and later sang in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of La Bohème, recounts her experiences with her mentor. As a very young tenor, Franco-Italian singer Roberto Alagna sang alongside Mirella Freni in the Zeffirelli production and is grateful to count himself among the great tenors, alongside Pavarotti and Carreras – thanks in large part to this performance of La Bohème.
Magic Moments of Music – Grace Bumbry is Carmen
When Grace Bumbry performed Carmen under Karajan in 1966/67, she was the shooting star of the international opera scene. Her career almost seems like a fairy tale: Due to racial segregation, she could not begin her studies at the St. Louis Institute of Music in the USA, although she had already won a radio competition at the age of 17. Against this background, one has to see her later triumphs. She celebrated her breakthrough in Bayreuth, where Wieland Wagner brought her for his Tannhäuser and where the press praised her as the “black Venus” and the audience clapped her in front of the curtain 40 times. Many have had great careers. Grace Bumbry’s was more than that: it was significant – and Carmen was one of her finest moments.