Live Concert from Salzburg for free

René Fleming will sing several songs by Richard Strauss and a scene from Arabella. She will be accompanied by the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Christian Thielemann, who will then in the second part perform An Alpine Symphony.

The concert will be live broadcast on Medici.tv starting from 9 p.m. (CET), this coming Monday, August 8th. Here is your link.

From the famous Confiserie Fürst in Salzburg [where you can also find the "real" Mozartkugeln -- the blue ones!]

The program of songs includes Befreit, Winterliebe, Traum durch die Dämmerung, and Gesang der Apollopriesterin.

Munich Opera Festival 2011: Gloriously sung Rosenkavalier with the smell of Mothballs

Der Rosenkavalier, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, July 23 2011

Bayerische Staatsoper House with its pillars dressed in festive stockings

Conductor ..... Constantin Trinks

Director ..... Otto Schenk

Die Feldmarschallin ..... Anja Harteros

Der Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau ..... Peter Rose

Octavian ..... Sophie Koch

Herr von Faninal ..... Martin Gantner

Sophie ..... Lucy Crowe

Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin ..... Ingrid Kaiserfeld

Valzacchi ..... Ulrich Reß

Annina ..... Heike Grötzinger

Ein Polizeikommissar ..... Christoph Stephinger

Der Haushofmeister bei der Feldmarschallin ..... Kenneth Roberson

Der Haushofmeister bei Faninal / Ein Wirt ..... Francesco Petrozzi

Ein Notar ..... Christian Rieger

Ein Sänger ..... Piotr Beczala

Drei adelige Waise ..... Evgeniya Sotnikova, Martha Hirschmann, Angela Brower

Eine Modistin ..... Hanna-Elisabeth Müller

Ein Tierhändler ..... Dean Power

The Bavarian State Orchestra

The Chorus of the Bavarian State Opera 

We will barock you (5): Alcina at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

Alcina (in concert),  TCE Paris, November 29 2010

Anja Karteros (Alcina) and Vesselina Kasarova (Ruggero) - photo Herwig Prammer

Marc Minkowski ..... conductor 

Anja Harteros ..... Alcina
Vesselina Kasarova ..... Ruggiero
Verónica Cangemi ..... Morgana
Kristina Hammarström ..... Bradamante
Luca Tittoto ..... Melisso
Benjamin Bruns ..... Oronte
Shintaro Nakajima Oberto .... a young boy

Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble 

Otello at Théâtre des Champs Elysées: Queen Anja

Otello, Théâtre des Champs Élysées, October 9 2010

Daniel Harding ..... Conductor

Ben Heppner Franco Farina ..... Otello

Anja Harteros ..... Desdemona

Franco Vassallo ..... Jago

Alexey Dolgov ..... Cassio

Christina Dalestska ..... Emilia

Emanuele Giannino ..... Rodrigo

Stanislav Shevts ..... Lodovico

Giovanni Guagliardo ..... Montano / Herold

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

WDR Rundfunkchor Köln

Les Petits Chanteurs de Strasbourg - Maîtrise de l'Opéra national du Rhin

New Otello premiered in Berlin: Kriegenburg and Harteros rocked -- Cura and Lucic were great too!

Otello, Deutsche Oper Berlin, May 30 2010

Conductor Patrick Summers

Director Andreas Kriegenburg

Otello José Cura

Iago Zeljko Lucic

Cassio Yosep Kang

Roderigo Gregory Warren

Lodovico Hyung-Wook Lee

Montano Jörn Schümann

Desdemona Anja Harteros

Emilia Liane Keegan

Mimi Harteros and Rodolfo Grigolo in TCE

I don't like Puccini. I actually hate "La Bohème"! So -you may ask- why the heck I would go to Le théâtre des Champs-Élysées (TCE) and listen to this horrid opera?! The answer is Anja Harteros. I was completely flabbergasted by her Elsa in "Lohengrin" which I saw last summer in Munich: the production was all about Jonas Kaufmann and he was very good, but Anja completely stole the show.
Her voice is big enough, her harmonics are beautifully composed and very different in live from what you get from her recordings, her vocal dexterity is impressive, and she sings all the high notes with an astonishing ease. Combined with Vittorio Grigolo -an excellent young tenor- I had my guarantee for a good evening.

And good it was! Anja was head and shoulders above the rest, Vittorio sang beautifully too,  The Bayrische Staatsoper orchestra was magnificent as usual, the other singers were good too, and so I survived "La Bohème" ;)

Hope Anja will be back here and sing something else [anything but Mimi ;) ]