"Oh music, I thank you!" is the title of the concert which will take place at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on 25. March 2010, to mark Elena Matusovskaya’s anniversary.
Anna Netrebko was Mimi, Sergei Semishkur was Rodolfo, Karina Chepurnova was Musetta, Vasily Gerello was Marcello, Vladimir Samsonov was Schaunard and Ilya Bannik was Colline. The proudction was by Ian Judge. Mikhail Agrest conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater.
Anna Netrebko made her debut as Mimi on 3. Jan 2006 in an unforgettable performance of the same Ian Judge's production of La Bohème at the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg, with Rolando Villazón making her debut at the Mariinsky as Rodolfo and Valery Gergiev conducting the Chorus and Orchestra Mariinsky Theatre, being also his debut conducting La Bohème.
Since then, Anna Netrebko has been singing the role of Mimi in the same Ian Judge's production at the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg on 23. Mar 2007, 29. Feb 2008 and 21. Jan 2010, all of them with Sergei Semishkur as Rodolfo and conducted by Mikhail Agrest.
Photos
Mikhail Agrest, Vladimir Samsonov, Anna Netrebko, Sergei Semishkur, Karina Chepurnova, Vasily Gerello and Ilya Bannik at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko, Sergei Semishkur and Karina Chepurnova at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Vladimir Samsonov, Anna Netrebko, Mikhail Agrest, Sergei Semishkur, Karina Chepurnova, Vasily Gerello and Ilya Bannik at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko, Mikhail Agrest and Sergei Semishkur at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Mikhail Agrest at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Mikhail Agrest at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Mikhail Agrest at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Vladimir Samsonov at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Vladimir Samsonov at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko and Vladimir Samsonov at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Anna Netrebko at the final curtain call. La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010. Photo: Olga
Videoclips Anna Netebko (Mimi), Sergei Semishkur (Rodolfo), La Bohème, Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg 21. Jan 2010
The programme includes scenes from Iolanta, The Queen of Spades and Mazeppa. Tickets range from US$ 29 to US$ 150. The principal casts are:
IOLANTA Iolanta: Anna Netrebko Robert: Alexei Markov Count Vaudémont: Sergei Skorokhodov
THE QUEEN OF SPADES Prilepa: Irina Mataeva Zlatogor: Edem Umerov Milovzor: Zlata Bulycheva
MAZEPPA Mazeppa: Edem Umerov Maria: Victoria Yastrebova Lyubov: Elena Vitman Kochubey: Mikhail Kit Iskra: Dmitri Voropaev Drunk Cossack: Nikolay Gassiev
The role of Rodolfo will be sung by Peter Lodahl. The rest of the cast is Palle Knudsen as Marcello, Gisela Stille as Musetta, Thomas Storm as Schaunard, Johan Reuter as Colline, Mogens Gert Hansen as Benoit and Jens Bruno Hansen as Alcindoro. The production is by Mikael Melbye.
Tickets will be available on 21. June 2010 at 10:00 AM. Ticket prices range from 150 to 1190 KR.
The first part of the programme included arias and duets by Wagner, Strauss, Gounod and Leoncavallo and orchestral works by Rossini, Berlioz and Leoncavallo. The second part included arias and duets by Arditi, Verdi, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky and orchestral works by Verdi and Tchaikovsky. A slight change in the second part of the programme was made with respect to the announced and printed one, starting with Arditi's "Il Bacio" followed by the Overure of Verdi's "La forza del destino". Two encores were given. Anna sang "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from Lehar's Giuditta and Dmitri sang the Russian folk song Russian folk song: "Ochi chornyje" (Dark Eyes).
The accoustic of the Royal Festival Hall was very good. Anna and Dmitri sang together only twice, the duet of Nedda and Silvio from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and the final duet scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, being the two highlights of the concert. Aside of the duets, anothers highlights of the performance were when Anna drove us, once again, to the heaven singing "O silver moon", from Dvorak's Rusalka and Dmitri sang the Yelensky's aria from Tcahikovsky's The Queen of Spades. The concert ended with almost everyone in the Hall standing up and applauding for several minutes.
