DIE WIENER STAATSOPER IN MARCH

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by Opera Charm Team

March 1, 2024

After almost 20 years, Rossini’s last musical theatre work Guillaume Tell is returning to the Staatsoper stage in David Pountney‘s production. The director has enriched the production, which now features Roberto Frontali in the title role, John Osborn as Arnold and Lisette Oropesa as Mathilde under the musical direction of Bertrand de Billy, with symbolic imagery. In its second State Opera premiere, the Vienna State Ballet presents The Lady of the Camellias. John Neumeier’s full-length narrative ballet is one of the masterpieces of recent dance history – apart from the Stuttgart and Hamburg Ballet, with whom the piece was first performed in Vienna in 2014, only a few companies carefully selected by John Neumeier can include The Lady of the Camellias in their repertoire, and the Vienna State Ballet is now one of them. March at the Vienna State Opera also brings the house debuts of Ruzan Mantashyan as Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Jean Teitgen as Gesler (Guillaume Tell), Julia Kleiter as the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), Werner Van Mechelen as Klingsor (Parsifal) and Corinne Winters in the title role of Rusalka. The programme also includes performances of Der Barbier für Kinder, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and La cenerentola with interesting role debuts, which we would like to inform you about below.

EUGENE ONEGIN by Piotr I. Tchaikovsky

Musical direction Lothar Koenigs
Staging by Dmitri Tcherniakov
with, among others, Ruzan Mantashyan (Tatyana), Daria Sushkova (Olga), Boris Pinkhasovich (Eugene Onegin), Bogdan Volkov (Lensky)

In Dmitri Tcherniakov’s harmonious production, Ruzan Mantashyan makes her house debut as Tatyana, and Boris Pinkhasovich appears in the title role for the first time in this production. Bogdan Volkov sings Lenski again; Daria Sushkova, a member of the Vienna State Opera’s opera studio, makes her role debut as Olga. Lothar Koenigs returns to the conductor’s podium of the Vienna State Opera with this series of performances.

Dates → Eugene Onegin
1 / 3 / 6 & 9 March 2024

REVIVAL: GUILLAUME TELL by Gioachino Rossini

Musical direction Bertrand de Billy
Staged by David Pountney
with Roberto Frontali (Guillaume Tell), John Osborn (Arnold), Lisette Oropesa (Mathilde), Maria Nazarova (Jemmy), Jean Teitgen (Gesler), Iván Ayón Rivas (Ruodi), among others

After almost 20 years, Rossini’s opera based on Schiller’s drama returns to the Vienna State Opera – in the production by David Pountney that premiered at the Haus am Ring in 1998. Bertrand de Billy, who last conducted the work here in 2005, will be conducting. Roberto Frontali can be heard in the title role, John Osborn sings Arnold, Lisette Oropesa sings Mathilde for the first time. Jean Teitgen makes his house debut as Gesler, Maria Nazarova as Jemmy and Iván Ayón Rivas as Ruodi.
Detailed programme → here.

Dates → Guillaume Tell
8 / 13 / 16 & 19 March 2024

IL BARBIERE FOR CHILDREN by Giacomo Puccini

Musical direction Stephen Hopkins
Staging Grischa Asagaroff
with Agustín Gomez (Count Almaviva), Jusung Gabriel Park (Dr Bartolo), Alma Neuhaus (Rosina), Jack Lee (Figaro), Simonas Strazdas (Don Basilio), Daniel Ogris (Ambrogio), among others

Rossini’s popular musical comedy returns to the State Opera stage in March in a version suitable for children. Director Grischa Asagaroff has created an entertaining and colourful production for the Großes Haus (performed in front of the Iron Curtain). Daniel Ogris acts as narrator in the role of Ambrogio for the first time, while Opera Studio members Agustín Gomez (Count Almaviva), Jusung Gabriel Park (Bartolo), Alma Neuhaus (Rosina), Jack Lee (Figaro) and Simonas Strazdas (Basilio) make their role debuts, with Stephen Hopkins conducting.

Dates → The Barber for children
10 March, 14 April, 1 / 12 May, 17 June 2024

SOLOIST CONCERT VITTORIO GRIGOLO

Pianist Mzia Bakhtouridze

The internationally sought-after tenor, who will return to the Haus am Ring in April as Don José in Carmen, presents himself to the State Opera audience in a soloist concert in March. Accompanied by pianist Mzia Bachtouridze, he will sing works by Bellini, Puccini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Tosti, Kancheli, Gastaldon, Leoncavallo, Mascani, De Curtis, Ponce and D’Annibale.

