Anna Netrebko in a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni opens the Scala's 2011/2012 Season

A new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, directed by Robert Carsen, conducted by Daniel Barenboim and featuring a cast of stars, opens the 2011/2012 Season at the Teatro alla Scala in Milano on 7. December 2011.

Anna Netrebko makes her role debut at la Scala as Donna Anna, one of her signature roles that has previously sung at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg (2002), Salzburger Festspiele in Salzburg (2002, 2003), Royal Opera House, London (2003), Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (2003), Wiener Staatsoper, Wien (2004), Met Tour to Japan, Kobe and Tokyo (2006), Royal Opera House, London (2007), Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg (2007) and Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich (2011).

A Preview dedicated to young people will be performed on 4. December.

Don Giovanni's pre-dress rehearsal has been performed tonight at 6 pm. Daniel Barenboim has conducted new Robert Carsen's staging, with Peter Mattei, Kwangchul Youn, Anna Netrebko, Giuseppe Filianoti, Barbara Frittoli, Bryn Terfel, Anna Prohaska and Štefan Kocán.

BROADCASTS
The Premiere will be broadcasted live on TV (Rai5) and on the radio (Rai Radio3). Pre-recorded broadcasts will be replayed on Sky Classica (in clear), on Arte-ZDF, and on TV Kultura in Russia (live). The performance will be projected live in Milan on a big screen in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in 3 theatres (Atir Teatro Ringhiera, Auditorium Cam zona 3 and Teatro della cooperativa), in the prisons of San Vittore and Bollate as well as in more than 500 cinemas in Italy and all over the world.

DON GIOVANNI
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

New Teatro alla Scala Production
From 7 December 2011 to 14 January 2012
Running Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Sung in Italian with electronic libretto in Italian, English

DIRECTION
Conductor: Daniel Barenboim/Karl Heinz Steffens (January 2012)
Staging: Robert Carsen
Sets: Michael Levine
Costumes: Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lights: Robert Carsen and Peter Van Praet
Choreography: Philippe Giraudeau

CAST
Don Giovanni: Peter Mattei (7, 10, 13, 23, 28 December; 4, 8, 12, 14 January), Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (16, 20 December)
Il Commendatore: Kwangchul Youn (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 December),  Alexander Tsymbalyuk (4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Donna Anna: Anna Netrebko (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23 December), Tamar Iveri (28 December; 4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Don Ottavio: Giuseppe Filianoti (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 December), John Osborn (4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Donna Elvira: Barbara Frittoli (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 December),  Maria Agresta (4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Leporello: Bryn Terfel (7, 10, 13, 16, 20 December), Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (23, 28 December; 4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Zerlina: Anna Prohaska (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 December), Ekaterina Sadovnikova (4, 8, 12, 14 January)
Masetto: Štefan Kocán (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 23, 28 December), Kostas Smoriginas (4, 8, 12, 14 January)

SYNOPSIS
Synopsis in english

PHOTOS
Backstage photos from la Scala

Claus Guth's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Berliner Staatsoper in Jun/Jul 2012

Berliner Staatsoper has decided to stage Claus Guth's famous Salzburg production of Mozart's masterpiece Don Giovanni in June/July 2012, instead of the initially announced Teatro alla Scala's co-production directed by Robert Carsen.

Erwin Schrott (Leporello), Christopher Malman (Don Giovanni), Don Giovanni, Salzburger Festspiele 2011, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg 20. Aug 2011. Photo: Herbert

DON GIOVANNI
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Berliner Staatsoper im Schiller Theater
24., 27., 30. Jun, 3., 6. Jul 2012

Musikalische Leitung: Daniel Barenboim
Inszenierung: Claus Guth
Bühnenbild | Kostüme: Christian Schmidt
Licht: Olaf Winter
Chor: Eberhard Friedrich

Don Giovanni: Christopher Maltman
Donna Anna: Anna Netrebko
Don Ottavio: Giuseppe Filianoti
Komtur: Alexander Tsymbalyuk
Donna Elvira: Dorothea Röschmann
Leporello: Erwin Schrott
Masetto: Stefan Kocan
Zerlina: Anna Prohaska

Staatskapelle Berlin Staatsopernchor

Anna Netrebko at the Salzburger Festspiele 2012

Today the program of the Salzburger Festspiele 2012 has been unveiled.

As expected, the programme includes a new production of Puccini's La Bohème directed by Damiano Michieletto, starring Anna Netrebko as Mimí and Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo. The rest of the cast was unveiled today and includes Nino Machaidze as Musetta and Carlo Colombara as Colline. Daniele Gatti conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker.

The premiere of La Bohème will be held at the Grosses Festspielhaus on 1. Aug 2012. The full run includes seven performances.

