Austria Vienna State Opera’s Opern Air: Soloists, Vienna State Opera Refrain and Orchestra / Bertrand de Billy (conductor). Broadcast stay (directed by Dominik Kepczynski) from the Burggarten, Vienna, 7.12.2025 and accessible from 18 September on arte.television. (JPr)
We study from the Vienna State Opera’s web site how ‘2025 is a crucial 12 months for Austria. It marks the eightieth anniversary of the liberation from Nationwide Socialism and the institution of the Second Republic, and we’re additionally celebrating 70 years of the State Treaty. however 1945 and 1955 are additionally essential dates within the historical past of the Vienna State Opera: On March 12, 1945, bombs hit the constructing on the Ring, massive elements burned out and it took 24 hours to extinguish the hearth. Simply two months after the destruction, emergency inventive operations have been made potential within the Volksoper and later additionally within the Theater an der Wien. In the meantime, the Haus am Ring was rebuilt. The events within the provisional authorities of 1945 … unanimously supported the reconstruction plan. The ceremonial reopening came about on November 5, 1955. After a ceremony within the morning with plenty of politics, Beethoven’s Fidelio, “the” opera about unjust rule and liberation via love, was carried out within the night. And the efficiency turned a logo of a brand new Austria.’
Quick-forward to 2025 and ‘in remembrance of the years 1945 and 1955’ there was a big, free open-air live performance which drew hundreds – many picnicking – to the Burggarten, well-known for its Mozart statue. Launched by journalist and TV presenter Barbara Rett and Vienna State Opera’s Basic Director Dr Bogdan Roščić, they seemed backed at these occasions and likewise celebrated the present achievements of the Vienna State Opera by reflecting on its current and future. It was additionally a chance to proceed to broaden the enchantment of the venerable establishment by performing for some who’ve by no means set foot within the opera home or might even know little about opera. To be sincere the Vienna State Opera has at all times been fairly democratic. I noticed many operas in my youth from the Parterre Stehplatz (standing room) centrally on the rear of stalls with the nice(er) and good(er) in entrance or within the packing containers to both facet.
It was an eclectic number of musical objects designed to focus on – soloists however – the excellent musicians of the orchestra (members of the Vienna Philharmonic in fact), the superb refrain and the proficient members of the Opera Studio and Opera College. Sickness on the day robbed the occasion of considered one of its star sights, Sonya Yoncheva, however she was changed by Camilla Nylund, welcomed as ‘one of many best sopranos of her time’ and it was attention-grabbing to listen to a few of her Brϋnnhilde break via into Puccini’s ‘Visse d’arte’ which had larger defiance than some even carry to it. Later there was a task debut as Gretel – and by no means to be repeated I’m sure – when she joined Elīna Garanča within the pleasant Abendsegen (Night Prayer) from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.
Although Yoncheva’s late withdrawal was a disappointment there was a lot spending singing from the opposite soloists and college students headlined by Garanča, Nylund and Jonas Kaufmann. The at all times dependable refrain sang with verve and enthusiasm whether or not welcoming visitors (Tannhäuser), with the participating kids of the Opera College in greeting the toreadors (Carmen) or as sailors (Der fliegende Holländer) and partygoers (Die Fledermaus). Betrand de Billy carried out with indefatigable power and apparent pleasure all of the totally different kinds and moods of the music within the programme and he was splendidly supported by the orchestra led by Manfred Honeck. Notably this was when the main target was purely on them for the overture from Mozart’s Le nozze do Figaro (although maybe missing some ebullience on this event) and Wagner’s ‘Trip of the Valkyries’ which was suitably thunderous. Elsewhere there have been fantastic solo contributions and sometimes unified heat string sound and glowing brass.
