As highlight of the “The Spirit of Music in Venice” festival 2013, Venice’s venerated opera house, La Fenice, presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello performed against the backdrop of the Courtyard of the Doge’s Palace, as the perfect setting for its fifteenth-century plot. The Korean maestro Myung-Whun Chung conducts La Fenice Orchestra and Choir and a prestigious international cast, including American tenor Gregory Kunde as Otello. Also starring: Lucio Gallo, Carmela Remigio and Francesco Marsiglia.
La Sonnambula
La Sonnambula at the Stuttgart Opera has proved a “great triumph. Not only for the directing duo but for the ensemble as a whole, for they have delivered a heart-warming miracle in their coordination of stage and orchestra, voice and roleplay” (Süddeutsche Zeitung): the production by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito was honoured at the International Opera Awards as “new production of the year” and ensemble member Ana Durlovski won the coveted theatre prize “Der Faust” for her portrayal of the somnambulist. Opernwelt magazine made her “newcomer of the year”, while the Stuttgart Opera chorus was named “opera chorus of the year” for the ninth time in 13 years.
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Meditation in Movement
Filmed on location in Taiwan, this complementary documentary looks at the work of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and introduces the performance of Songs of the Wanderers. Lin Hwai-Min talks in interview about his development as a choreographer and the broad background to his style, which embraces both American and Oriental dance, from Martha Graham and classical ballet to Tai Chi and Chinese Opera. He also explains the important role meditation plays in his company’s training and creative process.
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Songs Of The Wanderers
Legend has it that “Cloud Gate” is the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritualistic dance which was supposed to have been performed more than 5,000 years ago. In 1973 the choreographer Lin Hwai-min used this classical name for the company he founded, the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, which was the fi rst company in the Chinese speaking part of the world to dedicate itself to the modern dance theatre. A visually stunning paean to spiritual pilgrimage, “Song of the Wanderers” creates a world intense of reverences, distinctly Asian in its imagery yet with powerful relevance far beyond Asia. Spiritually evocative movement set to soulful Georgian folk songs, brought to life on a truly astonishing set of 3,5 tons of shimmering golden grains of rice.“Asia’s leading contemporary dance theatre.” (The Times) “One of the finest dance companies in the world.” (The Globe and Mail). In addition: DCD066_01 is a documentary about the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan including interviews with the director and artists.
Opera Gala with Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni
Two world-renowned baritones Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni lead the audience through a gallery of opera characters which the “kings of high-Cs” cannot portray. They introduce themselves as devoted friends (Marquis Posa), rulers (Phillip II. and King Herod), devils (Mephistopheles) and the most famous operatic embodiment of evil (Iago) … . Most composers devoted the roles of lovers to tenors; yet, the most famous seducer of all times, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, is a baritone … . —— Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein, Gaetano Donizetti
Lucerne Festival 2013: Daniel Barenboim & West Eastern Divan Orchestra at Lucerne Festival
Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performing works by the Jordanian composer Saed Haddad (*1972) and the Israel-based “composer-in-residence” of Lucerne Festival 2013, Chaya Czernowin (*1957). The two world premieres were contrasted by works of the two great composers celebrating their 200th anniversary: Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. —– PROGRAM: G. Verdi: Overture to Les Vêpres siciliennes; S. Haddad (*1972): Que la lumière soit (world premiere); G. Verdi: La traviata, preludes to act 1 and 3, Overture to La forza del destino; R. Wagner: Prelude to Parsifal; Ch. Czernowin (*1957): At the Fringe of Our Gaze (world premiere); R. Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
The Red Square Concert
Appearing for the first time together on Red Square, two of the biggest names in opera to day, Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky , performing for one night only in front of audience of 7,500 people. The exciting program includes arias from some of the most recognised operas including Tosca, Eugene Onegin, and Il trovatore. The singers are accompanied by conductor Constantine Orbelian, Russia’s State Academic Symphony Orchestra “Evgeny Svetlanov” and a large chorus. Director Frank Hof, whose work includes the memorable Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, and Rolando Villazón performance at Berlin’s Waldbühne, shoot the Red Square performance with 18 cameras in magnificent HD to best capture the stunning backdrop of Red Square, and create an exclusive theatrical mix in 5.1 digital surround sound.
Star-studded Anniversary: 125 Years of the Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Th e Concertgebouw was officially inaugurated on 11 April 1888. Public interest was so great that Amsterdam experienced its very first traffic jam (of carriages). Now, 125 years later, the RCO and the Concertgebouw are organising an anniversary concert together. Under the baton of its chief conductor Mariss Jansons, the orchestra is welcoming three popular guest soloists: Janine Jansen, Thomas Hampson and Lang Lang. This festive programme features Mahler and Strauss, both of whom conducted the orchestra on several occasions. Musicians from the RCO, the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras are joining forces for a performance of the Elégie from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. —— WAGNER: Prelude to ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ // MAHLER: ‘Ging heut’ morgens über Feld’, ‘Rheinlegendchen’, ‘Lob des hohen Verstandes’ // PROKOFIEV: Piano concerto Nr 3 in C major, op. 26, 3rd movement // TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for strings: Élégie // SAINT-SAËNS: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso // R. STRAUSS: Suite from ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. (75′ / 90′ / 102′) (A865500020000)
RCO: 125 Years of the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam: Birthday Concert
On 3 November 1888, the Concertgebouw Orchestra officially presented itself to the public when it gave the opening concert of the first subscription year of Het Concertgebouw N.V.. Exactly 125 years later, the orchestra is giving its Anniversary Concert, featuring a new work – a gift from the Concertgebouw to the RCO – Mysteriën (Mysteries) by Louis Andriessen, the Netherlands’ most famous living composer. Also on the programme is Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, dedicated in 1898 to the orchestra, which celebrated its tenth anniversary that year, and to Willem Mengelberg, its chief conductor at the time (Unitel Cat. A865500040000).
RCO: Andris Nelsons conducts Rachmaninoff
Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons made his first appearance with the RCO to great acclaim in 2008 and has returned regularly ever since. The soloist is the celebrated tenor Ian Bostridge, who is sure to shine brightly in the exceptionally beautiful Les illuminations by BRITTEN, who was born 100 years ago. Britten’s work makes for a fascinating contrast with the Slavic energy of RACHMANINOFF’s Symphonic Dances. Also on the programm Claude DEBUSSY’s Six épigraphes antiques (UNITEL Cat. No. A865500050000)