Così or not Così

Così fan tutte, Théâtre des Champs Élysées, May 22 2012

Jérémie Rhorer..... Director

Eric Génovèse [Valérie Nègre] ..... Director 

Camilla Tilling ..... Fiordiligi 

Michèle Losier ..... Dorabella 

Claire Debono ..... Despina 

Bernard Richter ..... Ferrando 

Markus Werba ..... Guglielmo 

Pietro Spagnoli ..... Don Alfonso 

Le Cercle de l'Harmonie 

Choeur du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

From Munich to Paris with love: Unforgettable ride of the Valkyries

Die Walküre in concert, Théâtre des Champs Élysées (TCE) in Paris, April 24 2012

Kent Nagano ..... Conductor 

Humans 

Lance Ryan ..... Siegmund 

Anja Kampe ..... Sieglinde 

Ain Anger ..... Hunding 

Gods 

Thomas J. Mayer ..... Wotan 

Michaela Schuster ..... Fricka 

9 Valkyries

Nina Stemme ..... Brünnhilde 

Danielle Halbwchs ..... Gerhilde 

Golda Schultz ..... Otlinde 

Heike Grötzinger ..... Waltraude 

Anaïk Morel ..... Schwertleite 

Erika Wueschner ..... Helmwige 

Roswitha C. Müller ..... Siegrune 

Okka von der Damereau ..... Grimgerde 

Alexandra Petersamer ..... Rossweisse 

Orchestra of the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich

We Will Barock You: La Didone in Paris

La Didone, Théâtre des Champs Élysées (TCE), April 12 2012

Director ..... Clément Hervieu-Léger

Conductor ..... William Christie

Didone ..... Anna Bonitatibus

Enea ..... Krešimir Špicer 

Iarba ..... Xavier Sabata

Ecuba ..... Maria Streijffert

Cassandra, Damigella I, Dama III ..... Katherine Watson

Creusa, Giunone, Damigella II, Dama II ..... Tehila Nini Goldstein

Fortuna, Anna, Dama I ..... Mariana Rewerski

Venere, Iride, Damigella III ..... Claire Debono

Ascanio, Amore, Cacciatore ..... Damien Guillon/Terry Wey 

Anchise, Un Vecchio ..... Nicolas Rivenq

Ilioneo, Mercurio ..... Mathias Vidal

Corebo, Eolo, Cacciatore ..... Valerio Contaldo

Acate, Sicheo, Pirro ..... Joseph Cornwell

Greco, Giove, Nettuno, Cacciatore ..... Francisco Javier Borda 

Les Arts Florissants

Andris Nelsons and his Tristan in Paris

Tristan und Isolde in concert, Théâtre des Champs Élysées (TCE), March 11 2012

Addition to your fave list: Andris Nelsons

Andris Nelsons ..... Conductor

Lioba Braun ..... Isolde

Stephen Gould ..... Tristan

Matthew Best ..... King Marke

Brett Polegato ..... Kurwenal

Christianne Stotijn ..... Brangäne

Ben Johnson ..... Melot

Benedict Nelson ..... seaman

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)

Accentus

Jonas Kaufmann at TCE: Kaufmannmania continues after one more Jonasabend

 Liederabend at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, February 20 2012

Jonas Kaufmann is a perfect example of an opera star circa 2010. He doesn't take himself too seriously, looks and acts like "one of us", but constantly impresses us by the sheer amount of talent he radiates like no one else. It's his peculiar timbre and recognizable voice, his unmatched musicality, his amazing scenic presence, uncommon interpretative skills, his piani that regularly make his fans go crackers... I don't believe any opera singer in the past had it all like Jonas does today.