La Bohème, Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburger Festspiele, Salzburg 1., 4., 7., 10., 13., 15., 18. Aug 2012

PROGRAM DETAIL

Giacomo Puccini • La bohème

Opera in four acts
Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on the novel Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger (1822–1861)

New production In Italian with German and English surtitles
Co-production with Shanghai Grand Theatre

LEADING TEAM
Daniele Gatti, Conductor
Damiano Michieletto, Stage Director
Paolo Fantin, Set Design
Carla Teti, Costume Design
Martin Gebhardt, Lighting
Kathrin Brunner, Dramaturgy
Ernst Raffelsberger, Chorus Master

CAST
Piotr Beczala, Rodolfo, a poet
Anna Netrebko, Mimì
Massimo Cavalletti, Marcello, a painter
Nino Machaidze, Musetta
Alessio Arduini, Schaunard, a musician
Carlo Colombara, Colline, a philosopher
Davide Fersini, Benoît, their landlord
N.N., Alcindoro, a state councillor
Member of the Young Singers Project, Parpignol

Vienna Philharmonic
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera
Chorus Salzburg Festival Children's Choir

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011

Following her epic run of performances singing the title role in Donizetti's masterpiece Anna Boelna at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the Diva Assoluta del Mondo, Anna Netrebko, is back to Europe to sing another of her iconic roles, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, first at the Opernhaus Zürich in Zürich, and then at the Teatro alla Scala in Milano, where she will open the Scala's 2011-2012 season in a new production directed by Robert Carsen.

At the Opernhaus Zürich, Netrebko sings the role of Donna Anna on 6., 9. and 11. Nov 2011. Opposite Netrebko is Carlos Álvarez in the title role. The conductor is Peter Schneider and the production is directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf.

PROGRAM

Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich, Sunday 6. Nov 2011

DON GIOVANNI
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte 

In Italian with German and English surtitles
Mit Unterstützung von Chopard

Conductor: Peter Schneider
Producer/Production: Sven-Eric Bechtolf 
Set design: Rolf Glittenberg
Costumes: Marianne Glittenberg
Choreography: Stefano Giannetti 
Lighting: Jürgen Hoffmann
Choir rehearsal: Ernst Raffelsberger
Orchestra: Zurich Opera House Orchestra
Choir: Zurich Opera House Choir
Ballet: extra Ballett

CAST
Donna Anna: Anna Netrebko
Donna Elvira: Malin Hartelius
Zerlina: Martina Janková
Don Giovanni: Carlos Alvarez
Don Ottavio: Bernard Richter
Komtur: Andreas Hörl 
Leporello: Ruben Drole
Masetto: Reinhard Mayr

REPORTS
Herbert attended the performance and he kindly wrote the following report for the Bog:

Tonight I have attended Anna Netrebko’s first Donna Anna after some years, and the first in a series, followed by Milan in December 2011 and Berlin in 2012. 

The production at the Opernhaus Zürich is from 2006. The ticket prices are breathtaking, but everything in Zürich is VERY expensive with the Swiss Franc being a hard currency in these days… 

In my opinion it is not a very spectacular production. What happens on stage is sometimes quite irrelevant, but all the more one can concentrate on the singers. There are only two big names in the cast: Carlos Alvarez in the title role and, of course, Anna Netrebko. Vocally and by her personality she was THE star on stage, although she behaved as she always does when she is part of an “ensemble”: She didn’t play the super star, but was modest and reserved; not fishing for extra applause at curtain calls etc. Still, the two big arias of Donna Anna were the highlights of the evening with a number of fair singers of the Opernhaus Zürich around her. 

For Anna Netrebko, her three performances in Zürich will be some excellent practice to get into the role of Donna Anna again, before the big challenge of the opening night at Milan’s Scala on December 7. 

After the show she was the first to come out at the stage door. The Swiss are very polite people, so only five to ten fans were waiting for her, and they all got their autographs and photos, before Anna said good-bye shortly before midnight. 

Only a few photos have turned out to be good. At curtain calls after the first act Anna still wore sun glasses (one of the quite meaningless ideas of the director...)

PHOTOS

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Carlos Alvarez (Don Giovanni), Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna). Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Carlos Alvarez (Don Giovanni), Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna). Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna), Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Ensemble. Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna). Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna). Photo: Herbert

Don Giovanni, Opernhaus Zürich, Zürich 6. Nov 2011. Anna Netrebko at the stage door. Photo: Herbert

Universal Music launches the new Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM) agency

Universal Music Group has launched Centre Stage Artist Management (CSAM), a new Berlin and London-based agency to provide management services to classical singers.

Judith Neuhoff, who had been working with Jeffrey D. Vanderveen in IMG Artists and Universal Music Classical Management and Productions, has been appointed as Managing Director of CSAM.

Neuhoff said the company’s philosophy was about supporting individual clients and added “Through in-depth collaboration with opera houses and concert halls, record labels, PR agencies and promoters around the world, we are able to offer unique perspective and guidance to artists. We will continue to develop an artist roster of supreme excellence, with quality, transparency and accountability as our guiding principles.”

CSAM is currently working with Anna Netrebko, Mojca Erdmann, Ruxandra Donose, Joseph Calleja, Massimo Giordano, Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson and Roman Trekel.