The Royal Opera embarks on a tour to Japan in September 2010 visiting Tokyo and Yokohama, taking this season's new Laurent Pelly's production of of Massenet's "Manon" and the classical Richard Eyre's production of Verdi's "La Traviata".
Anna Netrebko sings the title role of Masenet's "Manon" opposite Matthew Polenzani as Chevalier des Grieux. Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Four performances of "Manon" are scheduled on 11., 14., 17. and 20. September 2010 at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.
Manon, Royal Opera Tour to Japan, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo 11. Sep 2010 – Anna Netrebkoª (Manon Lescaut), Matthew Polenzani (Le Chevalier des Grieux), Russell Braun (Lescaut), Christof Fischesser (Le Comte des Grieux), Guy de Mey (Guillot de Morfontaine), William Shimell (De Brétigny), Simona Mihai (Poussette), Louise Innes (Javotte), Kai Rüütel (Rosette), Lynton Black (Innkeeper); Laurent Pelly (Director), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Manon, Royal Opera Tour to Japan, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo 14. Sep 2010 – Anna Netrebko (Manon Lescaut), Matthew Polenzani (Le Chevalier des Grieux), Russell Braun (Lescaut), Christof Fischesser (Le Comte des Grieux), Christophe Mortagne (Guillot de Morfontaine), William Shimell (De Brétigny), Simona Mihai (Poussette), Louise Innes (Javotte), Kai Rüütel (Rosette), Lynton Black (Innkeeper); Laurent Pelly (Director), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Manon, Royal Opera Tour to Japan, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo 17. Sep 2010 – Anna Netrebko (Manon Lescaut), Matthew Polenzani (Le Chevalier des Grieux), Russell Braun (Lescaut), Christof Fischesser (Le Comte des Grieux), Christophe Mortagne (Guillot de Morfontaine), William Shimell (De Brétigny), Simona Mihai (Poussette), Louise Innes (Javotte), Kai Rüütel (Rosette), Lynton Black (Innkeeper); Laurent Pelly (Director), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Manon, Royal Opera Tour to Japan, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo 20. Sep 2010 – Anna Netrebko (Manon Lescaut), Matthew Polenzani (Le Chevalier des Grieux), Russell Braun (Lescaut), Christof Fischesser (Le Comte des Grieux), Guy de Mey (Guillot de Morfontaine), William Shimell (De Brétigny), Simona Mihai (Poussette), Louise Innes (Javotte), Kai Rüütel (Rosette), Lynton Black (Innkeeper); Laurent Pelly (Director), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Arie des Basilio aus Il barbiere di Siviglia | Mikhail Petrenko
Wolfgang A.Mozart (1756–1791)
Hai già vinta la causa! – Vedrò mentre io sospiro
Rezitativ und Arie des Conte Almaviva aus Le nozze di Figaro KV 492 | Christopher Maltman
Fariduddin Attar (ca. 1136–1220)
Erhab’ner Gott, Du, Einer | Sunnyi Melles
John Dowland (1563–1626)
Sorrow stay, lend true repentant teares
aus Second Booke of Songs or Ayres | Anna Prohaska
Franz Schubert (1792–1828)
Die junge Nonne D 828 | Anna Prohaska
Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Una furtiva lagrima
Romanze des Nemorino aus L’elisir d’amore | Joel Prieto
Gaetano Donizetti
Come sen va contento! – Quanto amore! Ed io spietata!
Rezitativ und Duett der Adina und des Dulcamara aus L’elisir d’amore | Anna Netrebko und Erwin Schrott
Faizi (1547–1595)
Auf den Tod seines Sohnes | Ben Becker
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Du bist wie eine Blume
aus Myrten op. 25 | Christopher Maltman
Danny Boy (Volkslied) | Christopher Maltman
Carl Loewe (1796–1869)
Erlkönig op. 1/3 | Christopher Maltman
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759)
E pur così in un giorno – Piangerò la sorte mia
Arie der Cleopatra aus Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17 | Anna Prohaska
Charles Gounod (1818–1893)
L’amour, l’amour ! – Ah ! lève-toi, soleil !
