Robert Schumann / Bela Bartok / Alexander Zemlinsky | Women's love and death
Musikalische Leitung
Karina Canellakis
Sorry, there is no biography available at the moment.
Sängerin
Elsa Dreisig
Soprano
Birthplace:
Paris, France
Studies:
Vocal performance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater „Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ in Leipzig
Master classes:
with Lionel Sarrazin
International Opera Studio at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin (2015 – 2017)
Prizes:
Danish Crown Prince Couple's Cultural Award 2019, “Young Opera Artist of the Year” (Copenhagen Opera Festival, 2017), “Young Artist of the Year” (Opernwelt magazine, 2016), “Best Female Singer” (International Singing Competition “Operalia”, 2016), “Révélation artiste lyrique” (Victoires de la Musique Classique, 2016), “Prix du jeune soliste 2015 des radios francophones publiques”, 1st prize and Audience prize (“Neue Stimmen” der Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2015)
Important parts:
Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), Diane (Hippolyte et Aricie), Gretchen (Faust), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Musetta (La Bohème), Violetta (La Traviata), Natascha (Violetter Schnee), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Manon Lescaut (Manon), Micaëla (Carmen), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Elvira (I Puritani), Gilda (Rigoletto), Sifare (Mitridate)
Stages:
Staatsoper Hamburg, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Opéra de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André, Salzburger Festspiele, Lucerne Festival
Cooperations with directors:
Ivo van Hove, Christof Loy, Floris Visser, Laurent Pelly
Cooperations with conductors:
Daniel Barenboim, David Zinman, Sir Simon Rattle, Franz Welser-Möst, Massimo Zanetti, Fabio Luisi, Marc Minkowski
photo: Simon Fowler- Erato/Warner Classics
Blaubart
Johan Reuter
Sorry, there is no biography available at the moment.
Simone
Johan Reuter
Sorry, there is no biography available at the moment.
Judith
Annika Schlicht
mezzo-soprano
Birthplace:
Stuttgart, Germany
Studies:
Singing at Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ in Berlin with Prof. Renate Faltin
Master class:
with Julia Varady, KS Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, KS Deborah Polaski und Patricia McCaffrey
Prizes:
3rd prize at international Wilhelm Stenhammar Competition in Sweden (2016), 2nd prize at Anneliese Rothenberger Wettbewerb (2013), Grand Prix an several special prizes at Giulio Perotti Competition (2012), 3rd Liedpreis and Förderpreis des Bronnbach e.V. at DEBUT Wettbewerb (2012), scholarship holder of Liz-Mohn Kultur Stiftung, scholarship holder of Richard-Wagner-Verband
Important parts:
Adriano (Rienzi), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Olga (Eugen Onegin), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Auntie (Peter Grimes), Försterin (Das schlaue Füchslein), 1. Magd (Elektra), Page (Salome), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold, Götterdämmerung), Siegrune (Die Walküre), Contessa di Coigny (Andrea Chenier), Mercedes (Carmen), Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos), 2. Dame (Die Zauberflöte), u. a.
Stages:
Deutschen Oper Berlin, Deutschen Oper am Rhein, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera Bastille, Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Berlin, Bergen International Festival, Salzburger Festspiele u. a.
Cooperation with directors:
Harry Kupfer, Hans Neuenfels, Luc Bondy, Claus Guth, Dmitri Tcherniakov und Johannes Erath, u. a.