Programme Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky Royal Festival Hall, London 18. Jan 2010
1. PART Gioachino Rossini: Overture, William Tell Richard Wagner: O Du, Mein Holder Abendstern (Song to the evening star), Tannhauser, Act 3 - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Richard Strauss: Cäcilie, Op.27 No.2 - Anna Netrebko Hector Berlioz: Rakoczi March, The Damnation of Faust Charles Gounod: Avant de quitter ces lieux, Faust - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Charles Gounod: Jewel Song (Ah, je ris), Faust - Anna Netrebko Ruggiero Leoncavallo: Intermezzo, Pagliacci Ruggiero Leoncavallo: Nedda! Silvio, a quest'ora (Duet), Pagliacci - Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
2. PART Luigi Arditi: Il Bacio - Anna Netrebko Giuseppe Verdi: Overture, La forza del destino Giuseppe Verdi: Cortigiani, vil razza dannata, Rigoletto - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Antonin Dvorak: O silver moon, Rusalka - Anna Netrebko Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Yelensky's Aria, The Queen of Spades - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Polonaise, Eugene Onegin Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Final scene, Eugene Onegin - Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Encores Franz Lehar: "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" - Giuditta - Anna Netrebko Russian folk song: "Ochi chornyje" (Dark eyes) - Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Anna Netrebko, soprano Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone Lawrence Foster, conductor Philharmonia Orchestra
Attila's Corner Our blog friend Attila, who has been regularly contributing to the blog with wonderful reviews, attended the concert. I got the opportunity and the pleasure to meet him at the stage door after the performance. Here it is, under the new section labeled "Attila's Corner", the review that he has kindly written for the blog:
I don't remember seeing such an international crowd at the Royal Festival Hall - most of the audience seemed to be Russians taking a break from their shopping trips. The relatively low cost of the tickets (a quarter of the price of Hamburg for example) must have attracted a lot of Europeans who can pay for the whole trip to London for less than the price of a local ticket.
Seeing Anna this evening I have finally come to the (obvious) conclusion that she is a different creature in the opera house from the one that appears in concert. On the stage she is intense and scarily dark, almost shamanistic - connecting inside herself with something almost disturbing. In the concert hall she is a creature of joy and light, wanting to keep the audience happy and laughing. This makies for a completely different experience.
This evening was about showbiz and glamour with Anna and Dimitri almost playing a sort of hard-cop soft-cop act. His arias were dark and broody, and a chance to show off his amazing breath technique with some beautiful crescendos on the climactic notes. Her arias were mostly the light seductive ones we have become familiar with from her concerts, touching on the dramatic only in her the duets.
The Philharmonia played really well with most of the orchestral interludes tastefully programmed to connect with the arias that followed.
Dimitri was the first to appear, looking like a rock star in black tie and cuban heels - finishing every aria with a huge smile, He sang Wolfram's aria with his usual wonderful open throated purring tone.
Anna followed looking very glamourous, with a green (emerald?) ring that was as big as an egg, in what looked like a new dress, off the shoulder - very sexy. Cäcilie is one of Anna's favourites. She delivered it energetically with blooming top notes (slightly pushed) - but maybe sung a little less precisely than I have heard her sing it before.
Dimitri sung his aria from the Faust sequence with real bravura - wonderful strength, and very nice crescendos on the big notes. Anna followed with the Jewel song, again it was full of youth and vitality but for me lacked the necessary precision.
The Pagliacci duet was much better, with Anna floating the sound, and getting more into the words. The two of them creating a wonderful intimacy.
Anna walked on for the second half in a very glamourous pink evening gown - which got a gasp from the audience, She placed Arditi's "Il bacio" ahead of the announced Forza del Destino overture presumably to begin with something light. Again it was a performance based around the high "money" notes, and maybe lacking her usual precision in the lower voice.
But it was the last few numbers that really raised the level of the evening. Anna sang Rusalka's mournful aria with the wonderful melting tone that is her hallmark and with a wonderful finish.
This was followed by the real singing lesson of the evening - Dimitri singing Yeletsky's aria. Hvorostovsky performances of this aria must be one of the best pieces of singing in the world today. Last year, he almost stole the Met Centennial Gala with it, and there can be no better example today of an artist at the top of his art than this; stylish, precise, emotionally intense.
The highlight of the evening was the last item - the final scene from Eugene Onegin. Anna re-entered the stage in full character, and suddenly we saw what we had been missing until now; that intense inward character portrayal, the masterful colouring of words. We had a pause from opera as circus, and returned to opera as intense emotional drama. Everything about her singing was better including the vocal placement in the lower voice. She says the role is not for her voice, but I can't wait for her to eventually do the full opera at the Met. Something happens to her singing that's almost transcendental when she stops focusing on the audience and goes into her own internal space.
There were just two encores, Anna led with another of her old favourites, Meine Lippen sie küssen so heiss - very seductive and she almost set the stage on fire when she went off into a wild dance behind the orchestra. Maybe she should try Salome!
And Dimitri finally softened his macho toughness with "Ochi chornyje" (Dark eyes). It seemed unbelievable that they didn't come back to do some more encores!
Afterwards Anna was on her own at the artists' entrance tirelessly hugging everyone and letting them take photos with her, she looked fantastic in a wonderful red velvet dress. All this joy must be exhausting for her.
Deutsche Grammophon website announces the schedule of two new recitals of Anna Netrebko with Elena Bashkirova at the piano. The first one will take place in Moscow on 23. March 2010 and the second one in St. Petersburg on 26. March 2010. Following these two recitals in Russia, Anna will give a recital in Berlin with Daniel Barenboim at the piano during the Festtage 2010 on 29. March 2010.
Anna Netrebko was the invited guest of Viktor Topaller's show on the RTVi Russian TV channel for the last transmission of the year 2009. The interview was recorded in New York. Here it is the full interview, splitted in 6 videoclips, uploaded to YouTube by lekutski.
