Ballet by John Neumeier | Christmas Oratorio I-VI
Sat, Dec. 23, 2023, 7.00 pm - 10.15 pm
Conductor
Alessandro De Marchi
Conductor
Birthplace:
Rome, Italy
Studies:
Organ and composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, chamber music and baroque performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Prizes:
Echo Award Category Solo Recording of the Year/Vocals (opera arias)
(2015)
Repertoire:
Monteverdi, Cavalli, Vivaldi, Händel, Pergolesi, Keiser, Haydn, Mozart, Bellini, De Marchi, et.al.
Stages:
Mailand La Scala, Venedig La Fenice, Neapel Teatro San Carlo, Paris Champs Elysées, Brüssel la Monnaie, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Opéra de Lyon, et.al.
Cooperation with orchestras:
Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra sinfonica dell’Accademia di S. Cecilia, Orchestra sinfonica dell’Accademia della Scala, Orchestra della Fenice, Orchestra del Maggio musicale fiorentino, et.al.
Find further information about Alessandro De Marchi here.
photo: Sandra Hastenteufel
Evangelist
N.N.
Soprano
Marie-Sophie Pollak
Soprano
Marie-Sophie Pollak was born in Bietigheim-Bissingen/Germany. She studied with Professor Gabriele Fuchs at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich and graduated with honors. While completing her studies, she made her debut at the Innsbrucker Festival of Early Music. Since then she has been involved in several more productions. Innsbruck is also the city where her career started. Many concert and opera engagements followed, both domestic and abroad. She can be heard at well-known European festivals like LuganoMusica, Potsdamer Musikfestspiele Sanssouci, Münchener Biennale, Innsbrucker Festspiele of Early Music, Stuttgarter Musikfest, Trans-Sibirian Art Festival Novosibirsk and was already on stage of the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus, Hamburger Staatsoper, Konzerthaus Berlin, Herkulessaal München, Prager Rudolfinum, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, as well as the Théatre du Chatêlet in Paris. Just recently she performed Haydn’s „Jahreszeiten“ in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Her musical career was also shaped by the cooperation with renowned conductors including Kent Nagano, Thomas Hengelbrock, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Václav Luks and Alessandro de Marchi. Marie-Sophie Pollak is an award winner of the competition Jugend Musiziert 2006 of the Federal Republic of Germany and reached the final at the international Voice Competition for Baroque Opera Pietro Antonio Cesti. Twice she was honored with the scholarship Deutschlandstipendium. She is sponsored by the organization Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now and is a scholar of the Christl and Klaus Haack-Stiftung.
photo: Shirley Suarez
Alto
Katja Pieweck
Soprano
Birthplace:
Hannover, Germany
Studies:
Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg with Prof. Ks. Judith Beckmann
Prizes:
Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Preis of the Körber-Stiftung (2007), Cultural Prize of the Berenberg Bank Hamburg (2000), First Prize of the International Robert Stolz Singing Competition in Hamburg (2000), Masefield Fellowship of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 1999/2000, member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (1997/98 to 1998/99)
Important parts:
Adalgisa (Norma), Mercédès (Carmen), Hexe (Königskinder), Smeton (Anna Bolena), Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor), Marquise de Berkenfield (La fille du régiment), Sélysette (Ariane et Barbe-Bleue), Arsamene (Xerxes), Sancta Susanna (Klementia), Gertrud/Sandmännchen (Hänsel und Gretel), Frau des Dorfrichters (Jenufa), Valencienne (Die lustige Witwe), Witwe Browe (Zar und Zimmermann), Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana), Damigella Pallade (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Schenkwirtin (Boris Godunov), Mutter (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Frugola (Il Tabarro), Goneril (Lear), Berta/Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Marchese Melibea (Il Viaggio a Reims), Ariadne (Ariadne), Adelaide (Arabella), Annina (Der Rosenkavalier), Aufseherin/1. Magd (Elektra), Curra/Preziosilla (La Forza del Destino), Annina (La Traviata), Meg Page/Alice Ford (Falstaff), Giovanna/Maddalena (Rigoletto), Fenena (Nabucco), Emilia (Otello), Fricka (Das Rheingold), Siegrune/Sieglinde (Die Walküre), Magdalena (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), Ortrud (Lohengrin), Adriano (Rienzi), Eglantine (Euryanthe), Ericlea (Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria), Larina (Eugen Onegin), et al.
Stages:
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Semperoper, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Staatstheater Mainz, Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Leipzig, Internationale Herrenchiemsee Festspiele, Staatsoper Hannover, et al.
Zusammenarbeit mit Regisseuren:
Peter Konwitschny, Karoline Gruber, Claus Guth, Willy Decker, Achim Freyer, Roger Vontobel, Stefan Herheim, Michael Thalheimer, et al.