Kavatine des Roméo aus Roméo et Juliette | Piotr Beczala
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
O soave fanciulla
Duett der Mimì und des Rodolfo aus La Bohème | Anna Netrebko und Piotr Beczala
Fadwa Tuqan (1917–2003)
Willst du mir dieses Tor nicht öffnen? | Birgit Minichmayr
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Rojo Tango | Erwin Schrott & Tangogruppe
Astor Piazzolla
Los Pájaros Perdidos | Erwin Schrott & Tangogruppe
Mozarteumorchester Salzburg
Ivor Bolton, Dirigent
Adrian Kelly, Klavier
Luke Green, Cembalo
Mozarteumorchester Salzburg
Markus Tomasi, Carsten Neumann, Elzbieta Pokora, Violine
Herbert Lindsberger,Werner Christof, Viola
Marcus Pouget,Margit Tomasi, Violoncello
Brita Bürgschwendtner, Kontrabass
Staatskapelle Weimar
Ursula Dehler, Violine
Hans-Dieter Koch, Kontrabass
André Kassel, Klavier
Klemen Leben, Bandoneon
Tangogruppe
Reports
Herbert attended live this event and he kindly wrote the following report for the blog:
The concert began at 9 p.m. and Anna and Erwin arrived by taxi at 8:35. She wore an elegant short dress, while he wasn‘t dressed up yet.
The „Haus für Mozart“ was sold out, and there was pleasant anticipation and curiosity in the air, because in spite of the programme flyer nobody knew exactly what would happen.
It is hard to find words to describe this event – almost two hours (non-stop) seemed like a string of pearls. And almost impossible to say who was best. Mikhail Petrenko, Christopher Maltman (his interpretation of „Danny Boy“ and „Erlkönig“ caused goose skin), Anna Prohaska, Joel Prieto (fantastic, his „Una furtiva lagrima“), Piotr Beczala („Ah! Lève-toi, soleil!“ – wonderful!!) – all of them were cheered and applauded for their superb performances.
So let me stick to Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott.
Anna’s „Il bacio“ was the second programme item, but it was already a highlight because of her vitality on stage (by the way, she wore the long pink dress as in the Vienna gala).
Everybody was looking forward to Anna’s and Erwin‘s duet from „L’elisir d’amore“. Erwin wore a black suit, a tie and even glasses (as „Dr. Dulcamara“). They sang and acted their roles with a lot of fun. When Erwin had to show his famous „elisir“, he fetched a large, about 1 meter long bottle of champaign from behind the scene. The audience loved this duet and thanked them with BRAVI.
Next, Anna and Piotr Beczala sang „O soave fanciulla“ – two outstanding voices in perfect harmony.
The very last programme item was simply announced as „Tangos – Erwin Schrott & Tango group“. I am sure almost nobody knew exctly what this would be like (two years ago Erwin sang some tangos during a concert in Munich, but his latest CD with tangos hasn’t been published yet). He appeared on stage in shirt and jeans – and it was to become the most fascinating, the most passionate and the most unexpected part of the whole programme. Erwin did not only sing two tangos by Astor Piazzolla, he „lived“ them! First he used a microphone, but more and more often he held it away from his mouth because his voluminous voice would have destroyed the mike.
The audience was completely overwhelmed by this extraordinary performance. He really brought the house down, but there were no encores after the two tangos, because he obviously didn’t want to outshine his colleagues – which is respectable, of course, but we can only hope that he is going to tour with a tango programme as soon as possible.
Standing ovations for all the artists who had celebrated an unforgettable evening!
And then a large crowd of journalists, photographers, TV teams and ordinary fans were waiting at the stage door for the artists. After answering some questions by the media, Anna and Erwin joined a group of people who went to a party in a small restaurant behind the „Haus für Mozart“.
This Benefit Concert has been a memorable event, not only because of the circumstances, but also because of its unique, colourful mixture of singers and actors. Let's hope that ORF has recorded it...
Ensemble, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Christopher Maltman and his wife, the singer Leigh Woolf, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Piotr Beczala, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Salzburg at night after the event, Benefiz für Pakistan, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 26. Aug 2010. Photo: Herbert
Last performance of the current sold-out run of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010, starring Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala in the title roles. The performance was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
The updated cast for the full run of performances of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010 is: Anna Netrebko (10., 13., 16., 20. and 23. August), Nino Machaidze (18., 24., 27. and 30. August), Piotr Beczala (10., 13., 20., 23., 27. and 30. August), Stephen Costello (16., 18. and 24. August), Mikhail Petrenko (10., 13., 16., 18., 20., 23. and 24. August), Dimitry Ivashchenko (27. and 30. August), Darren Jeffery, Russell Braun, Cora Burggraaf, Michael Spyres, Susanne Resmark, David Soar, Mathias Hausmann, Andrei Bondarenko, Adrian Strooper.
