The Salzburg Easter Festival’s production of Lohengrin, directed by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito, presents Wagner’s classic as a crime thriller in Vienna. Christian Thielemann, acclaimed Wagner expert, conducts the Vienna State Opera orchestra, while David Butt Philip shines as Lohengrin. Malin Byström’s Elsa reveals a less innocent character, and Anja Kampe delivers a powerful Ortrud. Martin Gantner’s Telramund displays precision. The production excels in stage and orchestral synergy, offering nuanced performances and delicate choral singing made possible by Thielemann’s baton. “When it comes to Wagner, Christian Thielemann really is in a class of his own” (Der Standard)
Anton Bruckner – The Enigmatic Genius
The cliché of Bruckner as a “musician of God”, writing symphonies “for the higher honour of the Lord”, doesn’t match his complex and troubled personality, which is as intricate as his music. The film explores Bruckner’s enigmatic relationship with his craft: was he truly a “weirdo” (as Brahms called him), detached from symphonic norms, or a bold musical innovator? Actor Michael Dangl and music journalist Marie König lead this exploration to try to uncover the essence of Bruckner’s character on a journey to the ‘Bruckner sites’ in Upper Austria and Vienna. The film also gathers insights from authentic eyewitness accounts and contemporary reports, as well as interviews with renowned figures like Franz Welser-Möst, Markus Poschner, organist Hansjörg Albrecht, and former Wiener Philharmoniker chairman Clemens Hellsberg.
Muti conducts Beethoven 9th Symphony – 200th anniversary
On 7 May 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was premiered at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna. The audience of this epochal event greeted Beethoven with frenetic applause and the “Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung” wrote “the impression (was) indescribably great and glorious, the jubilation enthusiastic, which was paid to the exalted master at the top of his lungs, whose inexhaustible genius opened up a new world to us”. Beethoven had truly created music for eternity, which was to conquer the world from then on. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of this great moment in music history, the Ninth will be performed on the day of the premiere with Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in the Musikverein. The concerto is also a tribute to the memorable premiere 200 years ago in terms of the instrumentation, as it was played by the orchestra of the Kärntnertortheater, the former court opera – the predecessors of today’s Vienna Philharmonic.
Bregenz Festival 2024: Der Freischütz
A “small theatre miracle” unfolds at the Bregenz Festival under Philipp Stölzl’s direction, featuring a visually stunning production of Der Freischütz with elements like a dilapidated village and water zombies. Conducted by Enrique Mazzola, the Wiener Symphoniker performs Weber’s music beautifully, while the ensemble shines, particularly Nikola Hillebrand as Agathe and Mauro Peter as Max. Moritz von Treuenfels adds flair as the devil Samiel, guiding the audience through the action with agility and charm, resulting in a captivating two-hour performance.
At home with Gidon Kremer
In this episode, the audience is invited into the Berlin residence and studio of legendary violinist Gidon Kremer, who plays “a kaleidoscope of things” dear to him, including pieces by Piazzola, Weinberg and Schubert. The violinist also performs in Paliesius Manor in Lithuania, a concert venue that feels like home to Kremer. In conversation with Annie Dutoit, he talks about growing up in a musical family, his childhood in Russia, and the composers that shaped him and inspire him. PROGRAM: Astor Piazzolla (Arr. Andrei Pushkarev): Introduccion del Angel • Milonga loca Valentin Silvestrov: Serenade Victor Kissine: For Pablo Giya Kancheli: Rag-Gidon-Time Arthur Vincent Louriè: Concerto da camera, Serenata Mieczyslaw Weinberg (Arr. Gidon Kremer): Prelude Nr.5 Oscar Strock (Arr. Andrei Pushkarev): My last Tango Franz Schubert (Arr. Giya Kancheli): Du bist die Ruh
In C – A ballet by Sasha Waltz
Terry Riley’s landmark work of musical minimalism In C comes to life in this choreography by Sasha Waltz. Captured on film at the Philharmonie de Paris, no two performances of this work are ever the same. In C, consisting of 53 melodic phrases played in sequence, is translated into 53 movements with a set of rules. Within these rules, each dancer has the freedom to decide how often to repeat a certain figure. As the performers on stage execute and repeat the movement patterns, they develop a sort of “danced fugue” (NDR): “All the time, Waltz and her ensemble show us a dialogue between music and dance. What makes In C extra fascinating is that what we also have here is a conversation with space and time, the looping and overlaying movement, especially when laid over the repeating and overlapping sound, disrupting the latter in particular” (Seeing Dance).