Cooperation with conductors:
Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Metha, Donald Runnicles, Alondra de la Parra, Enrique Mazzola, Asher Fisch, Edward Gardner, Ingo Metzmacher, Christopher Moulds, Stefan Soltesz, Sebastian Weigle, u. a.
photo: Simon Pauly
Bianca
Ambur Braid
Soprano
Renowned for her dramatically nuanced and psychologically complex interpretations, Canadian soprano Ambur Braid also brings to the stage an unmatchable authenticity and incandescent vocal power. Her Salome, Senta (Der fliegende Holländer), Die Färberin (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Eva (Schreker’s Irrelohe) and Rachel (Halévy’s La Juive) have left an unforgettable impression, and this season Braid makes her anticipated role debut as Marie (Wozzeck) in two new productions. Firstly for Opéra de Lyon in Richard Brunel’s new production under Daniele Rustioni, and thereafter for Canadian Opera Company in William Kentridge’s new production under Johannes Debus. Elsewhere Ambur makes her company debut at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía as Madame Lidoine in Robert Carsen’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites under Riccardo Minasi.
Praised as being “born to play Salome” (Bachtrack, 2023), it has since become a signature role for Braid, with huge critical acclaim in both Barrie Kosky’s production for Oper Frankfurt and Atom Egoyan’s production for Canadian Opera Company, the latter of which brought Ambur’s appearance in the film ‘Seven Veils’. Other notable role and company debuts include both Eva (Irrelohe) and Die Färberin (Die Frau ohne Schatten) under Daniele Rustioni for Opéra de Lyon, Senta (Der fliegende Holländer) in Herbert Fritsch’s production for Komische Oper, and Stephana in Umberto Giordano’s rarely performed Siberia for Bregenz Festival. A former ensemble member of Oper Frankfurt, selected recent highlights include Rachel in Tatjana Gürbaca’s new production of La Juive under Henrik Nanasi, Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos) under Thomas Guggeis, Chawa in Rudi Stephan's Die Ersten Menschen - a new production by Tobias Kratzer - conducted by Sebastian Weigle and recorded for CD release, as well as the eponymous roles of Norma under Erik Nielsen and Tosca conducted by Carlo Montanaro.
Recent concert highlights include Schmitt’s La Tragédie de Salomé with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Alain Altinoglu and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa. This season Braid returns to Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 at the Tanglewood Festival in Boston and with Gulbenkian Orchestra, both under Hannu Lintu.
Ambur Braid has received degrees from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and San Francisco Conservatory and is a studio alumna and former ensemble member of the Canadian Opera Company.
photo: Jennifer Toole
Pianist
Joseph Middleton
Sorry, there is no biography available at the moment.
Guido
Thomas Blondelle
Tenor
Thomas Blondelle, born in 1982 in Bruges/Belgium, began his vocal training at the age of 14 at the conservatory of his home town and later also studied piano, musicology, composition and chamber music here. He is a prize-winner: first prize at the 'Axion Classics' competition 2001, 2nd prize at the singing competition 'Prix Jâcques Dôme' in Verviers 2002, prize for "young promising singer" at the 'Viñas Competition' in Barcelona 2005, 2nd prize at the 'Concours Reine Eilisabeth' 2011, Palazetto Bru prize at the Belvedere Competition 2012.
After his first permanent engagement at the Staatstheater Braunschweig (2006 to 2009), the tenor has been a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2009, where he sang roles such as Tamino (DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE), Mercury (DIE LIEBE DER DANAE), Chevalier (DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES), Cassio (OTELLO), Macduff (MACBETH), Ismaele (NABUCCO), Walther (TANNHÄUSER), Prince (L'AMOUR DES TROIS ORANGES), Bob Boles (PETER GRIMES), Herod (SALOME), Don Ottavio (DON GIOVANNI), Pelleas (PELLEAS ET MELISANDE), Eisenstein (DIE FLEDERMAUS), Hexe (HÄNSEL UND GRETEL), Erik (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER) and David (DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG).