Charles Gounod • Roméo et Juliette
Opera in five acts
Text by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
Reports
Herbert attended live this performance and he kindly wrote the following report for the blog:
Anne-Laure was so right when she wrote that the performance was even better than she had expected. I had seen it in 2008 twice, and I didn't think that it would impress me again so much as it did then - but quite on the contrary!
First - the magic of the Felsenreitschule. It is a place and a stage which are absolutely unique. Especially the long stage in front of three rows of arcades which are hewn into natural rock (in former times these were the places for the spectators who attended the performances of the horse riding school; today it is the other way round: we, the audience, look at the arcades, which are illuminated sometimes yellow, sometimes white or even in dark night blue - pure magic).
Second - director Bartlett Sher has developed and improved his production in some details. The costumes are mostly the same - they often remind us of carnival masks in Venice, or of "Zorro, the outlaw", or of pirates.
Juliette's costumes, however, have changed since 2008. In the first part she wears a pink "girlish" long dress with some tinsel on it, and in the second half it is not a white dress any more, but a dark blue one, which fits perfectly to the blue light in the arcades.
It was a brilliant idea to change the balcony scene completely. The balcony is no longer an inclinded plane, elevated by hydraulics, but simply a real balcony outside one of the arcades, which gives Romeo the opportunity to climb up a ladder to Juliette.
Third - the action on stage! There is so much vitality and energy, either on the stage or in the aracdes or even sometimes between the orchestra pit and the first row of the audience. Some reviewers criticized this to be "too much Hollywood"- but I personally like this production more than a "modern", abstract production which wouldn't fit at all into this theatre with its given facts.
Number four - the music! Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts with so much energy and passion, he sings all the lines, he joins in the spontaneous applause for the singers - his activity is awesome.
Most important, of course, the principal performers. Although some of the supporting actors and singers deserve to be mentioned (especially Cora Burggraaf as Stéphano and Mikhail Petrenko with his mighty bass as Frère Laurent), it was Piotr Beczala and above all Anna Netrebko who outshined everything and brought the house down.
I was really surprised by Beczala's development as an actor. I remember him as Alfredo in Berlin, where he concentrated so much on his (superb!) singing that he hardly moved at all. Last year in Baden-Baden, in his role as Count Vaudémont, he was already much better, although there wasn't too much acting demanded... But in the meantime he must have rehearsed quite a lot to become such a convincing and "active" Romeo. This production demands above-average physical activity - he has to run up and down a ramp on the left, he has to climb up and down a ladder, he has to do a lot of fighting and fencing - and on the other hand he has to be a passionate lover and he has to die... Piotr Beczala left nothing to be desired - PLUS his outstanding vocal performance which earned him ovations. An absolutely impressive performance!
All I have said about him - and so much more - must be said about Anna. This year I have seen her as Mimi in La Bohème, as Micaela in Carmen, as Manon and now as Juliette. Every time I thought: This is HER role!! One thing is for sure: Anna Netrebko is on top of her vocal and acting abilities in these days. She is convincing and authentic in her roles, and her singing is simply admirable and overwhelming. My favourite moment yesterday was her aria before Juliette decides to drink the "poison". In this scene she was all alone on stage - but she filled the whole house with her voice and her presence and her personality. I think I have rarely experienced her better than in this scene. After the final note, when the audience cheered her for several minutes, a man sitting two places next to me covered his face with his hands and burst into tears; all he could whisper was: "Unbelievable... unbelievable...".
After the performance Anna left the stage door together with Erwin Schrott. She was aglow with happiness, spent some time with her fans and she seemed to me to be satisfied all around.
On Thursday she and her husband will take part in a benefit performance in Salzburg for the victims in Pakistan. The programme is still being drawn up, but it would be fantastic if they appeared for a duet on stage.... (wishful thinking?)!
