Pierre Audi, General Director of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, has appointed Olivier Leymarie as Deputy General Director of the Festival. The news was announced after the deliberation of a jury chaired by Paul Hermelin, Chairman of the Festival’s Board of Directors, and including state and local authority representatives, as well as several qualified members of the Board. Leymarie will take up {…}
“Dignifed” is perhaps the best word to define Elīna Garanča and Malcolm Martineau’s recital. At a time when recitals have become more and more either causal occasions or rallies for a pressing cause, the Latvian mezzo-soprano reminds us of the ennobling power of music itself. Such elevation sentiment comes along with Garanča and Martineau’s fairly intellectual nature. This duo thinks {…}
Credit: Vincent Beaume When Pierre Audi, the director of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, announced that Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier would sing in a one-night-only concert version of “Otello,” tickets sold out in a minute. Even admittance for critics was scarce, and the festival gave seats out only when audience members turned in their tickets. Ill in London, Kaufmann canceled. This reviewer’s {…}
(Photo Credit: Monika Rittershaus) It is a minor cliché to stress how modernist avant la lettre George Büchner’s “Woyzeck” appears to be on a first reading. The play, written by a 22-year-old in 1836, reads today so close to its fellows in the early twentieth century that it seems only logical that the opera would come from the hands of {…}
The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has announced cast changes for “Idomeneo” and “Norma.” The festival noted that Anna Bonitatibus will replace Anna Stéphany as Idamante in the production of “Idomeneo.” Meanwhile, Amina Edris will sing the role of Adalgisa, replacing Nina Minasyan in a concert performance of “Norma.” Bonitatibus is known for her work in Handel and Rossini while Edris has performed {…}
The Festival Aix-en-Provence has reappointed its General Director. The organization noted that due to a proposal made by its President, Paul Hermelin during a meeting between the Festival’s Board of Directors on Nov. 16 in Aix-en-Provence, it decided to renew Pierre Audi’s mandate. The first mandate given to Pierre Audi in 2016 covered the five editions taking place between 2019 {…}
Photo credit: Toni Härkönen Festival Aix-en-Provence is set to live stream Kaija Saariaho and Sofi Oksanen’s new opera, “Innocence,” on July 10, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT on Arte Concert. The opera had its in-person world premiere at the Festival on July 3. Directed by Simon Stone, Saariaho and Oksanen’s opera presents the story of a fictional school shooting in {…}
On July 9, ARTE TV will stream Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” from the Festival Aix-en-Provence in France. The new production by Lotte de Beer marks stars Andrè Schuen as Figaro and Julie Fuchs as Susanna. The cast also includes Gyula Orendt as Il Conte di Almaviva, Jacquelyn Wagner as La Contessa Almaviva, and Lea Desandre as Cherubino. Thomas Hengelbrock {…}
(Credit: Palau de la Música Catalana official website) Famed Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has received an Honorary Knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music and to relations between the United Kingdom and Finland. “This is a true personal honor, but more than that, it is meaningful to have artists honored at a national – at a {…}
The Festival Aix-En-Provence has announced its 2021 season. The French festival will showcase Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and directed by Simon Stone. The production will star Stuart Skelton, Nina Stemme, Jamie Barton, Franz-Josef Selig, and Josef Wagner. Premiere Date: July 2, 2021 Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” will be conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock and directed by {…}
The Festival Aix-en-Provence has announced the first production of its 2021 season. The new production will feature Sir. Simon Rattle conducting the Wagner opera with a cast that includes Nina Stemme as Isolde and Stuart Skelton as Tristan as well as Jamie Barton, Franz-Josef Selig, and Josef Wagner. Simon Stone will conduct the production, which is also set to feature {…}