At 7pm, at the NationaTheater :

MACBETH, by G. Verdi

Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

Andrea Battistoni : Conductor

Martin Kušej : Staging

Gerald Finley : Macbeth

Roberto Tagliavini : Banquo

Asmik Grigorian : Lady Macbeth

Nontobeko Bhengu : Follower of Lady Macbeth

SeokJong Baek : Macduff

Martin Snell : Arzt

Christian Rieger : A Servant

Christian Rieger : A Sicary

Bruno Khouri : Apparition 1

Iana Aivazian : Apparition 2

Granit Musliu : Malcolm

This is a shock production! In this Macbeth, director Martin Kušej creates images of startling power, perfectly in tune with the Shakespearean plot. Verdi’s opera is as much a Greek tragedy as a supernatural thriller. Following divine intervention, an individual is driven to a life of crime and madness. Verdi’s music brings to this descent into hell an indescribable feverishness in which the most human feelings are portrayed with force and subtlety. Neither excessive nor fantastic, the evening promises a performance of marvellous intensity. For this revival, Andrea Battistoni, the new conductor of Turin’s prestigious Teatro Regio, deserves a special mention. Among the male roles, Canada’s Gerald Finley makes a remarkable Macbeth, but Kušej’s staging, like Verdi’s music, focuses on the character of Lady Macbeth. In Munich, we will hear nothing less than one of the most sensational singers of our time: Asmik Grigorian, a torrential soprano with an exceptional stage temperament.

At 7pm, at the NationaTheater :

TURANDOT, by G. Puccini

Bayerische Staatsoper Orchestra

Choir, extra choir and children’s choir of the Bayerische Staastoper

Zubin Mehta : Conductor

Carlus Padrissa : Staging

Sondra Radvanovsky : Turandot

Kevin Conners : Altoum

Christian Van Horn : Timur

Yonghoon Lee : Calaf

Golda Schultz : Liù

Vitor Bispo : Ping

Tansel Akzeybek : Pang

Bálint Szabó : A mandarin

Samuel Stopford  : Pong

Samuel Stopford : Persian Prince

Since its posthumous premiere in 1926, Turandot has never ceased to fascinate opera lovers. Who really is this ruthless princess, who will offer her hand in marriage to the man who solves her three riddles? A terrible Empress of China, who has no qualms about killing her unfortunate suitors with unparalleled rigour! And who is Calaf, who falls under Turandot’s spell but wins the heart of the cruel regent? Inspired by Carlo Gozzi’s original play, Puccini achieved prodigies of orchestration and suspended arias such as the famous ‘Nessun Dorma’. Founder of the famous La Fura dels Baus collective, Carlus Padrissa imagines the action of Turandot in an imaginary future. The use of spectacular videos allows for prodigious visual effects, while respecting the legibility of the story.

In addition to Golda Schultz‘s delightful Liù, the immense Sondra Radvanovsky will be heard in the role of the imperious Empress, a soprano of dizzying power. In the pit we find none other than a conducting legend: Zubin Mehta. The Indian conductor is also the author of the reference version of Turandot on disc.

At 5pm, at the NationaTheater :

THE VALKYRIE, by R. Wagner

Bayerische Staatsoper Orchestra

Vladimir Jurowski : Conductor

Tobias Kratzer : Staging

Joachim Bäckström : Siegmund

Ain Anger : Hunding

Nicholas Brownlee : Wotan

Irene Roberts : Sieglinde

Miina-Liisa Värelä : Brünnhilde

Ekaterina Gubanova : Fricka

Dorothea Herbert : Helmwige

Julie Adams : Gerhilde

Elene Gvritishvili : Ortlinde

Claudia Mahnke : Waltraute

Niina Keitel : Siegrune

Christina Bock : Roßweiße

Natalie Lewis : Grimgerde

Noa Beinart  : Schwertleite

Richard Wagner spent more than twenty-five years writing The Ring of the Nibelung. The second part of this Tetralogy, The Valkyrie completely reshuffles the cards and the stakes of the first episode, The Rhine Gold. n the fabulous family dynasty imagined by Wagner, new characters emerge, dependent on the mistakes and failings of their elders. Among the great moments of the score are, of course, the famous ‘Ride of the Valkyries’, or the deeply moving scene of Wotan’s farewell to his daughter. One of the highlights of this new Bavarian Ring is the Munich Opera’s choice of Tobias Kratzer. The German director, who is also to become General Director of Hamburg Opera, has already triumphed in the Wagnerian temple of Bayreuth Leading an excellent cast featuring the great Ekaterina Gubanova, conductor Vladimir Jurowski is also following in the footsteps of the greats, notably his predecessor Kirill Petrenko as Music Director of the Munich Opera. An evening of anthology..