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Piotr Beczala (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 23. August 2010. Photo: Herbert
Anna Netrebro and Erwin Schrott, among others including Piotr Beczala and Mikhail Petrenko, will take part in this charity event. Ivor Bolton, among others, will conduct the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.
Tickets, ranging between € 40 and € 280, will be available from Monday 23. August at 03:00 PM, at the ticket office of the Salzburger Festspiele, as well as by email at info@salzburgfestival.at, on-line at www.salzburgerfestspiele.at and by phone at 0662-8045-500.
Audio recorded statements by Anna Netrebko, Erwin Schrott and Piotr Beczala, among others, can be heard at the Salzburger Festspieles Blog.
Anna Netrebko will sing Arditi's "Il baccio", a duet with Erwin Schrott from Domizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" and a duet, not decided yet, with Piotr Beczala.
Austrian magazine NEWS publishes today what is the first joint interview to Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott. The interview took place in Salzburg where Netrebko currently sings the role of Juliette in Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" and Schrott sings the role of Leporello in Mozart's "Don Giovanni".
In the joint interview they talk about love, family and opera.
"If we are not together, we don't feel well" says Netrebko. They try to spent as much time as possible together. Sometimes Schrott takes a jet to meet them, Anna and their son Tiago, even if it is just for a short while. They are planning to give a concert together in Russia. In September, Anna and Tiago will go to Barcelona to meet Erwin who will be there singing the role of Escamillo in Bizet's "Carmen".
Both the russian-austrian opera diva and the uruguayan baritone confess to be very jealous. "She has bitten me, she always does" says Schrott showing a mark on his hand.
Anna Netrebko says that, next year, at the Salzburger Festspiele 2011, she will sing Rossini's "Stabat Mater". It had been announced that she would sing the role of Mimi in Puccini's "La Bohème" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2012. Talking about new opera roles, Anna says that Erwin could sing the role of Scarpia in Puccini's "Tosca" at any time, but she don't know if Tosca would be good for her voice. Erwin said: "Yes, it would be".
Third performance of the current sold-out run of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010, starring Anna Netrebko and Stephen Costello in the title roles who. Costello was initially scheduled to sing only two performances, on 18. and 24. August, but he stepped in to substitute Piotr Beczala who had a cold. The performance was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Two further performances of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010, with Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala in the title roles, are scheduled on 20. and 23. August 2010.
The updated cast for the full run of performances of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2010 is: Anna Netrebko (10., 13., 16., 20. and 23. August), Nino Machaidze (18., 24., 27. and 30. August), Piotr Beczala (10., 13., 20., 23., 27. and 30. August), Stephen Costello (16., 18. and 24. August), Mikhail Petrenko (10., 13., 16., 18., 20., 23. and 24. August), Dimitry Ivashchenko (27. and 30. August), Darren Jeffery, Russell Braun, Cora Burggraaf, Michael Spyres, Susanne Resmark, David Soar, Mathias Hausmann, Andrei Bondarenko, Adrian Strooper.
Charles Gounod • Roméo et Juliette
Opera in five acts
Text by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
Reports
Violeta attended live this performance and she kindly wrote the following report for the blog:
The performance was really magnificent and no words can describe the emotion of beeing there, watching and listening this incredible performance live. From the very beginning till the end I felt part of the performance. It was like sitting somewhere in a square in Verona and witnessing Romeo & Juliette's tragedy personally from a very close distance.
Anna was adorable Juliette. She sang passionately and played convicingly. Her voice is more beautiful than ever - round, dark, warm and colourfull. Her first aria was like a firework, her Poison aria was electrifying. Stephen Costello's voice was not familiar to me. I liked the way he was giving sence to every word he used to sing but his voice sounded like coming behind a wall, though Felsenreitschule has remarkable acoustic. Nevertheless, his voice seemed to match pretty well Anna's voice and his Romeo seemed to be deeply in love with her Juliette.
Anna Netrebko (Juliette) at the terrace of Felsenreitschule right before the performance, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Violeta
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Mikhail Petrenko (Frère Laurent), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Violeta
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Violeta
Anna Netrebko (Juliette), Stephen Costello (Roméo), Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
Anna Netrebko at the stage door, Roméo et Juliette, Salzburger Festspiele 2010, Felsenreitschule, Salzburg 16. August 2010. Photo: Anne
