Sir Andras Schiff brings Bach’s monumental work for solo keyboard to the Royal Albert Hall and delivers a spellbinding account of the Goldberg Variations. “Schiff’s playing was buoyant and dazzling in a performance that underlined the cogency and integrity of his approach to this monumental work” stated The Guardian. Alone at the piano in the vastness of the Royal Albert Hall was Andras Schiff, who made no concessions to the capacity crowd: this was all about Bach’s astonishing variations. Schiff’s “command and awareness of the smaller-scale architectures were just as impressive as his mastery of the whole 30-variation span“ wrote the Telegraph.
Paavo Järvi conducts Escaich, Widmann & Saint-Saens
The spectacular new Rieger organ of the Philharmonie de Paris is inaugurated with solo, ensemble, and symphonic works starring Paavo Järvi at the rostrum of the Orchestre de Paris and Thierry Escaich, Titular Organist and with that successor of Maurice Duruflé at Paris Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. The new organ with close to 7000 handmade pipes, 15 meters high and 20 meters wide, with 91 stops on four manuals and pedal specially designed for the symphonic repertory, is heard for the first time at this festive performance. PROGRAM Escaich: Organ Improvisation; Widmann: Viola Concerto (World Premiere); Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 “Organ Symphony”
Hengelbrock conducts Bach and Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Thomas Hengelbrock and the Orchestre de Paris teamed up to perform one of the most brilliant works of European church music: J.S. Bach’s Magnificat. This opus is a musical setting of the biblical canticle Magnificat, which is one of the most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn, frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. Following this, the musicians draw the attention of the audience to the content and structural parallels between Bach and Felix Mendelssohn, who has rendered outstanding services to the revivification of the interest in music of J.S. Bach. The musicians delight the audience with the Psalm 42 and the Christmas Cantata, two compositions full of religious fervor.
A Trio For Schubert: Voyage d’hiver
Schubert’s masterpiece is seen through the eyes and heard through the voice of baritone Matthias Goerne in this documentary about the making of Schubert’s song-cycle for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, as visualized by William Kentridge.
Salonen conducts Bartók
Live from the awe-inspiring new Philharmonie de Paris, the French capital’s elite orchestra performs a programme devoted to the endlessly fascinating music of Béla Bartók. On the podium is Esa-Pekka Salonen, one of the composer’s truly authoritative interpreters. This concert was hailed as “revelatory” by the leading French journal Diapason, “a unique expressive and sensory voyage (…) with precise phrasing and incredible flexibility (…) an irresistible feeling for timbre, tightropewalking accents, acoustic spaces, instrumental breathing (…) rhythmic agility, range of sensitive colours, humour and irony, brilliance, luminosity, moments of astonishing sweetness. The Orchestre de Paris soared and surpassed itself. Salonen is clearly a unique artist.” PROGRAM Bartok: Dance Suite; Concerto for two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra
Franz Schubert – Winterreise
“Winterreise” by Franz Schubert – unquestionably one of the best known works in the lieder repertoire – engages with its audience in a new and unexpected form: in a creative encounter with Schubert’s masterpiece, the celebrated lieder specialist Matthias Goerne, pianist Markus Hinterhäuser and South African director, set designer and
theatre artist William Kentridge joined forces on stage and traced newly imagined, deeply moving images. In short animated films, Kentridge visualises Goerne’s and Hinterhäuser’s sonic contribution. A memorable meeting “of melancholy and magic” (La Marseillaise).
Carmen
The ancient Roman Théâtre antique d’Orange is offering its breath-taking ambience to George Bizet’s world-renowned love drama, Carmen. The principle roles are portrayed by the spectacular Kate Aldrich in her signature roll as the seductive temptress Carmen, and star tenor Jonas Kaufmann as the troubled and jealous army officer, Don José. “Aldrich makes Carmen a magic presence by sheer vivacity of personality”, writes Opera Today on her exceptional festival debut. The rest of the cast, too, are nothing less than outstanding – most notably Inva Mula as Micaëla and Kyle Ketelsen as Escamillo, whose wit and playfulness delight his audience. In the pit are the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and their new principal conductor, Mikko Franck. The directing of Louis Désiré, who also designed the set and costumes, fits ideally into this picturesque setting and paints a naturalistic image of society in keeping with Bizet’s intentions.
Handel, Theodora
Handel’s own favourite amongst his English oratorios, Theodora proved a surprising failure at its 1750 London premiere, receiving only three performances and being revived just once before its composer’s death. That Theodora is now recognized as one of the most sublime and moving creations of Handel’s final years is largely due to the passionate advocacy of William Christie, who here directs his peerless period-instrument ensemble Les Arts Florissants for this new production at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. The starry cast is led by young British soprano Katherine Watson, instilling the title-role with her “vocal bloom, emotional depth and beguiling phrasing” (New York Times), and leading French counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky, bringing his “seraphic timbre” (Les Echos) to the role of Didymus. Directed with “luminous simplicity” (Artistik Rezo) by Stephen Langridge this powerful and uplifting production transforms its historical story into a “timeless yet terribly current” (France TV Info.com) plea for freedom of conscience and religious tolerance in contemporary society.
Faust
By placing a giant black ring centre-stage that casts an ominous shadow over the singers and dominates the action, director, set and costume designer Stefano Poda has moved the storyline of the restless searcher Faust, to an abstract, seemingly futuristic hall, thereby ensuring that the most fascinating stage moments are not due only to sophisticated lighting. Thanks to the excellent and enthusiastic cast, Poda deftly guides the opera to triumph. Charles Castronovo in the title role is especially convincing, with his brilliant acting and mellifluous singing. Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov – a regular in all major opera houses around the world – stars as the demonic Méphistophélès. As the innocent young girl Marguerite we see Moldovan soprano Irina Lungu, who demonstrates her ability with crystal-clear timbre.
La gazzetta
The event that takes place annually in Rossini’s birthplace, praised by press and public for its witty stagings even of Rossini’s less well known works, has landed on its feet: with La gazzetta, the Rossini Opera Festival has triumphed once again! The Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna responded splendidly to the young Italian conductor Enrique Mazzola: as “one of the most gifted artists of his generation, he is not only a faithful interpreter of the score, he sends the orchestra of the Teatro di Bologna – and his
audience too – into a veritable Rossini delirium” (Deutschlandfunk). Director Marco Carniti stages his colourful production in the Paris of the 1950s, in a well-judged distillation of Rossini’s ironic social criticism: “the direction of Marco Carniti has intelligently focused on the ironic dimension of a somewhat confused libretto” (Huffington Post). Nicola
Alaimo embodies the nouveau-riche Don Pomponio Storione in every muscle: “he has confirmed his admirable dramatic qualities, with evidence of an unsuspected physical agility” (Huffington Post). Pesaro debutante Hasmik Torosyan stands out as Lisetta (Deutschlandfunk).