Award-winning Canadian violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou performs Beethoven, Kreisler, Dvorak and Svensden in Romances for violin and orchestra programme with the Camerata Chicago. Their concerts on February 14th at the Chicago Studer Baker Theatre, February 15th at Armerding Center Wheaton College and February 16th at Hindsdale Union Church will coincide with the 2025 Valentines.
Following the critically acclaimed premier of the new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Polish National Opera in 2024, Yaroslav Shemet returns to lead much awaited further performances in 2025 on March 7th, 9th, 12th and 16th at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw.
For more details see HERE
“The Teatr Wielki debut of the 28-year-old Ukrainian-born conductor Yaroslav Shemet was a much-anticipated event. Shemet made his name in Katowice, where he quickly transformed the Silesian Philharmonic into a first-rate orchestra. Many people go there on a regular basis for his symphonic concerts and these musical pilgrims were keenly awaiting his “Così fan tutte” in Warsaw (seen on March 15). They were not disappointed.
Shemet brought vigour and that much-desired quality of sparkling wine to the orchestral playing. He had a good cast, with the characterful pairing of Aleksandra Orłowska (Fiordiligi) and Zuzanna Nalewajek (Dorabella), a tender Guglielmo (Hubert Zapiór) and a thrilling Ferrando (Pavlo Tolstoy, who joined the production at the very last minute). The cynical Don Alfonso was well sung by Artur Janda, but it was Anna Malesza-Kutny’s Despina who stole the show with her vocal acrobatics and an unexpected, brilliant solo on the violin.
The production (directed by Wojciech Faruga, with sets, costumes and lighting designed by Katarzyna Borkowska) was a ‘new old-fashioned’ attempt to emulate the German Regietheater of the 1990s. Despina was married to Don Alfonso and the action took place at the time of the Vietnam war. Efforts were made to address important issues of today such as climate change, post-colonialism and sexual harassment. Ferrando and Guglielmo as American soldiers in uniform were presented as evil incarnate.
With the Russian aggression bringing thousands of casualties only a few hundred kilometres east of Warsaw, this production felt strangely out of touch with reality. By trying to express a great many things at the same time it ended up saying nothing very much at all.”
Maestro Antoni Wit returns to the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra to lead special concerts with Beethoven’s Symphony No 9. Their performances on December 14th and 15th at Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater will begin with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No 3. On December 6th & 7th Maestro Wit will also conduct the Schumann & Tchaikovsky programme with Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestras’s Concertmaster Satoshi Morioka as soloist in Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D minor .
For more information see: HERE and HERE
Janáček Quartet’s concert performed at The Queen’s Hall in August 2002 is to be broadcast as part of the BBC Radio 3 documentary series “Great String Quartets at Edinburgh” on 25th of August 2022. The legendary performance features a programme of some of the most outstanding works in string quartets’ repertoire from the Bohemian and Moravian music traditions by Martinů, Dvořák and Smetana. For more details see HERE