Our blog friend Violeta has kindly made an english translation of the interview for the blog. Here they are some excerpts.
Talking about the outstanding Willy Decker's production of Verdi's La Traviata, Anna says "This production was quite special. We were preparing it for 6 weeks. This is a very long period. We were working very seriously. Willy Decker is a director whom I trusted from the very beginning. I used to do everything he asked me to do. This seldom happens".
Anna confirmed that she will sing the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena next year: "Next year I’ll sing Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. It’s a very interesting and very difficult role. I have to be a Queen. I have to study the story, who’s who. I have only watched a film about the Tudors. I liked it".
Anna is scheduled to sing Tatiana of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Met in two years time. "Well, I don’t know why I agreed to sing Onegin after two years. I was asked to do it. It’s a new role". And added "Well, it’s not for my voice. But we’ll do something after two years".
Anna made her Met debut in 2002 as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace. "Debut at the Metropolitan Opera is always a very important event in the life of every singer. Of course, it was something very special all the more that it was in War and Peace. This role has everything – wonderful music, wonderful character. It’s probably one of my favorite roles. Probably, that’s why I was noticed".
The same year Anna sang the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Salzburger Festspiele. She said that nobody believed in the final result. "No one believed. I didn’t believe. My friends, my colleagues, my teachers didn’t believe. Donna Anna requires another type of voice. Everyone asked me: why are you singing it? I answered: I don’t know, I was asked. I’ll make an audition. Harnoncourt is searching a singer for Donna Anna since 5 years and cannot find one. I entered the audition, sang two phrases and he said: OK, we’ll work. This was a great surprise for me".
Anna is a person who loves to take risks. "I can’t say I love risks or love to play with the fate, but if you want to go on the stage in front of thousands of people you must have strong character. It’s especially very important for the performances that are broadcast live to movie theaters and millions of people watch them and the camera is so close to your face. It’s so threatening. You must have nerves of steel". And yes, sure, Anna has nerves of steel.
Anna keeps the friends she had in her childhood. "All friends that I had in my childhood are still with me. Every time when I come back to Krasnodar, unfortunately this rarely happens, they all come to see me the same day. They also visit me frequently. I invite my friends to visit me during my travelling in different countries. Yes, t’s very important for me to see them. Nor time, nor changes in personal life distroyed our relations. This is very important for me".
Talking about her life Anna says "I don’t want to complain. Of course, I have a wonderful life. Of course, I have an interesting life. On the first place, because I love my work, I consider this happiness. I live with people who I love and who love me. This is very important. Everything else is difficult of course. Of course, I need to work, I need to give everything of me if I want to have good results, if I want to stay at the top. Opera singer’s life is difficult, because performances are live, we never sing using microphones, no one cover us. Many times I’m forced to sing ill, because cancellations are a disaster and bring serious consequences. It’s easier for me to sing ill than cancel".
Anna had planned to do a photo session for Playboy. "You know, I really had to do a photosession for Playboy, but not naked. Not only naked photos are made for Playboy. You may do a wonderful sexy photo even when you are dressed or almost dressed. But when everything was ready I get pregnant". Nevertheless, apparently, Erwin does not like very much such kind of photos. "Yes, my husband is very strict. He didn’t like my photos in InStyle Magazine where I’m neglige. He scolded me and said: You must not do this". Anna says that Erwin is "too much" jealous, while she also admits she is jealous too.
Talking about Tiago, Anna says that "He is a quiet boy. We call him Tisha (тихо means quiet). He is a quiet and cute boy. All the time he smiles and reads books". Anna says that they read books in Russian "I don’t have time to teach him. But of course we read books, he loves Russian books. You know what? He’s in love with “Cheburashka” and “Ghena the crocodile” (famous Russian cartoons). If he starts watching these cartoons he stays still at his place until all 4 parts finish. Cheburashka is his favourite character".
Anna does not like receiving presents from her fans. "I have already tell this story: When I was a student at the Conservatory, one of my fans made me a present – boots. There was nothing to wear - poor and hungry years. Thanks God I didn’t put them on, because when I said “No” to this fan, he took back these boots. Since this moment I decided to never receive anything from anyone. Because if you do it you feel oblidged all the time. I don’t want to be oblidged to anyone. If I like something I buy it by myself. Or I do not buy it if I do not have money. So, if I have enough money - I go to Bergdorf, if I don’t have money - I go to TJMax and buy many wonderful things but more cheaper".
Anna Netrebko was back in St. Petersburg to sing in a performance of Puccini's La Bohème at the Mariinsky Theater on 21. January 2010.
Finally Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky gave their very much eagerly awaited concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London on Monday 18. January 2010.
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Deutsche Grammophon website announces the schedule of two new recitals of Anna Netrebko with Elena Bashkirova at the piano. The first one will take place in Moscow on 23. March 2010 and the second one in St. Petersburg on 26. March 2010. Following these two recitals in Russia, Anna will give a recital in Berlin with Daniel Barenboim at the piano during the Festtage 2010 on 29. March 2010.