At 8pm, at Théâtre des Cuvilliés :

FESTIVAL CHAMBER CONCERT

Christoph Bachhuber: Flute

Vera Becker-Öttl: Flute

Giorgi Gvantseladze: Oboe

Simone Preuin: Oboe

Markus Schön: Clarinet

Agneta Müller Banquo: Clarinet

Martina Beck-Stegemann: Basset horn

Jürgen Key: Clarinet in C

Martin Fuchs: Bass clarinet
Martynas Sedbaras: Bassoon

Katrin Kittlaus: Bassoon

Gernot Friedrich: Contrabassoon

Johannes Dengler: Horn

Éva Lilla Fröschl: Horn

Christian Loferer: Horn

Casey Rippon: Horn

– R. Strauss: Suite in B flat major for 13 instruments

– L. van Beethoven : Rondino en mi bemol major

– R. Strauss : Serenade for 13 wind instruments op.

– L. van Beethoven : Wind Octur

– R. Strauss : Sonatine No. 2 for 16 wind instruments in E flat major

– R. Strauss : Happy Workshop

Founded in 1523 (!), the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra is one of the oldest and most brilliant orchestras in the world. For this delightful concert, his wind instrumentalists have come together to offer some German gems of chamber music. With his Octet, Beethoven was one of the first to write for this highly original ensemble. Conceived as ‘tafelmusik’, salon music for princely occasions, the composer did not forget his customary ardour and power. Written at the age of eighteen, Strauss’s Serenade is the work of a young genius in love with the sound of brass and woodwinds. This precocious masterpiece will be performed here by musicians who interpret this repertoire as they breathe.

At 6 pm, at the NationaTheater :

LA CENERENTOLA, by G. Rossini

Orchestra and Choir of the Bayerische Staatsoper

Antonino Fogliani: Conductor

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle: Staging

René Barbera: Don Ramiro

Konstantin Krimmel: Dandini

Misha Kiria: Don Magnifico

Erika Baikoff: Clorinda

Emily Sierra: Tisbe

Isabel Leonard: Angelina (Cenerentola)

Erwin Schrott: Alidoro

Premiered in Rome in 1817, La Cenerentola is Rossini’s irresistible interpretation of the Cinderella myth. The Italian composer’s writing is full of vocal pyrotechnics, with a malice and elegance that never forgets the dramatic intent. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle‘s production, which premiered in Florence in 1968 and has graced the stage of the Munich Opera since 1981, is a delight. A miracle of fun, mischief and fantasy, this production is a veritable euphoria, especially when it is carried off by the enthusiasm of Italian conductor Antonino Fogliani and a stunning cast of Rossini singers, including Erwin Schrott‘s Alidoro. A truly irresistible evening!

At 7pm, at the NationaTheater :

FIDELIO, by L. van Beethoven

Orchestra and Choir of the Bayerische Staatsoper

Yoel Gamzou: Conductor

Calixto Bieito: Staging

Ryan Speedo Green: Don Fernando

Tomasz Konieczny: Don Pizarro

Matthew Polenzani: Florestan

Camilla Nylund: Leonore

René Pape: Rocco

Mirjam Mesak: Marzelline

Samuel Stopford: Jaquino

Julie Adams: Gerhilde

Dafydd Jones: Ortlinde 1

Paweł Horodyski: Ortlinde 2

Fidelio is Beethoven’s only opera. At once a revolutionary work of art, an ode to faithful love and a dramatic utopia, the work fascinates by its universal scope and its ideal of justice and hope. Beethoven took almost nine years to complete the work. The plot is strikingly modern: to free her fiancé, unjustly imprisoned by Don Pizarro, Leonore disguises herself as a man called Fidelio. Spanish director Calixto Bieito has created a spectacular scenography based on this breathless plot: two large labyrinths move through the space, with the characters and musicians moving around until they become dizzy. We can count on the baton of the young Israeli-American conductor Yoel Gamzou to set this incandescent music alight. Here, the vocal cast wins everyone over: Matthew Polenzani, Camilla Nylund‘s Leonore promises to be dazzling, while René Pape‘s Rocco crowns a magnificent cast. Long live Beethoven!

At 6 pm, at the Prinzregententheater :

ALCINA, by G. F. Händel

Orchestra and Choir of the Bayerische Staatsoper   

Stefano Montanari: Conductor

Johanna Wehner: Staging

Jeanine De Bique: Alcina

John Holiday: Ruggiero

Jessica Niles: Morgana

Avery Amereau: Bradamente

Carine Tinney: Oberto  

Julian Prégardien: Oronte

Gerrit Illenberger: Melisso

Premiered in London in 1735, Alcina is a “marvellous” opera, full of the magical transformations and supernatural effects that baroque opera audiences loved. Handel offers each of the characters some of the most beautiful lyrical flights in his stage work. Munich Opera is staging a new production of this masterpiece of eighteenth-century opera, directed by Johanna Wehner, who brought Offenbach’s Fille du régiment to a brilliant conclusion at the same venue. Stefano Montanari, a brilliant Baroque violinist turned orchestral maestro, is to be commended as conductor, but Jeanine de Bique‘s Alcina is also a formidable event. This Baroque treasure trove unfolds here in optimal conditions…