Benjamin Bernheim is the epitome of favor and a worthy successor to tenors of the previous similar to Alfredo Kraus and Nicolai Gedda (each of whom I heard stay) and Bernheim’s singing is characterised by related great thing about tone and beautiful vocal management. This was proven at its finest in ‘Ah! Iève-toi soleil!’ (from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette) and ‘Je crois entendre encore’ (Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles) and the Act III duet with Sandra Hamaoui of renewed ardour and anxiousness for the long run from Massenet’s Manon. Elīna Garanča inhabits all the pieces she sings whether or not in live performance or on the stage and using her exceptional mezzo-soprano voice from its smoky depths to clarion high she sang very good heartfelt renditions of arias of unrequited love from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur and deep despair and remorse from Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust. Jonas Kaufmann seemed and sounded nearly as good as he has for years. There’s at all times that acquainted baritonal grounding to his tenor voice however there was easy expression and no lack of lyrical magnificence in one other aria of affection and want from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, the bittersweet farewell to Tosca of ‘E lucevan le stelle’ and the declaration of tolerating friendship within the combat for liberty that was the Don Carlo Act II duet sung with the characterful baritone of Boris Pinkhasovich.
A lot enjoyable was had by all as most of the forged with glasses in hand (Kaufmann had a bottle!) returned to the platform for Elīna Garanča to guide everybody within the exuberant Champagne Refrain from Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus which despatched the gang away completely satisfied after a night of largely pleasure and hope, although with its occasional reflective moments.
Jim Pritchard
Featured Picture: Vienna State Opera’s Opern Air within the Burggarten © WS/Michael Pöhn
Forged – Camilla Nylund, Sandra Hamaoui, Ilia Staple, Hannah-Theres Weigl, Jenni Hietala (sopranos), Elīna Garanča, Daria Sushkova, Anita Monserrat (mezzo-sopranos), Benjamin Bernheim, Jonas Kaufmann, Jörg Schneider, Andrei Maksimov (tenors), Boris Pinkhasovich, Clemens Unterreiner, Hans Peter Kammerer (baritones), Dan Paul Dumitrescu (bass)
Programme –
Refrain of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Entry of the Company’ (Wagner, Tannhäuser)
Jonas Kaufmann – ‘Cielo e mar’ (Ponchielli, La Gioconda)
Elīna Garanča – ‘Acerba voluttà’ (Cilea, Adriana Lecouvreur)
Benjamin Bernheim, Sandra Hamaoui – ‘Toi! Vous! … Oui… c’est moi’ (Massenet, Manon)
Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera – Overture, Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro
Opera Studio of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Soave sia il vento’ (Mozart, Così fan tutte)
Opera College of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Avec la garde montante’ (Bizet, Carmen)
Refrain of the Vienna State Opera, Opera College of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Les voici! Les voici!’ (Bizet, Carmen)
Jonas Kaufmann, Boris Pinkhasovich, Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Refrain of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Dio che nell’alma infondere’ (Verdi, Don Carlo)
Refrain of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Sailors’ Refrain’ (Wagner, Der fliegende Holländer)
Benjamin Bernheim – ‘Ah! Iève-toi soleil!’ (Gounod, Roméo et Juliette)
Elīna Garanča – ‘D’amour l’ardente flamme’ (Berlioz, La Damnation de Faust)
Camilla Nylund – ‘Vissi d’arte’ (Puccini, Tosca)
Ensemble, Refrain of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Brüderlein und Schwesterlein’ (J Strauss II, Die Fledermaus)
Benjamin Bernheim – ‘Je crois entendre encore’ (Bizet, Les Pêcheurs de perles)
Jonas Kaufmann – ‘E lucevan le stelle’ (Puccini, Tosca)
Elīna Garanča, Camilla Nylund – ‘Night Prayer’ (Humperdinck, Hänsel und Gretel)
Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Trip of the Valkyries’ (Wagner, Die Walküre)
Elīna Garanča, Jonas Kaufmann, Benjamin Bernheim, Camilla Nylund, Boris Pinkhasovich, Refrain of the Vienna State Opera – ‘Im Feuerstrom der Reben’ (J Strauss II, Die Fledermaus)
