“It would be most wonderful if this Tristan never ended.” (Opernmagazin) “Brilliant performances that bring you to your knees” (Sächsische Zeitung) Every piece of the puzzle fell perfectly into place for this historic performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at the Semperoper Dresden. In front of a pared down, timeless staging by Marco Arturo Marelli, the vocal performances could truly shine. Klaus Florian Vogt is “fully present” (Opernmagazin) and Camilla Nylund as Isolde at his side “convinced with her still incredibly lyrical, light soprano” (Sächsische Zeitung). At the zenith of his career, Christian Thielemann manages to set a new standard with his permeation of this difficult score and leads the Staatskapelle Dresden to new heights of artistic expression.
Pique Dame
“Magnetic pull: Soprano Asmik Grigorian shines” (Salzburger Nachrichten) “Madness in close-up” (BR Klassik): Director Benedict Andrews plunges Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame at the Bavarian State Opera into a cinematic film noir aesthetic, in which the characters regularly seem to vanish into shadow and mystery. Brandon Jovanovich “plays a credibly broken anti-hero as Hermann” (Münchner Merkur) and Asmik Grigorian as Lisa once again steals the show with her unerring dramatic and vocal skills. Conductor Aziz Shokhakimov gives a convincing debut at the podium of the state orchestra, managing a “dramatically stirring, propulsive interpretation” (FAZ).
Prague Spring Opening Concert: Petrenko conducts Smetana
What better occasion for chief conductor Kirill Petrenko to give his Czech debut than to open the Prague Spring Festival with the festival’s signature work? The Berliner hilharmoniker perform Smetana’s Má vlast on the 140th anniversary of the composer’s death in the magnificent Smetana Hall. The combination of one of the best orchestras in the world with their chief conductor and the masterpiece of the Czech “national composer” is an exceptional experience: “The depth of understanding Petrenko showed, the crisp
performance of the players…conferred a new level of prestige and fitting anniversary honors on the Czech Republic’s most beloved composer” (Bachtrack).
Egon Schiele – Self Portrait
No place inspired Egon Schiele more than Ceský Krumlov, a stunning architectural gem and one of Europe’s most beautiful historic towns. Familiar with the town from childhood holidays, Schiele moved there after leaving the Vienna Academy to develop his distinctive style. Staged in the exceptional revolving theatre in the baroque gardens of Ceský Krumlov, this performance by choreographer Jan Kodet honours the life and work of the great painter. Choreography, set and costume design take inspiration from the themes and colours of Schiele’s paintings, to great effect. Glimpses of Schiele’s life flash before the audience as the auditorium revolves around the action.
Le lacrime di Eros
“A panopticon of emotions” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) This one-of-a-kind production explores “the dark sides of love” with a pasticcio of Renaissance pieces centered around Claudio Monteverdi, his predecessors and contemporaries. Dreamed up by director Romeo Castelucci and conductor Raphaël Pichon, Le lacrime di Eros occupies a space between opera and performance art, marrying a mosaic of Renaissance compositions with electronic music by Scott Gibbons and presenting it in a series of scenes that are visually stunning, yet disturbing: “There is not a second of this show that is not perfectly beautiful: composition, colours, choice of costumes, lighting…” (Classique News) and Pichon “conjures the most beautiful colours from his orchestra” (Trouw). Pichon’s ensemble Pygmalion and the excellent soloists leave nothing to be desired: “Pygmalion has a sound that you must hear at least one: it bursts with lust for life” (nrw).
Eden – Joyce DiDonato sings in Olympia
In the heart of Olympia, the same place where the first Olympic games were held and the Olympic torch is ignited, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato performs EDEN. Captured on film for the first time, her internationally acclaimed tour and CD concept is more than just a concert program: EDEN not only invites the audience to reflect on the power and beauty of nature, but also to recognize our responsibility for our planet. In several emblematic locations on the ancient site of Olympia, DiDonato interprets pieces
from Cavalli to Handel and from Mahler to Charles Ives together with the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev, featuring musicians from all around the world.
Leonidas Kavakos & the Apollon Ensemble play Bach
In midst of the ruins of the Ancient Ecclesiastical Hall, accompanied by the rhythmic chirping of cicadas, Leonidas Kavakos and his Apollon Ensemble perform Bach. The atmosphere is electric, and the music is divinely beautiful. Night falls as the virtuosic Kavakos leads the musicians through the three Bach violin concertos “creating a fascinating dialogue between the ancient Greek aesthetic and the harmony and rhythm of classical music” (AMNA:Athens). And indeed, the timeless sounds of Bach seem to be at home in Ancient Messene. PROGRAM: Bach – Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041; Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042; Violin Concerto in G minor (reconstruction from the Cembalo Concerto), BWV 1056; Violin Concerto in D minor (reconstruction from the Cembalo Concerto), BWV 1052
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.
Ton Koopman in Japan
This concert shows the magic that happens when a master of his craft meets the most masterfully crafted instrument: On the occasion of his 80th birthday, world-famous organist Ton Koopman plays the pipe organ at the Salamanca Hall in Gifu, Japan for an exclusive recording. The largest work of Tsuji Hiroshi, a pioneering organ builder in Japan, the instrument incorporates the features of the organ at the Salamanca Cathedral in Spain and is unique for its blend of Spanish and German styles. Giving thought to the unending flow of time, Koopman draws out the appeal of the organ to its fullest, playing Spanish Batalha, Frescobaldi, Buxtehude, and Bach.
Christian Thielemann – A portrait
This film by Bengt Wennehorst is a portrait of one of the absolute foremost and sought-after conductors of our time. With his own words, charm and humour, Christian Thielemann tells of his childhood and youth in the outskirts of Berlin, how he played the piano as a five-year-old and how, just as early on, he got to accompany his music-loving parents to concerts and opera performances once or twice a week. Extensive video material provides insights into his intensive rehearsal work and documents acclaimed concert and opera performances of his career. The portrait includes interviews with artists such as actress and director Katharina Thalbach, opera singers Anja Kampe and Renée Fleming and Albena Danailova, concert master of the Wiener Philharmoniker.