Arena di Verona Festival 2024: La Bohème
Nearly 22,000 spectators fill the amphitheater to watch the spectacle unfold on the world’s largest opera stage. Director Alfonso Signorini’s production of Puccini’s beloved La Bohème transports the summery Arena to a snow-covered Paris of the 19th century. The tragic love story at the centre of the work is convincingly portrayed by audience favourite Vittorio Grigòlo and rising star Juliana Grigoryan, who is making her debut in the Arena. Grigòlo’s “‘full throttle’ Rodolfo shows energy and charisma, winning the audience over from the first notes” and Grigoryan moves the crowd as Mimì: “Her voice is rich, flowing with phrasing and precision, conveying emotions of love, hope and suffering without being victimized” (Artes News). The rest of the ensemble gives remarkable performances, toeing the line between light-heartedness and heartbreak perfectly. Especially outstanding: Eleonora Bellocci as Musetta “steals the show…her vocal agility and dynamism remain steadfast from her charming and flawless Waltz onwards” (Artes News). The orchestra, in the capable hands of Daniel Oren, “creates expressive and effective musical fabric” (Corriere dello Spettacolo).
La Gioconda
Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, presented by the Teatro di San Carlo, in a co-production with the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona, presents a stellar cast under the baton of Pinchas Steinberg: Anna Netrebko, here in one of the most complex roles in the repertoire, shows “her vocal ability with an absolute mastery of her instrument” (Bachtrack). Ludovic Tézier’s Barnaba, “exhibited brilliant ease in every nuance of tone, register and phrasing” (Bachtrack) and Jonas Kaufmann’s Enzo proved his great presence and vocal skills. Romain Gilbert’s stage direction and the excellent performance from the orchestra fullfilled the expectations of a great production.
Norma
“Marta Torbidoni as Norma: triumphant” (L’Ape Musicale) To mark its 60th anniversary, the Macerata Opera Festival at the Sferisterio is celebrating with Bellini’s Norma in a new production by Milanese director and documentary filmmaker Maria Mauti. In the pit is Bellini specialist Fabrizio Maria Carminati, artistic director of the Teatro Bellini in Catania. Rising soprano Marta Torbidoni in the title role is flanked by an excellent, young cast including Roberta Mantegna (Adalgisa), Antonio Poli (Pollione) and Riccardo Fassi (Oroveso). Torbidoni’s “high notes soar and are always well controlled, her declamato is incisive in its power, and her timbre stands out for its luminosity and softness”. At her side, Mantegna is “always in perfect harmony” as the two sopranos demonstrated “beautiful and complementary voices” (Teatro). The festival orchestra under the masterful baton of Carminati is “magnificent, as was the sound of the festival choir under the direction of Martino Faggiani” (Klassik-begeistert.de).
Birth of a Legend – The Three Tenors
In July 1990, on the eve of the World Cup final in Italy, something happened that would change the world of classical music forever. Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras, the three greatest tenors of their generation, appeared on stage together: the premiere of the legendary all-star formation ‘The 3 Tenors’. This historic concert in the antique Roman Baths of Caracalla marked the beginning of a new era in classical music.The ‘3 Tenors’ were more than just a musical event; they were a cultural phenomenon. Hundreds of thousands of spectators in sold-out stadiums and millions of television viewers around the world were enchanted by these extraordinary voices. The passion, dedication and virtuosity they brought to the stage made people’s hearts beat faster and tears of emotion flow. The 3 tenors changed the image of classical music, overcoming the boundaries between genres and inspiring a wide audience with the beauty and fascination of opera and classical music. This programme shows highlights from the Baths of Caracalla and also from the concerts with which the 3 Tenors celebrated triumphs around the world from 1996 onwards. With impressions from rehearsals and the tour, a variety of insights behind the scenes and statements by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras and the conductor Zubin Mehta, the film conveys all the magic of this classical music legend.