WIENER STAATSOPER IN MAY 2023

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by OPERA Charm Team

April 27, 2023

The last premiere of this season and a revival are on the programme of the Vienna State Opera in May: Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Also in May are performances of Manon, the ballet evening Goldberg Variations, Von der Liebe Tod (photo above), the youth opera Tschick and the matinee of the Ballet Academy. In addition, there are exciting debuts in the repertoire in works such as Tosca and Don Pasquale.
Tickets for the next season 2023/2024 will also go on sale on May 2nd, 2023 at 10.00 am.
From then on, tickets for performances in September and October can be purchased and tickets for performances from November until the end of the season can be pre-ordered.

May 1st, 2023 – Matinee of the Ballet Academy of the Vienna State Opera with students of the Ballet Academy

Once a year, the students of the Ballet Academy present themselves on the big stage of the Vienna State Opera with an artistic programme they have been working towards for many months – be it in the study of classical roles, in the experience of the power and beauty that dancing in community can unfold, or in direct collaboration with contemporary choreographers.
The programme includes Hans van Manen’s Unisono, Martin Schläpfer’s Jamie, which he presented a year ago as a work in progress and has now completed, Kinsun Chan’s youth piece JIT (Just in Time) and excerpts from August Bournonville’s La Sylphide.

May 3rd, 2023 – Soloist concert: PRETTY YENDE

Singer Pretty Yende
Piano Vanessa Garcia Diepa

Pretty Yende, who will sing at the coronation of King Charles in London on May 6th, can be experienced on the stage of the Vienna State Opera in May, both scenically and in concert: she embodies the title role in Manon (performances on April 30th, May 4th, 7th, 10th and 13th) and gives a soloist concert in which she sings works by Gioachino Rossini, Vicenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt and Gerónimo Giménez.

May 6th, 8th, 11th and 16th*, 2023 – VON DER LIEBE TOD (Gustav Mahler)

Musical direction Lorenzo Viotti
Production Calixto Bieito
with, among others, Vera-Lotte Boecker / Ileana Tonca* (soprano), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (alto), Daniel Jenz (tenor), Florian Boesch (baritone).

Lorenzo Viotti will also be at the conductor’s podium for this series of performances of the evening of music theatre, which will be released in September 2023 at the Vienna State Opera in a production by Calixto Bieito. Von der Liebe Tod combines two key works by Gustav Mahler – the 19-year-old’s early fairy-tale cantata, Das klagende Lied (1879/80), is followed by the late Kindertotenlieder from the first half of the last decade of his life (1901/04). The premiere cast will be Vera-Lotte Boecker (soprano), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (alto), Daniel Jenz (tenor) and Florian Boesch (baritone).

May 12th, 14th and 18th, 2023 – TOSCA (Giacomo Puccini)

Musical direction Giampaolo Bisanti
Production Margarethe Wallmann
with, among others, Maria Agresta (Floria Tosca), Piotr Beczala (Mario Cavaradossi), Bryn Terfel (Baron Scarpia)

Maria Agresta will appear for the first time at the Vienna State Opera as Tosca. Piotr Beczala and Bryn Terfel embody Cavaradossi and Scarpia in this series of performances. At the conductor’s podium: Giampaolo Bisanti – he conducts Puccini’s opera classic for the first time at the Haus am Ring.

May 14th, 19th, June 10th and 16th, 2023 – Youth Opera: TSCHICK (Ludger Vollmer)

Musical direction Kerem Sezen / Johannes Mertl*
Production Krysztina Winkel
with, among others, ensemble members of the Vienna State Opera, pupils and graduates of the Vienna State Opera’s opera school.

The youth opera Tschick, which celebrated its premiere in December 2022 in the production of Krysztina Winkel, head of the Outreach and Mediation Department at the Vienna State Opera, returns to the repertoire in May. It tells of growing up, friendship and first love beyond stereotypes. The protagonists Maik, Tschick and Isa take the audience on a journey of adventure, into the distance and ultimately to themselves. The focus is on the small, unexpected peculiarities of being outdoors and together.

Under the musical direction of Kerem Sezen and Johannes Mertl, current and former students of the Opera School of the Vienna State Opera, members of the vocal ensemble, the choir of the Opera School and the extra choir of the Vienna State Opera will sing; the Vienna State Opera stage orchestra will play.

