Anna Netrebko, Valery Gergiev, Piotr Beczala and John Relyea attended a press conference in Baden-Baden on Friday 17. July 2009, the day before the opening of the Baden-Badener Sommerfestspiele 2009 at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden with Rachmaninov's first opera "Aleko" and Tchaikovsky's last opera "Iolanta". Anna Netrebko makes the role debut in the title role of "Iolanta", partnered on the stage by Piotr Beczala as Graf Vaudemont. John Relyea sings the title role of "Aleko". Valery Gergiev conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Orchestra of St. Petersburg.
Bayreuther Festspiele director Eva Wagner-Pasquier would welcome Anna Netrebko as Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, anytime! "If she wanted, we will put her on the stage immediately" she said to the Sunday newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine after getting knowledge that Anna Netrebko would like to sing the role of Elsa in Lohengrin. "I love Netrebko - she can sing everything" she added.
The Golden Sofit is the highest award for achievements in the field of drama, music and puppet show of St. Petersburg. Anna Netrebko is among the nominees for the 15th edition of the Golden Sofit Award for her performance in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg, in January 2009. A special award will be delivered to Valery Gergiev for the revival of traditions.
Anna Netrebko will perform in a lied recital at the Mozartsaal of the Rosengarten in Mannheim on 12. August 2009, accompanied by Elena Bashkirova at the piano. The programme is fully devoted to the Russian composers Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will give a concert at the Laeiszhalle, in Hamburg on 9. September 2009. The concert will be conducted by maestro Emmanuel Villaume, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra since October 2008. The confirmation has been so short that the orchestra which will perform in this concert has not yet been determined. Full details of the programme have not been yet announced.
The presale begins tomorrow on Friday, 17. June, at 8:00 in the morning (by phone). Tickets (55 to 285 euros) are available from all usual ticket agencies, the Hamburg-Abendblatt ticket shops (addresses and opening times on www.abendblatt.de/ticketshops) and the Hamburger Abendblatt ticket hotline at tel: 040/30 30 98 98.
Following this concert in Hamburg, Anna Netrebko will perform in a series of concerts with the Italian tenor Massimo Giordano in Bochum on 13. September 2009, Copenhagen 18. September 2009 (on Anna's birthday), Oslo 21. September 2009 and Stockholm 24. September 2009. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume will be also conducting all those concerts.
Anna Netrebko is currently rehearsing in Baden-Baden for the premiere of Iolanta to be held at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden this Saturday 18. July 2009. In Iolanta Anna Netrebko will be partnered by Polish tenor Piotr Beczala and maestro Valery Gergiev will conduct the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersbug.
From the archives, here we have two short videoclips from the Russian TV showing some images of Anna Netrebko in Moscow in 1998.
The first videoclip shows Anna Netrebko, Vasily Gerello and Irina Dzhioeva in a Gala Concert held at the Kremlin, Moscow on 27. March 1998.
The second videoclip shows Anna Netrebko as Micaela in a Gala Concert held at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow on 7. Apr 1998. Valery Gergiev was conducting the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg.
Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky performed yesterday night at the Klassik Open-air concert, at the Königsplatz of München, in front of 13 000 people, for 2 and a half hours. The two artists were accompanied by the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg conducted by Valery Gergiev.
The first part of the exciting evening concert was exclusively devoted to Russian composers, with arias and duets from operas and works by Mikhail Glinka (Ruslan and Lyudmila) and Piotr Tchaikovsky (Pique Dame, Eugene Onegin and Iolanta). The Russian tenor Sergei Skorokhodov joined Anna Netrebko on the stage for the duet of Iolanta.
After the interval, the second part of the concert included arias, duets and works by German and Italian composers: Richard Wagner (Tannhäuser), Richard Strauss (Cäcilie), Giuseppe Verdi (Il Trovatore), Giacomo Puccini (Madama Butterfly), Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Ruggiero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci).
Anna Netrebko, who had sung for the first time ever the Cio-Cio-San monologue of Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Mariinsky Gala on 5. July 2009, sang once again this aria at the Königsplatz in München, being one of the highlights of the evening.
Reached its climax, as encores, Anna Netrebko sang the aria "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from Franz Lehár's operetta "Giuditta" and Dmitri Hvorostovsky sang the Russian folk song "Ochi chornyje".
At the end, standing ovations for Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Valery Gergiev.