Zusammenarbeit mit Dirigenten:
Simone Young, Sir Simon Rattle, Peter Schneider, Ingo Metzmacher, Gerd Albrecht, Sebastian Weigle, Rolf Beck, Krzysztof Penderecki, et al.
photo: Ida Aldrian
Tenor (Arie)
Manuel Günther
Tenor
Manuel Günther began his artistic career as a member of the International Opera Studio of the Staatsoper Hamburg and the Solo Ensemble of the Staatsoper München.
Additionally, Manuel Günther was invited to perform as a guest soloist by numerous renowned opera companies, including the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Komische Oper Berlin, the Staatsoper Dresden, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées Paris, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Theater an der Wien, Polish National Opera (Teatr Wielki) Warsaw, Opera Vlaanderen Antwerp/Gent as well as the Salzburg Festival (Young Singers Project), the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the Festival der Alten Musik Innsbruck.
Manuel Günther's repertoire includes Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Il Conte d’Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Osman (Händel’s "Almira"), Baron Kronthal (Lortzing's "Der Wildschütz"), Tanzmeister, Brighella and Scaramuccio (Ariadne auf Naxos), Ein Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer), and a numerous smaller roles.
He is also well-known for his appearances in concert in repertoire which ranges from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Matthäus-Passion" and "Christmas Oratorio", and Handel's "Messiah" to Haydn's "Die Schöpfung" and Mendelssohn's "Paulus", which he has performed with conductors such as Simone Young, Kent Nagano, Alessandro de Marchi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Cornelius Meister.
Manuel Günther has performed in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Berlin und Dresden, the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Brucknerhaus Linz as well as the Musikverein Wien and Graz.
In the Season 2021/22 Manuel Günther will make return appearances, among others, at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin and Hamburger Staatsoper.
Bass
Äneas Humm
Baritone
Der junge Schweizer Bariton Äneas Humm schloss 2019 sein Gesangsstudium an der renommierten Juilliard School New York ab.
Für seine bisherigen Leistungen bekam er 2022 den OPUS Klassik als Nachwuchskünstler des Jahres und ist zuvor auch mit dem Förderpreis des Deutschlandfunks ausgezeichnet worden.
Nach Festengagements am Nationaltheater Weimar und dem Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe, gehört Äneas Humm seit der Spielzeit 2022/2023 zum Ensemble des Theaters St. Gallen. Aufgaben dort umfassen u.a. eine Neuproduktion der Oper "Der anonym Liebhaber" von Joseph Bologne als Ophémon, sein Rollendebüt als Dr. Falke in "Die Fledermaus" und Roucher in "Andrea Chenier" bei den dortigen Festspielen. Außerdem sind mehrere Liederabende und Konzerte, z.B. mit Bachs "Matthäus-Passion" mit dem Münchner Bachchor geplant. Darüber hinaus wird Äneas auch für die europäische Erstaufführung der Oper "Antony und Cleopatra" von John Adams als Agrippa ans Liceu in Barcelona zurückkehren.
In der Spielzeit 2021/2022 gastierte Äneas Humm bereits in der Neuproduktion von Mozarts "Zauberflöte" als Papageno am Theater St. Gallen und hatte sein Rollen- und Haus-Debut als 2. Handwerksbursch in Bergs "Wozzeck" am Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Darüber hinaus sang er am Saarländischen Staatstheater eine szenische "Wintereise". Am Badischen Staatstheater sang er in der Inszenierung von Valentin Schwarz den Malatesta in "Don Pasquale", ein Rollendebüt, welches von der Presse (BNN, Opernglas) sehr gelobt wurde.
Ein besonderer Erfolg konnte Äneas Humm auch in der Inszenierung von Martin G. Berger am Nationaltheater Weimar als Harlekin in "Ariadne auf Naxos" verzeichnen, welche den Faust Award 2020 gewonnen hatte. In Weimar wurde ebenso Mozarts "Così fan tutte" einstudiert, in der Äneas Humm sein Debüt als Guglielmo hätten geben sollen. Pandemie bedingt ist es leider zu keiner Vorstellung gekommen.
Im April 2019 sang Äneas Humm erstmalig Bachs "Matthäus-Passion"auf einer Tour mit 6 Konzerten in den Niederlanden unter Peter Dijkstra. Im Dezember 2019 folgten Konzerte mit Bachs "Weihnachtsoratorium"in der Tonhalle Zürich und Winterthur.
Äneas Humm ist immer wieder gern gesehener Gast bei renommierten europäischen Klangkörpern unter anderem den Bremer Philharmonikern, dem Musikkollegium Winterthur, der Deutschen Kammerphilharmonie, Nederlands Noordorkest und der Deutschen Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.
Als gefragter Interpret von Liedern feiert er zurzeit besonders grosse Erfolge. Seine CD EMBRACE wurde von BR Klassik ebenso als CD des Jahres erkoren, und von der Liste der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik nominiert. Seit Mai 2018 gibt Äneas Humm auch regelmäßig Liederabende mit dem weltweit bekannten Liedgestalter Hartmut Hoell. Weitere enge Zusammenarbeit entstand über die Jahre mit Babette Hierholzer, Judit Polgar sowie Renate Rohlfing.
