Closing Concert

Begin: 11:00 am
Break: 11:25 am
End: 12:30 pm

 

Max Reger

Four tone poems after Arnold Böcklin op. 128

 

I. The hermit playing violin. Molto sostenuto

II. Playing in the waves. Vivace

III. Isle of the Dead. Molto sostenuto

IV. Bacchanale. Vivace

 

GIUSEPPE VERDI

Quattro pezzi sacri

Orchester und Chor der Tiroler Festspiele Erl

Conducting Renato Balsadonna

Soprano Monika Buczkowska

Mezzo-soprano Zanda Švēde

Tenor Gerard Schneider

Bass Anthony Robin Schneider


As at the beginning of the festival, this programme contains rarely heard works.  Max Reger’s tone poems based on Arnold Böcklin marks the start of a musical tour through scenes painted by the Swiss artist. The reverent setting of The Hermit playing the Violin, featuring a solo violin, is followed by the agitated Playing of the Waves. 

 

If one listens carefully, one can hear the activities of the mythological beings depicted in Böcklin’s painting.  After an excursion to the gloomy Isle of the Dead, the ecstatic rhythms of the Bacchanale bring the short tetralogy to an end.Giuseppe Verdi also discovered the idea of the Four Sacred Pieces for himself.  A tranquil a cappella setting of the prayer to Mary opens the sacred collection.  In the Stabat Mater, the description of Mary’s grief, the choir is accompanied by the orchestra.  The onomatopoeic gesture and the melodic arcs produce a dramatic impact so that one could imagine one is listening to one of Verdi’s operas. 

 

The Laudine also signify his operatic creativity, especially the prayers to Mary from Don Carlos and Otello. Sung by soprano and contralto without accompaniment, Verdi here evokes a transcendental atmosphere.  The Te Deum again demonstrates his knowledge of Italian sacred music.  The final chord in Verdi’s œuvre brings the Tyrol Festival 2023 to a dignified close.

Sun 30. Jul
11:00 h → Festspielhaus

Orchester und Chor der Tiroler Festspiele Erl

Renato Balsadonna

Conducting

Monika Buczkowska

Soprano

Zanda Švēde

Mezzo-soprano

Gerard Schneider

Tenor

Anthony Robin Schneider

Bass


Orchester und Chor der Tiroler Festspiele Erl

Musik wächst aus der Begeisterung eines über die Jahre zusammengewachsenen, motivierten und exzellent vorbereiteten Ensembles, das sich einen Ruf als eines der besten Wagnerorchester weltweit erarbeitet und die Tiroler Festspiele Erl international bekannt gemacht hat. 1999 formierte sich das Orchester der Tiroler Festspiele unter der Leitung von Gustav Kuhn, inzwischen spielen Musiker*innen aus 20 Nationen zusammen. Junge Spitzentalente, Musiker*innen aus großen internationalen Orchestern, Kammermusikspezialist*innen und Dozent*innen kommen so jährlich im Sommer und Winter, seit 2017 auch im Herbst und an Ostern im Rahmen der Tiroler Festspiele Erl zusammen. Zum Repertoire des Klangkörpers gehören neben den zehn großen Musikdramen Richard Wagners und Opern von Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi und Rossini auch die Symphonien Beethovens und viele weitere zentrale Werke des Konzertrepertoires sowie zeitgenössische Werke und Uraufführungen. Seit der Sommersaison 2022 ist Erik Nielsen Chefdirigent des Orchesters der Tiroler Festspiele Erl.


Renato
Balsadonna

Born in Venice, Balsadonna enjoyed a long working relationship with Sir Antonio Pappano, who appointed him Chorus Director at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in 1997. Balsadonna later joined Pappano at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, where he was their celebrated Chorus Director from 2004-2016. He also appeared as gust conductor with Frankfurt Opera, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, BBC Singers, the Accademia Nazionale of Santa Cecilia Chorus and Grant park Festival Chorus in Chicago. Maestro Balsadonna has further participated in numerous recording for EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, Opera Rara, Chandos.


Monika
Buczkowska

Polish-born soprano Monika Buczkowska has already appeared at the Tyrol Festival Erl as Madeleine in "Le postillon de Lonjumeau" and Freia ("Das Rheingold"). In 2019/20 she made her German debut at Oper Frankfurt in Fauré's "Pénélope" (Lydie), of which she has been a member of the ensemble since 2020/21. Current roles include: Gretel ("Hansel and Gretel"), Dorinda ("Orlando"), First Lady ("The Magic Flute") and the Fifth Maid ("Elektra").