May 17th, 20th, 23th and 26th, 2023 – Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti)

Musical direction Francesco Lanzillotta
Production Irina Brook
with, among others, Michele Pertusi (Don Pasquale), Josh Lovell (Ernesto), Michael Arivony (Malatesta), Brenda Rae (Norina)

Under the musical direction of Francesco Lanzillotta, who conducts Donizetti’s comedy for the first time at the Haus am Ring, Michele Pertusi once again stars in the title role. Making their State Opera role debuts are Josh Lovell (Ernesto), Michael Arivony (Malatesta), Brenda Rae (Norina) and Jack Lee (Notary).

May 21st, 24th, 27th, 30th and June 2nd, 2023 – Premiere: DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES (Francis Poulenc)

Musical direction Bertrand de Billy
Production Magdalena Fuchsberger
with, among others, Nicole Car (Blanche), Bernard Richter (Le Chévalier), Michaela Schuster (Madame de Croissy), Maria Motolygina (Madame Lidoine), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Mère Marie), Michael Kraus (Le Marquis de la Force), Maria Nazarova (Soeur Constance)

Poulenc’s only full-length opera was performed for the last time at the Vienna State Opera in 1964. In a new production by Magdalena Fuchsberger, the tragic opera returns to the repertoire of the Haus am Ring under the musical direction of Betrand de Billy, who conducts it for the first time at the Vienna State Opera. Singers include: Nicole Car (Blanche), Bernard Richter (Le Chévalier), Michaela Schuster (Madame de Croissy), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Mère Marie), Michael Kraus (Le Marquis de la Force) and Maria Nazarova (Soeur Constance). Maria Motolygina makes her house debut as Madame Lidoine.

May 28th, 31st, June 3rd, 8th and 12th, 2023 – Revival: LADY MACBETH VON MZENSK (Dmitri Shostakovich)

Musical direction Alexander Soddy
Production Matthias Hartmann
with Günther Groissböck (Boris Ismailov), Andrei Popov (Zinovi Ismailov), Aušrine Stundyte (Katerina Ismailova), Dmitry Golovnin (Sergej), Maria Barakova (Sonjetka), among others

Shostakovich’s ironic, pointed but also touching music tells the story of oppression, devotion and murder. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk will be revived in Matthias Hartmann’s production at the Haus am Ring in May, conducted here for the first time by Alexander Soddy. Günther Groissböck (Boris Ismailov), Aušrine Stundyte (Katerina Ismailova), Dmitry Golovnin (Sergej) and Maria Barakova (Sonjetka) are among those making their role debuts at the Vienna State Opera, while Andrei Popov makes his house debut as Zinovi Ismailov.

Photo credits:
Don Pasquale: Michele Pertusi (Don Pasquale), Scene photo © Vienna State Opera / Michael Pöhn.
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: scene photos © Vienna State Opera / Michael Pöhn, portrait Alexander Soddy © Christian Kleiner, portrait Aušrine Stundyte © Petra Baratova, portrait Günther Groissböck © Dominik Stixenberger
Matinee of the Ballet Academy: Rehearsal photos (please mark as such) La Sylphide (Simone Carosso, Ensemble © Victoria Nazarova / Zlata Datsyshyn, Ensemble © Wiener Staatsballett / Ashley Taylor), JIT (Ensemble © Victoria Nazarova), Jamie (Simone Carosso, Marie Ryba © Wiener Staatsballett / Ashley Taylor), Scene photo Unisono © Wiener Staatsballett / Ashley Taylor
Soloist Concert Pretty Yende: Portrait Pretty Yende © Dario Acosta
Tosca: Portrait Maria Agresta © Elisa Rinaldi, Piotr Beczala (Cavaradossi), Bryn Terfel (Scarpia) © Vienna State Opera / Michael Pöhn
Tschick: scene photos © Vienna State Opera / Michael Pöhn
Von der Liebe Tod: Vera-Lotte Boecker, Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, Daniel Jenz, Florian Boesch © Vienna State Opera / Michael Pöhn, Portrait Lorenzo Viotti © Dutch National Opera / Daniëlle van Coevorden

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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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