Date → Vittorio Grigolo soloist concert
12 March 2024

DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Musical direction Stefano Montanari
Staged by Hans Neuenfels
with, among others, Christian Nickel (Bassa Selim), Sofia Fomina (Konstanze), Emanuela von Frankenberg (Konstanze – actress), Florina Ilie (Blonde), Stella Roberts (Blonde – actress), Antonio Di Matteo (Osmin), Wolfgang Vogler (Osmin – actor), Daniel Behle (Belmonte), Christian Natter (Belmonte – actor), Lukas Schmidt (Pedrillo), Ludwig Blochberger (Pedrillo – actor)

In March, another series of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Hans Neuenfels’ production is on the programme. Stefano Montanari conducts this Mozart work for the first time in the Haus am Ring, with Florina Ilie as Blonde and Lukas Schmidt as Pedrillo making their state opera role debuts. Christian Nickel (Bassa Selim), Sofia Fomina (Konstanze), Emanuela von Frankenberg (Konstanze – actress), Stella Roberts (Blonde – actress), Antonio Di Matteo (Osmin), Daniel Behle (Belmonte), Christian Natter (Belmonte – actor), and Ludwig Blochberger (Pedrillo – actor) can also be heard again. Wolfgang Vogler makes his house debut as Osmin – Actor.

Dates → The Abduction from the Seraglio
14 / 17 / 20 & 23 March 2024

LA CENERENTOLA by Gioachino Rossini

Musical direction Gianluca Capuano
Staging by Sven-Eric Bechtolf
with, among others, Edgardo Rocha (Don Ramiro), Michael Arivony (Dandini), Misha Kiria (Don Magnifico), Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Angelina), Roberto Tagliavini (Alidoro)

In Rossini’s version of Cinderella, Misha Kiria embodies Don Magnifico for the first time at the Vienna State Opera. Edgardo Rocha appears as Don Ramiro for the first time in this State Opera production, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya sings Angelina, Michael Arivony Dandini and Roberto Tagliavini Alidoro. Gianluca Capuano conducts.

Dates → La cenerentola
15 / 18 & 22 March 2024

DER ROSENKAVALIER by Richard Strauss

Musical direction Axel Kober
Staging by Otto Schenk
with Julia Kleiter (Feldmarschallin), Christof Fischesser (Baron Ochs), Christina Bock (Octavian), Adrian Eröd (Herr von Faninal), Slávka Zámečníková (Sophie), among others

Otto Schenk’s production of Der Rosenkavalier is on the programme for four dates in March. Julia Kleiter makes her house debut in the role of the Field Marshal; Christof Fischesser plays Ochs, Slávka Zámečníková plays Sophie and Norbert Ernst plays Valzacchi for the first time. Other roles include Christina Bock as Octavian and Adrian Eröd as Faninal. Axel Kober conducts Der Rosenkavalier at the Vienna State Opera for the first time.

Dates → Der Rosenkavalier
21 / 25 / 27 & 30 March 2024

PARSIFAL by Richard Wagner

Musical direction Alexander Soddy
Staging Kirill Serebrennikov
with, among others, Michael Nagy (Amfortas), Günther Groissböck (Gurnemanz), Daniel Frank (Parsifal), Werner Van Mechelen (Klingsor), Elīna Garanča (Kundry)

Parsifal is traditionally on the programme of the Vienna State Opera on Maundy Thursday and the series of performances of the “stage consecration festival” will also begin on this day this year. Daniel Frank can be heard in the title role for the first time at the house, while house debutant Werner Van Mechelen introduces himself to the audience as Klingsor. Günther Groissböck makes another Staatsoper role debut as Gurnemanz; Elīna Garanča once again embodies Kundry and Michael Nagy Amfortas.

The new production of Parsifal (2021) with, among others, Jonas Kaufmann as Parsifal and Elīna Garanča as Kundry will be released on CD on 1 March by → Sony Classical.

Dates → Parsifal
28 March, 1 & 3 April 2024

RUSALKA by Antonín Dvořák

Musical direction Tomáš Hanus
Staging by Sven-Eric Bechtolf
with, among others, Pavel Černoch (The Prince), Eliška Weissová (The Foreign Princess), Adam Palka (The Water Sprite), Corinne Winters (Rusalka), Okka von der Damerau (Ježibaba)

Corinne Winters makes her house debut in the title role in Dvořák’s opera about a mermaid who falls in love with a human, leaves the water and fails in the world. In this largely newly cast series, Adam Palka makes his role debut as Aquarius; Pavel Černoch as the Prince, Eliška Weissová as the Foreign Princess and Okka von der Damera as Ježibaba can be heard for the first time at the Vienna State Opera. Tomáš Hanus is on the podium.

Dates → Rusalka
31 March, 2 & 4 April 2024

Wiener Staatsballet

Premiere: The Lady of the Camellias

Music Frédéric Chopin

Musical direction Markus Lehtinen
Choreography John Neumeier
with Ketevan Papava (Marguerite Gautier), Timoor Afshar (Armand Duval), Hyo-Jang Kang (Manon Lescaut), Marcos Menha (Des Grieux), Ioanna Avraam (Prudence Duvernoy), Masayu Kimoto (Gaston Rieux), among others

In its second State Opera premiere of the season, the Vienna State Ballet presents John Neumeier’s ballet The Lady of the Camellias. This ballet classic, inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ novel, is brought to life by the poignant music of Frédéric Chopin and John Neumeier’s expressive choreography. Costumes and set design by Jürgen Rose.
The introductory matinee to The Lady of the Camellias will take place on 17 March 2024 at 11.00 a.m.