Guest engagements have taken him to the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Volksoper Wien, the Oper Frankfurt, the Semperoper Dresden, the Staatstheater Stuttgart, the Schleswig Holstein Musikfestival, the Saito Kinen Festival Japan, the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, the Théatre Royal de la Monnaie, the Opéra National du Rhinasbourg, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Cincinnati Opera and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Thomas Blondelle has worked with conductors such as Simon Rattle, Alan Gilbert, Marc Albrecht, Marco Armiliato, Maurizio Barbacini, Paolo Carignani, Alexander Joel, Michail Jurowski, Jiri Kout, Sigiswald Kuijken, Kent Nagano, Carlo Rizzi, Donald Runnicles, Ulf Schirmer, Michael Schønwandt, Steven Sloane, Kazuki Yamada, Lothar Zagrosek and Alan Gilbert.
photo: Simon Pauly
Orchester
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Orchestra
The Philharmonic State Orchestra is Hamburg’s largest and oldest orchestra, looking back on many years of musical history. When the “Philharmonic Orchestra” and the “Orchestra of the Hamburg Municipal Theatre” merged in 1934, two tradition-steeped orchestras combined. Philharmonic concerts have been performed in Hamburg since 1828, artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms being regular guests of the Philharmonic Society. The history of the opera company goes back even further: Hamburg has been home to musical theatre since 1678, even if a regular opera or theatre orchestra was only formed later. To this day, the Philharmonic State Orchestra has embodied the sound of the Hansa City, a concert and opera orchestra in one.
During its long history, the orchestra encountered great artist personalities. Apart from composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mahler, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, since the 20th century chief conductors such as Karl Muck, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher and Simone Young have shaped the orchestra’s sound. Renowned conductors of the pre-war era such as Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt gave brilliant performances, as did outstanding conductors of our times: suffice it to mention Christian Thielemann, Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Petrenko, Adam Fischer and Sir Roger Norrington.
Starting with the 2015/2016 season, Kent Nagano has taken on the position of Hamburg’s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera and since June 2023 also its honorary conductor. In his first season Kent Nagano initiated a new project, the Philharmonic Academy, focusing on experimentation and chamber music. In 2016, Nagano and the Philharmonic toured South America, followed by concert tours to Spain and Japan in 2019, and in the spring of 2023, the Philharmonic State Orchestra made its debut at New York's Carnegie Hall under his direction, which was acclaimed by audiences and the press. Since 2017 Kent Nagano and the Philharmonic State Orchestra have continued the traditional Philharmonic Concerts at the new Elbphilharmonie, for which they commissioned Jörg Widmann to compose the oratorio ARCHE, which was given its world premiere during the hall’s opening festivities. The concert recording has been released by ECM, for which Widmann received the OPUS KLASSIK as Composer of the Year 2019, and ARCHE was performed again in 2023 to great acclaim.
The Philharmonic State Orchestra offers approximately 35 concerts per season and performs more than 240 performances per year at the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, making it Hamburg’s busiest orchestra. The stylistic bandwidth covered by the 140 musicians, ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary works and including concert, opera and ballet repertoire, is unique throughout Germany. Chamber Music has a long tradition at the Philharmonic State Orchestra: what began in 1929 with a concert series for chamber orchestra has been continued since 1968 by a series of chamber music only.
In 2008 Simone Young and the Philharmonic State Orchestra won the Brahms Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society. The orchestra has recorded the complete Ring by Wagner as well as the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – the latter in the rarely-performed original versions – as well as works by Mahler, Hindemith and Berg, and has released DVDs of opera and ballet productions by Hosokawa, Offenbach, Reimann, Auerbach, J.S. Bach, Puccini, Poulenc and Weber.
The members of the Philharmonic State Orchestra feel equally beholden to Hamburg’s musical tradition and responsible for the city’s artistic future. Since 1978 the musicians have been participating in education programmes in Hamburg’s schools. Today, the orchestra maintains a broad education programme, including school and kindergarten visits, patronage for music projects, introductory events for children and family concerts. The orchestra’s own academy prepares young musicians for their professional careers. The Philharmonic’s musicians thereby make an equally enjoyable and valuable contribution to tomorrow’s music education in the music metropolis of Hamburg.
photo: Foto: Felix Broede