Äneas Humm wird regelmäßig von internationalen Festivals für Liederabende gebucht, so gab er 2021 sein Debüt am Enescu Festival in Bukarest und im März 2022 im Beethoven Haus Bonn, des Weiteren tritt er oft am Musikfest Bremen auf und sang bereits während seines Studiums in der Carnegie Hall / Weill Recital Hall und in der Alice Tully Hall in New York. Im Dezember 2019 wurde Äneas Humm von Bundespräsident Frank Walter Steinmeier eingeladen im Schloss Bellevue Beethoven Lieder zu singen, um das Beethovenjahr 2020 gemeinsam einzuläuten.
Find further information about Äneas Humm here.
photo: Maurice Haas
Choir
Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper
The chorus members appear on stage at the Hamburg State Opera in a different role almost every night. From one day to the next, they might be sailors, pilgrims or conspirators, then courtiers, hunters, the deranged or the imprisoned. In the role of crusaders in I Lombardi alla prima Crociata they travel to Jerusalem, other nights they are invited to Madama Butterfly's marriage or acclaim Prince Igor. The ladies and gentlemen of the opera chorus demonstrate their artistic prowess, their flexibility, and their love of the stage in every performance.
With a membership around 70, the chorus of the Hamburg State Opera has been one of the world’s best opera choruses for many years. The varied repertoire – almost always in the original language – is multifaceted and includes baroque operas and dramatic operas, major works by Verdi and Wagner as well as contemporary pieces. At the start of the 2013/14 season, Eberhard Friedrich took over the post of Chorus Master.
photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke
Orchestra
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Orchestra
The Philharmonic State Orchestra is Hamburg’s largest and oldest orchestra, looking back on many years of musical history. When the “Philharmonic Orchestra” and the “Orchestra of the Hamburg Municipal Theatre” merged in 1934, two tradition-steeped orchestras combined. Philharmonic concerts have been performed in Hamburg since 1828, artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms being regular guests of the Philharmonic Society. The history of the opera company goes back even further: Hamburg has been home to musical theatre since 1678, even if a regular opera or theatre orchestra was only formed later. To this day, the Philharmonic State Orchestra has embodied the sound of the Hansa City, a concert and opera orchestra in one.
During its long history, the orchestra encountered great artist personalities. Apart from composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mahler, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, since the 20th century chief conductors such as Karl Muck, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher and Simone Young have shaped the orchestra’s sound. Renowned conductors of the pre-war era such as Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt gave brilliant performances, as did outstanding conductors of our times: suffice it to mention Christian Thielemann, Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Petrenko, Adam Fischer and Sir Roger Norrington.
Starting with the 2015/2016 season, Kent Nagano has taken on the position of Hamburg’s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera and since June 2023 also its honorary conductor. In his first season Kent Nagano initiated a new project, the Philharmonic Academy, focusing on experimentation and chamber music. In 2016, Nagano and the Philharmonic toured South America, followed by concert tours to Spain and Japan in 2019, and in the spring of 2023, the Philharmonic State Orchestra made its debut at New York's Carnegie Hall under his direction, which was acclaimed by audiences and the press. Since 2017 Kent Nagano and the Philharmonic State Orchestra have continued the traditional Philharmonic Concerts at the new Elbphilharmonie, for which they commissioned Jörg Widmann to compose the oratorio ARCHE, which was given its world premiere during the hall’s opening festivities. The concert recording has been released by ECM, for which Widmann received the OPUS KLASSIK as Composer of the Year 2019, and ARCHE was performed again in 2023 to great acclaim.
The Philharmonic State Orchestra offers approximately 35 concerts per season and performs more than 240 performances per year at the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, making it Hamburg’s busiest orchestra. The stylistic bandwidth covered by the 140 musicians, ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary works and including concert, opera and ballet repertoire, is unique throughout Germany. Chamber Music has a long tradition at the Philharmonic State Orchestra: what began in 1929 with a concert series for chamber orchestra has been continued since 1968 by a series of chamber music only.
In 2008 Simone Young and the Philharmonic State Orchestra won the Brahms Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society. The orchestra has recorded the complete Ring by Wagner as well as the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – the latter in the rarely-performed original versions – as well as works by Mahler, Hindemith and Berg, and has released DVDs of opera and ballet productions by Hosokawa, Offenbach, Reimann, Auerbach, J.S. Bach, Puccini, Poulenc and Weber.
The members of the Philharmonic State Orchestra feel equally beholden to Hamburg’s musical tradition and responsible for the city’s artistic future. Since 1978 the musicians have been participating in education programmes in Hamburg’s schools. Today, the orchestra maintains a broad education programme, including school and kindergarten visits, patronage for music projects, introductory events for children and family concerts. The orchestra’s own academy prepares young musicians for their professional careers. The Philharmonic’s musicians thereby make an equally enjoyable and valuable contribution to tomorrow’s music education in the music metropolis of Hamburg.
photo: Foto: Felix Broede