Programme Anna Netrebko, soprano | Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone Sergei Skorokhodov, tenor
Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev
Königsplatz, München
Friday 10. July 2009
Mikhail Glinka: Overture - Ruslan and Lyudmila Mikhail Glinka: "Grustno mne, roditel dorogoy!" - Lyudmila's Cavatinna, 1. Akt - Ruslan and Lyudmila - Anna Netrebko Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: "Ja was ljublju" - Yelensky's Aria, 2. Akt - Pique Dame - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: "Tvojo moltschan je neponjatno" - Duet Iolanta-Vaudemnont, 7. Bild - Iolanta - Anna Netrebko, Sergei Skorokhodov Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Polonaise 3. Akt - Eugene Onegin Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: "Oh, kak mnje tjashelo" - Final scene Tatiana, 3. Akt - Eugene Onegin - Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Interval
Richard Wagner: Overture, Tannhäuser Richard Wagner: "O Du, Mein Holder Abendstern" - Wolfram's Aria, 3. Akt - Tannhäuser - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Richard Strauss: "Wenn du es wüsstest" - Lieder Op. 27 Nr. 2 - Cäcilie - Anna Netrebko Giuseppe Verdi: Overture - La Forza del Destino Giuseppe Verdi: "Il balen del suo sorriso" - Conte Luna's Aria, 2. Akt - Il Trovatore - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Giacomo Puccini: "Un bel dì vedremo" - Cio-Cio-San's Aria, 2. Akt - Madama Butterfly - Anna Netrebko Pietro Mascagni: Intermezzo Sinfonico, Cavalleria Rusticana Ruggiero Leoncavallo: "Nedda! Silvio, a quest'ora" - Duet Nedda-Silvio, 1. Akt - Pagliacci - Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Encores
Franz Lehar: "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" - Giuditta - Anna Netrebko Russian folk song: "Ochi chornyje" - Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Reports
Herbert kindly wrotes the following report for the blog:
The Königsplatz is such a large area. But with its neo-classicistic "Greek" buildings on three sides it is a very effectful place. There was no rain, but it was bitterly cold. That is why Robert Braunmüller called his first short review of the first part of the concert "Die Eisheilige" - "The Saint of Ice". - And maybe therefore quite a number of people stood up 10 minutes before the end of the official programme (!!) and started moving towards the exits - which was very stupid and impolite. Another newspaper, BILD, says: "We are all ill today, but it was worth it."
In the first half Anna wore her beautiful red dress as in St. Petersburg, and in the second half it was the same as in Braunschweig: a silver top and a long black skirt. - She looked marvellous, and again she seemed to have lost a few pounds. (I think it was due to the terrible costumes why she looked a bit plump as Violetta in SF).
The programme was similiar, but not completely the same as in Braunschweig. It was very demanding and ambitious, but I think Valery Gergiev is nobody for a light-hearted "summer concert" with all the popular melodies everybody can do. So it was completely Russian in the first half, and in the second part we heard Anna sing "Un bel dì vedremo" for the first time. I think this was one of the highlights of the evening. Oh yes, Madama Butterfly could be one of Anna's next roles. Her voice is in top form.
Robert Braunmüller writes about Anna: "In the final scene of 'Eugene Onegin' La Netrebko was compelling again by her art of outlinig a character with a few gestures and giving it a colour of its own by her voice."
Anna's encore was one of her favourites, "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" - with her vivacious dance (barefoot!) in the middle. When Dmitri sang his encore, Anna seemed to have forgotten that she had to perform her gipsy dance around him, as she did in Braunschweig. Shortly before the end she really ran out from behind - with skirts up - and made only a few movements before she kneeled down in front of Dmitri as in Braunschweig.
Photos
Programme of the Concert. Note that there is a mistake in the printed Programme, as Anna sang the Lyudmila's Cavatinna of the 1. Act of Ruslan and Lyudmila, and not the Lyudmila's Aria of the 4. Act. Photos [1-2] by Herbert.
Königsplatz before the start of the concert. Photos [1] by Herbert and [2] by Anne
First part of the concert. Photos [1-2] by Herbert.
Second part of the concert. Photos [1-4] by Anne Videoclips
Scene and Duet Iolanta/Vaudémont "Tvojo moltschan je neponjatno" from "Iolanta". Uploaded to Youtube by dvedas
Excerpts of "Oh, kak mnje tjashelo" from Eugene Onegin. Uploaded to Youtube by khleba18a
"Wenn du es wüsstest" - Lieder Op. 27 Nr. 2 - Cäcilie - Anna Netrebko. Uploaded to Youtube by dvedas
"Il balen del suo sorriso" - Conte Luna's Aria, 2. Akt - Il Trovatore - Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Uploaded to Youtube by dvedas
Excerpt of "Un bel dì vedremo" from "Madama Butterfly". Uploaded to Youtube by khleba18a
Excerpts of "Nedda! Silvio, a quest'ora" from Pagliacci. Uploaded to Youtube by khleba18a
Excerpts of "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from "Giuditta". Uploaded to Youtube by x3Puffinx3 [1] and by khleba18a [2]
Excerpt of "Ochi chornyje". Uploaded to Youtube by khleba18a
