Mezzo-Soprano

Two compelling works from contrasting worlds: With lightness, elegance and wit, infused with Spanish rhythms, Manuel de Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat tells of a young wife who fends off the advances of a provincial governor. Leoš Janáček’s rhapsody Taras Bulba, by contrast, unfolds with elemental power, portraying the fate of a Ukrainian Cossack leader who loses first his two sons and then his own life in the struggle against Polish occupiers. Sir Simon Rattle, former Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, also leads the world premiere of a concerto written by Cathy Milliken for our cor anglais player, Dominik Wollenweber.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts de Falla, Janáček and a World Premiere

Berliner Philharmoniker

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Gabriel Fauré. In his day, he was a highly estimated composer of Kunstlieder (art songs) and chamber music, as well as being the Director of the Conservatoire de Paris. His works can now be found in larger instrumentation arrangements on international programmes, and his Requiem in particular. His only opera, Pénélope, will now be performed for the first time at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The plot follows the final chants from Homer’s Odyssey, now a proverb as the eponymous hero’s years of wandering to reach his homeland, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. The opera revolves around his wife, Pénélope, who for years has successfully fought off the machinations of power-hungry men, who seek to usurp the throne of her given up for lost husband, Odysseus. With chamber musical transparency and the use of key themes inspired by Richard Wagner, the composer created a score in which the orchestra is applied thoroughly symphonically, where the human voice’s lyrical melodic expression and comprehensibility of text are front and centre. Director Andrea Breth addresses the question as to whether a reuniting of the regal couple, Pénélope and Odysseus (Ulysses), after years of separation can run harmoniously or must also endure disaffection and alienation.

Pénélope

Prinzregententheater

EPSG:4326

Sir Simon Rattle & Katia und Marielle Labèque

Joseph-Keilberth-Saal

Munich Residence

When composer Alban Berg saw Georg Büchner’s fragmentary theatre text performed in 1914, it inspired him to create an absolute masterpiece. Raw and unfiltered, Wozzeck shows us the dehumanization of a vulnerable individual who craves recognition and connection but is systematically rejected and abused.

Wozzeck

La Monnaie - De Munt

16 hours of drama, intrigues, passion and destruction, all wrapped into four not exactly short operas. A monumental achievement – not only for the gods and heroes on stage and the huge orchestra, but also for the audience: there are many who capitulate in the face of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen – thus losing out on a great experience. Which brings us to Lorin Maazel’s Ring without Words – a good entry point for hesitant listeners, but also a highlight for dyed-in-the-wool Wagner fans: without changing a single note of Wagner’s original scores, Maazel distilled a symphonic poem of approximately 70 minutes out of Wagner’s sprawling epos. Miraculously, the magic of the story about all-conquering fate is as effective without heroic tenors. From the mysterious rippling of the River Rhine to the entrance of the gods in Valhalla, from the Ride of the Valkyries to the magical fire, the score is full of unsurpassable orchestral hits.

Addictive Sounds

Cologne Philharmonie

Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs turns the orchestra into a jazz band that gets out of control. Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham sings the theatrical Folk Songs of Berio in nine languages and dialects. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony never ceases to shatter the heart, from its rattling opening to the victorious finale. Don’t miss this spectacle of words and sounds from faraway places, and the most famous four opening notes that forever changed the music world—all on one stage with your New Bedford Symphony.

Mezzo-Soprano

Rinat Shaham

Events

Upcoming events

8 - 22 Nov, 2026

Wozzeck · La Monnaie / De Munt

11 - 13 Apr, 2027

Addictive Sounds · Gürzenich-Orchester Köln

May 15, 2027

Season Finale: The B-Side · New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

Past events

17 - 19 Sep, 2026

Sir Simon Rattle conducts de Falla, Janáček and a World Premiere · Berliner Philharmoniker

18 - 29 Jul, 2025

Pénélope · Bayerische Staatsoper

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in Folk Songs by Berio

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

Margaret in Wozzeck by Berg

La Monnaie / De Munt

Singer in El sombrero de tres picos by Falla

Berliner Philharmoniker

Singer in Wesendonck-Lieder by Wagner

Gürzenich-Orchester Köln

About

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