On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss‘s birth, Omer Meir Wellber conducts two operas by the composer at the Semperoper Dresden: a concert performance of the rarely performed opera “Guntram” and a revival of “Ariadne auf Naxos”.
„Guntram“ is Strauss‘ first stagework. He himself called it “an apprentice piece by a fully fledged Wagnerian, seeking out his own path to full musical independence”. It is easy to detect the influence of Richard Wagner in “Guntram”, even while the young composer is striving to step out from under his idol’s enormous shadow. The first performance on 23 February will be broadcast by radio MDR Figaro and can be listened to over their online live stream (delayed broadcast: 23 February, at 19.30 CET)
23 February, Dresden, Semperoper
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Strauss: Guntram (concert performance)
Georg Zeppenfeld – Der alte Herzog, Marjorie Owens – Freihild, Markus Butter – Herzog Robert, Frank van Aken – Guntram, Simon Neal – Friedhold, Aaron Pegram – Des Herzogs Narr
Men of the Sächsische Staatsopernchor Dresden
Further performances: 28 February, 2 March
9 March, Dresden, Semperoper
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
Marjorie Owens – Ariadne, Romy Petrick – Zerbinetta, Barbara Senator – Komponist, Emily Dorn – Najade, Julia Mintzen – Dryade
Staging and set design: Marco Arturo Marelli
Further performances: 16 March, 15, 18 April
On 22 March, Omer Meir Wellber conducts the premiere of „Così fan tutte“ staged by Andreas Kriegenburg. The opera is the first work of a Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy at the Semperoper Dresden that will continue in 2015 and 2016 under Wellber’s direction.
22 March, Dresden, Semperoper
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Mozart: Così fan tutte
Rachel Willis-Sørensen/Emily Dorn – Fiordiligi, Rachel Frenkel/Barbara Senator – Dorabella, Ute Selbig/Carolina Ullrich – Despina, Christopher Tiesi/Mert Süngü – Ferrando, Christoph Pohl/Zachary Nelson – Guglielmo, Georg Zeppenfeld/Evan Hughes – Don Alfonso
Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staging: Andreas Kriegenburg
Set design: Harald Thor
Further performances: 24, 26, 30 March, 3, 5, 6, 8 April, 6, 11, 16, 27 May, 2, 12 June
Omer Meir Wellber made his debut at the Semperoper in 2010 with Strauss‘s “Daphne” that was received with great acclaim by audience and critics. During his upcoming engagement in Dresden, Omer Meir Wellber will also get involved with educational projects of the opera house and work with pupils and students.
In May 2014, Bel Air will release a DVD with Verdi’s “Aida” from the Arena di Verona under the musical direction of Omer Meir Wellber and staged by La Fura dels Baus. The recording of the jubilee performance from June 2013 was a huge success; the broadcast by German public TV ZDF alone reached 1,4 million viewers. Please click here for a trailer of the performance.