Gurre-Lieder in Paris

Gurre-Lieder, La Salle Pleyel in Paris, June 25 2011

Marc Albrecht ..... conductor

Ricarda Merbeth ..... Tove

Lance Ryan ..... Waldemar

Anna Larsson ..... the Dove

Barbara Sukowa ..... Narrator

Albert Dohmen ..... Bauer

Arnold Bezuyen ..... Klaus-Narr

Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg

Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno [Petr Fiala]

Ariadne auf Naxos in Paris

Ariadne auf Naxos, Opéra National de Paris (Bastille), December 22 2010

Philippe Jordan ..... Conductor

Laurent Pelly ..... Staging and costumes

Franz Mazura ..... Der Haushofmeister

Martin Gantner ..... Ein Musiklehrer

Sophie Koch ..... Der Komponist

Stefan Vinke ..... Der Tenor (Bacchus)

Xavier Mas ..... Ein Tanzmeister

Vladimir Kapshuk ..... Ein Perückenmacher

Jane Archibald ..... Zerbinetta

Ricarda Merbeth ..... Primadonna (Ariadne)

Elena Tsallagova ..... Najade

Diana Axentii ..... Dryade

Yun Jung Choi ..... Echo

Edwin Crossley-Mercer ..... Harlekin

François Piolino ..... Scaramuccio

François Lis ..... Truffaldino

Michael Laurenz ..... Müller Brighella

Paris Opera Orchestra

Die Walküre ride in Paris: supreme singing in a wonderful production by Günter Krämer

Die Walküre, Opéra National de Paris - Opéra Bastille, May 31

Philippe Jordan Conductor

Günter Krämer Director

Robert Dean Smith Siegmund

Günther Groissböck Hunding

Falk Struckmann Thomas Johannes Mayer Wotan

Ricarda Merbeth Sieglinde

Katarina Dalayman Brünnhilde

Yvonne Naef Fricka

Marjorie Owens Gerhilde

Gertrud Wittinger Ortlinde

Silvia Hablowetz Waltraute

Wiebke Lehmkuhl Schwertleite

Barbara Morihien Helmwige

Helene Ranada Siegrune

Nicole Piccolomini Grimgerde

Atala Schöck Rossweisse 

Gertrud Wittinger Ortlinde

Heppnered Lohengrin at Deutsche Oper Berlin

Friday, January 29 2010
Going to Deutsche Oper Berlin (DOB), I felt I was lucky to have a ticket for this ausverkauft and very starry night of Lohengrin :

Lohengrin - Ben Heppner

Elsa- Ricarda Merbeth

Ortrud - Waltraud Meier

Telramund - Eike Wilm Schulte

Heinrich - Kristinn Sigmundsson

King's Herals - Anton Keremidtchiev 

Director - Goetz Friedrich

Conductor - Michael Schonwandt

 

In spite of the very snowy weather, freezing cold and ice on the pavements surrounding DOB, the theater was packed for the opening of the new run of Lohengrin.

Personally I was mostly interested in the DOB chorus, and maestro Michael Schønwandt (whose Copenhagen Ring I tenderly loved), but I think most of the opera-goers were answering to the buzz the PR staff generated about Ben Heppner (many interviews in the daily newspapers; plus huge posters "big voices return to Berlin") and about Waltraud Meier -who doesn't sing that often at DOB- who the Germans simply love.

Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra hit Paris (Dec.17 2009)

The "Salle Pleyel", as it is called here, is the Paris' best concert-hall. Its magnificent quality in programming pretty much owes to its music director and manager Laurent Bayle, who I'll say a bit more on some other occasion.

Today it's snowing in Paris, the public transportation is rarefied because of the social movement on the RER lines... but we hope for a good concert tonight in Pleyel to end the day on a good note: 
Mahler's Second Symphony by Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - excuse meh! ;)

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