Helmut Deutsch and Jonas Kauffmann: TCE, February 20 2011

Bel Canto 1: Don Pasquale in Parigi (o cara)

Don Pasquale, Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, February 15 2012

Viviani, Rancatore, Mazzola, Corbelli, Demuro

Enrique Mazzola ..... conductor

Denis Podalydès ..... director

Alessandro Corbelli ..... Don Pasquale

Désirée Rancatore ..... Norina

Gabriele Viviani ..... Dr Malatesta

Francesco Demuro ..... Ernesto

Richard Tronc ..... Carlino

Orchestre National de France

Choeur de Radio France 

Art of Interpretation and Expression

Last December 19, Emmanuele Haïm and her orchestra Le Concert d'Astrée celebrated 10 years of collaboration/activity, and for the occasion a Gala Concert took place at Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris.

Happily, for us who could not attend the concert, Arte concocted 1 hour of excerpts and broadcast it last week.

Christopher Purves (L) and Anne Sofie von Otter & Philippe Jarousky (R)

I will not comment on the concert that I didn't attend but I thought I could share a couple of excerpts that are good illustration of utmost importance of the interpretative skills in making the beautiful voices reaching the spectators' hearts.

Enjoy!

The Magic Flute by William Kentridge finally came to Paris

Die Zauberflöte/La Flûte enchantée, Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, December 26 2011

Director ..... William Kentridge

Conductor ..... Jean-Christophe Spinosi

Tamino ..... Topi Lehtipuu

Pamina ..... Sandrine Piau

Papageno ..... Markus Werba

Papagena ..... Emmanuelle De Negri

The Queen of the Night ..... Jeanette Vecchione

First Lady ..... Claire Debono

Second Lady ..... Juliette Mars

Third Lady ..... Elodie Méchain

Sarastro ..... Ain Anger

Monostatos ..... Steven Cole

Priests and Armored Men ..... Renaud Delaigue, Alexandre Swan

Speaker of the Temple ..... Robert Gleadow

Ensemble Matheus

Chorus of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

Infernal Dance by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen

Bluebeard Castle/Le Château de Barbe-Bleue (in concert), Théâtre des Champs Elysées, November 15 2011

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Carole Bouquet, Michelle DeYoung, John Tomlinson

Conductor ..... Esa-Pekka Salonen

Judith ..... Michelle DeYoung
Kékszakállú ..... John Tomlinson

Prologue ..... Carole Bouquet

Una Notte di Bel Canto: Théâtre des Champs Élysées Re-Opens

I Capuleti e i Montecchi (in concert), Théâtre des Champs Élysées, November 11 2011 [11/11/11]

Olga Peretyatko - Giulietta

Evelino Pidò ..... Conductor

Anna Caterina Antonacci ..... Romeo

Olga Peretyatko ..... Giulietta

Juan Francisco Gatell ..... Tebaldo

Carlo Cigni ..... Lorenzo

Giovanni Battista Parodi ..... Capellio

Orchestra et Chorus of the Opéra de Lyon

Delicately produced Idomeneo in Paris: Bravi tutti!

Idomeneo, Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, June 15 2011

Stéphane Braunschweig ..... director
Jérémie Rhorer ..... conductor


Sophie Karthäuser ..... Ilia
Richard Croft ..... Idomeneo
Kate Lindsey ..... Idamante
Alexandra Coku ..... Elettra
Paolo Fanale ..... Arbace
Nigel Robson ..... High priest
Nahuel Di Pierro ..... The voice of Neptune


Le Cercle de l'Harmonie
Choeur Les Eléments direction Joël Suhubiette

5 great opera-concerts at TCE: (5) Verdi by Noseda

I vespri siciliani (excerpts), Théâtre des Champs Elysées, May 25 2011

Michele Pertusi, Sondra Radvanovsky, and Gregory Kunde

Gianandrea Noseda ..... Conductor

Sondra Radvanovsky ..... La duchessa Elena
Gregory Kunde ..... Arrigo
Michele Pertusi ..... Guido di Monforte

Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio di Torino

5 great opera-concerts at TCE: (4) Ariodantissimo

Ariodante (in concert), Théâtre des Champs Elysées, May 23 2011

Alan Curtis ..... Conductor

Joyce DiDonato ..... Ariodante
Marie-Nicole Lemieux ..... Polinesso
Karina Gauvin ..... Ginevra
Sabina Puertolas ..... Dalinda
Nicholas Phan ..... Lurcanio
Matthew Brook ..... Le Roi
Paolo Borgonovo ..... Odoardo

Il Complesso Barocco

5 great opera-concerts at TCE: (1) Karita Mattila

Bartók, Saariaho, Sibelius, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, April 13 2011

Kaija Saariaho and Karita Mattila

Conductor ..... Jukka-Pekka Saraste

Soloist ..... Karita Mattila

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest

We will barock you (6): Orlando Borioso

Orlando Furioso, Théâtre des Champs Elysées (TCE), March 12 2011

Pierre Audi ..... Director

Jean-Christophe Spinosi ..... Conductor

Marie-Nicole Lemieux ..... Orlando

Jennifer Larmore ..... Alcina

Verónica Cangemi ..... Angelica

Philippe Jaroussky ..... Ruggiero

Christian Senn ..... Astolfo

Kristina Hammarström ..... Bradamante

Romina Basso ..... Medoro

Ensamble Matheus

Chorus of TCE

David Afkham in Paris (2)

Prokofiev-Shostakovich, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, December 2 2010

David Afkham

David Afkham in Paris

Ultra-talented, 27 years old and this year's winner of Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award,  David Afkham, will conduct Orchestre National de France coming Thursday, December 2, at Théâtre des Champs Elysées (TCE) in Paris. For details of the concert program please see this link.

Good news for those who cannot come to TCE  is that Radio France Musique will live broadcast the concert on this link [click on "écouter le direct"] starting from 20:00 (CET).
 
For more on David, read e.g. this recent article , interview (in French), or listen to an interview he gave to www.conducting.org [he's won the Donatella Flick Award in 2008] appended below

Spectacular evening of belcanto in Paris

Otello (in concert), Théâtre des Champs Elysées - Paris, November 11 2010

Anna Caterina Antonacci, John Osborn, and Dmitry Korchak

Evelino Pidò ..... conductor

John Osborn ..... Otello
Anna Caterina Antonacci ..... Desdemona
Marco Vinco ..... Elmiro
Dmitry Korchak ..... Rodrigo
Jose Manuel Zapata ..... Iago
José Maria Lo Monaco ..... Emilia
Tansel Akzeybek ..... The Doge of Venice

Fabrice Constans ..... Lucio

Chorus and Orchestra of Opéra national de Lyon

We will barock you (4): Bravissima Dorinda

Orlando, Théâtre des Champs Elysées - Paris, November 3 2010

Wonderful Lucy Crowe as Dorinda

David McVicar ..... director
Emmanuelle Haïm ..... conductor

Sonia Prina ..... Orlando
Henriette Bonde-Hansen ..... Angelica
Stephen Wallace ..... Medoro
Lucy Crowe ..... Dorinda
Nathan Berg ..... Zoroastro

Le Concert d'Astrée

Jonasabend at Théâtre des Champs Élysées

The other day Elina Garanca was ill and had to cancel both her concerts in Baden Baden and at Pleyel, Paris. I can only imagine the mess the organizers at Pleyel had to deal with after that cancellation as she was coming with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra...

We kept our fingers crossed for tonight's liederabend with Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch, and hoped no last minute surprise --like last week  in Barcelona-- would stand on the way to a superb Liederabend. These two exceptional artists gave us a magnificent concert two years ago at Opéra Garnier, and the tonight's concert was just a confirmation that Jonas is at his best in this form of recital.

This was 1 hour and a half of pure beauty, in front of the crowd of 1,920.  They performed the full opus of Die schöne Müllerin in one go. You could hear a pin drop...

In the end, what to say? He really is an exceptional singer.

Have a look at his sched and if these two guys happen to perform somewhere near you, do not miss it. Pure gem!