 

Previously she sang Leonora ("Masquerade"), Fiordiligi ("Così fan tutte"), Helena ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") and Suor Genovieffa ("Suor Angelica") / Nella ("Gianni Schicchi") as well as in Pergolesi's Stabat mater. Monika Buczkowska was a scholarship holder of the Young Talents Development Program (Opera Academy) at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, where she sang Zerlina ("Don Giovanni"), Susanna ("Le nozze di Figaro") and Papagena. Under Kazushi Ōno she sang there in Prokofiev's "The Fiery Angel" (co-production with the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence).

 

She sang Donna Anna ("Don Giovanni") at the Music Festival in Nieborów and Eurydice ("Orpheus in the Underworld") at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, Fiordiligi at the Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg and Helena at the Hanover State Opera, as well as in Brahms' "Ein deutsches Requiem" at the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck. A graduate of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, her awards include First Prize at the Polish Vocal Festival Maria Stankowa in Olsztyn.


Zanda
Švēde


Gerard
Schneider

Für den österreichisch-australischen Tenor Gerard Schneider, seit vergangener Saison im Ensemblemitglied der Oper Frankfurt, stehen 2019/20 mit Herzog von Mantua (Rigoletto), Lyonel (Martha) und Narraboth (Salome) wichtige Debüts bevor. Als Prinz (Rusalka), den er mit großem Erfolg in Frankfurt sang, ist er bei den Tiroler Festspielen in Erl zu Gast. Darüber hinaus gibt er an der Opera Omaha sein Debüt als Gounods Faust. In Frankfurt war Gerard Schneider, der bereits am Sydney Opera House, in der Carnegie Hall und im Rahmen der Recital Series an der Metropolitan Opera in New York gastierte, bisher als Der Hirte (Król Roger) und 1. Geharnischter (Die Zauberflöte) besetzt. Jüngst trat er als Rodolfo (La Bohème) an der Komischen Oper Berlin, in Mozart und Salieri sowie Die Zarenbraut beim Bard Music Festival und in Massenets Thaïs an der Minnesota Opera auf. Der mehrfach ausgezeichnete Sänger war zudem an der Washington Concert Opera, der Welsh National Opera, der Scottish Opera, beim Wexford Festival, bei den Wiesbadener Maifestspielen und im Bregenzer Festspielhaus engagiert. Als Mitglied des Young Artist Program der Salzburger Festspiele sang er 2014 in Il trovatore mit den Wiener Philharmonikern. Nach seinem Studium an der Guildhall School of Music, dem Mozarteum Salzburg und der Juilliard School wurde Gerard Schneider in das britische National Opera Studio aufgenommen.


Anthony Robin
Schneider

The Austrian-New Zealand bass Anthony Robin Schneider has already made guest appearances at the Tyrolean Festival in Erl as Fafner ("Das Rheingold") and Hunding ("Die Walküre").

 

In 2018/19 he made his debut as the Wirt in "Der ferne Klang" (CD on OehmsClassics) at Oper Frankfurt, of which he has been a member of the ensemble since 2019/20. In addition to this role, he sang Hans Schwarz ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg") and the title role of Handel's "Hercules" among others in the current season. In Frankfurt, he previously made his debuts as Ibn-Hakia ("Iolanta") and Panas ("The Night Before Christmas"; "Performance of the Year 2021/22") and was heard as Cirillo ("Fedora") as well as Heinrich der Vogler ("Lohengrin"), which he will embody at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam this winter.

 

Other roles in his repertoire include Bartolo ("Le nozze di Figaro") and Steward / Sergeant ("Lady Macbeth of Mzensk"), A Monk / Grand Inquisitor ("Don Carlo") and Sparafucile ("Rigoletto"). In February 2022, Anthony Robin Schneider returned to Houston Grand Opera as Sarastro / Speaker ("The Magic Flute"), whose opera studio the singer, who trained at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, graduated from.

 

Other guest engagements to date have included The Shadow of Hector ("Les Troyens") at the Vienna State Opera, Truffaldin ("Ariadne auf Naxos") at the Santa Fe Opera and with the Cleveland Orchestra, Baron / Grand Inquisitor ("Candide") also at Santa Fe, Mesner ("Tosca"), Fabrizio (Rossini's "La pietra del paragone"), and Death ("The Emperor of Atlantis") and Duc de Hoël ("Le vin herbé") at Wolf Trap Opera. Anthony Robin Schneider was a fellow of the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.