Dates → The Lady of the Camellias
Premiere: 24 March 2024
Repeats: 26 March, 5 / 7 / 12 / 15 / 17 / 22 / 27 April, 1 & 5 May 2024

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Opera Charm Team

Alice Lechner

Alice Lechner comes from a music-loving family. Her first encounter with the opera universe was at the tender age of six. The grandeur of the stage productions and costumes, the backstage chatter, and last, but definitely not least, the music left her in awe, beginning with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The overall feeling that opera awakens in anyone who gets a glimpse into this part of artistic eternity, that each and every day passes the test of time, was what drew her to stay and be a part of this world. The Opera House of Brașov became her second home, and the people who worked there were her second family.

Since then, Alice has devoted her spare time to maximising her musical knowledge through instrumental studies, studying both piano and violin for a short time. In the following years, her number one passion stepped out of the limelight and graciously gave way to Law Studies.
Since 2018 she has been studying Law at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași.

Her passion for opera, even if it is no longer her top professional priority in terms of career, it has most definitely become her priority during her free time. Wanting to experience the best of both worlds and extend her musical horizons, she regularly attends opera performances throughout Romania and abroad.
With OPERA Charm Magazine, Alice aims to nurture her creative side to help it flourish and bloom and to discover, alongside the magazine’s readers, the fascinatingly complex world of opera.

Currently, she is an LL.M. in Business Law at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași.

Oana Zamfir

Oana Zamfir is a second year MA student at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts, at the Department of Musicology.

She studied violin for 12 years at the “Stefan Luchian” High School of Art in Botosani, later focusing on the theoretical aspects of music. In 2019 she completed her bachelor studies in Musicology as a student of the National Academy of Music “Gheorghe Dima” in Cluj-Napoca. Her research during 2018-2019 brought to the forefront elements of the archaic ritual within works of composers who activated during the communist period, giving her the opportunity to start a research internship at the “Carl von Ossietzky” University in Germany. In this context, she recorded conversations with members of the Sophie Drinker Institute in Bremen, and had access to documents directly from the Myriam Marbé archive.

Since 2019 she has been a teacher of Music Education and Theoretical Music Studies, making full use of interactive methods in the musical training of students and working, at the same time, with the children’s choir founded in the first year of her activity.

Her interests include pursuing a degree in interior design in 2020.

Alexandru Suciu

Alexandru Suciu inherited his passion for art growing up in a family of several generations of musicians. He began his musical studies at the “Augustin Bena” School of Music in Cluj, where he studied piano and guitar. Even though his main study direction was philological, his passion for music prevailed. He began his academical journey at the Faculty of Letters of the “Babeș-Bolyai” University, studying Comparative literature and English. He continued by studying Opera Singing at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Music Academy. He also graduated the Musical Education section, followed by Artistic Directing at the Musical Performing Arts department.

His multidisciplinary education opened the doors towards research, which is seen both through his participation in national and international conferences and symposia, such as the Salzburg Easter School PhD-forum, organized by the Salzburg Universität or the Silesian Meeting of Young Scholars, organized by the Institute of English at the University of Silesia, as well as the collaboration with Opera Charm Magazine.

During his student years, he won several prizes, including the Grand Prize at the “Paul Constantinescu” National Musical Interpretation Competition, the Romanian Composers and Musicologists’ Union Prize at the same competition, the First Prize and the Schubert Prize at the “Ada Ulubeanu” Competition.

He further developed his artistic skills by specializing in courses and masterclasses held by personalities such as Vittorio Terranova, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Marian Pop, Ines Salazar, Riccardo Zanellato, Paolo Bosisio, Valentina Farcaș and Manuel Lange in contexts such as the Internationale Sommerakademie für Operngesang Deutschlandsberg, Corso Internazionale di Canto Lirico I.M.C. Licata or the Europäische Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst Montepulciano. Besides his activity on-stage, he currently teaches Opera Singing Didactics, and Pedagogical Practice within the Department for Teacher Education and Training at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Music Academy.

Cristina Fieraru

Cristina is a 24 year-old Romanian soprano & a student at the National University of Music Bucharest, where she pursues the MA program in Vocal Performance.

She made her debut in Pamina from “Die Zauberflöte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at only 19 years old at the Bucharest National Opera House, as a member of the Ludovic Spiess Experimental Opera Studio. Over the years she made her debut in roles such as Contessa d’Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì & Musetta (La Bohème), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte) in her university’s opera productions.
Her passion and experience extends in the field of choral music, too.

She has been part of our dream team since the fall of 2021. For a good period of time she took care of OPERA Charm’s social media and took you on the monthly journey through the history of opera through our Legends rubric – and a few times through the Theaters around the World rubric.

Her little soul rubric – from 2021 to present – is definitely the Conductors of the Future, where, every month, she gives you the chance to meet a young star of the world of conducting and, of course, to find out what’s the most charming feature of opera in these artists’ views.

BIANCA L. NICA

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