Happy Birthday: Anna Netrebko

"Les belles fleures...Quand j'aurai votre âge"
Benvenuto Cellini (Berlioz)

"Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (Russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born September 18, 1971) is an operatic soprano. She now holds dual Russian and Austrian citizenship and currently resides in Vienna. She has been nicknamed 'La Bellissima' by fans. Netrebko was born in Krasnodar (Russia), in a family of Kuban Cossack background. While a student at the Saint Petersburg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a janitor at Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He

"D'Oreste, d'Ajace" Idomeneo (Mozart)

subsequently became her vocal mentor. Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky at age 22, as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La Sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1994, she sang the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with the Riga Independent Opera Avangarda Akadēmija under conductor David Milnes. In March 2006, Netrebko applied to become an Austrian citizen, receiving her citizenship in late July. According to an interview in the Austrian weekly news, she will live in Vienna and Salzburg. This has led to some backlash in Russia. Netrebko cites the cumbersome and humiliating process of obtaining visas (as a Russian citizen) for her many performances abroad as the main reason for obtaining Austrian citizenship. In

"O ne rydai, mai Paolo"
Francesca da Rimini (Rachmaninov)

March 2007, Netrebko announced that she would be an ambassador for SOS Children's Village in Austria, and be a sponsor for the Tomilino village in Russia. In April 2008, Netrebko announced that she and her fiancé, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, had married. Their son Tiago Aruã Schrott was born on September 5, 2008 in Vienna. In July 2011, she talked of opening a restaurant. In 1995, at the age of 24, Netrebko made her American debut as Lyudmila in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila at the San Francisco Opera. Following this successful performance, she became a frequent guest singer in San Francisco. She is known as an acclaimed interpreter of other Russian operatic roles, such as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace, Louisa in Betrothal in a Monastery and Marfa in The Tsar's Bride. Netrebko has also made successful forays into bel canto and romantic roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La bohème, Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Elvira in I Puritani. In 2002,

"Si, mi chiamano Mimì"
La Bohème (Puccini)

Netrebko made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Natasha in the Met premiere of War and Peace. In the same year, she sang her first Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festival's production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She also performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's major fund raiser, the 'Petroushka Ball.' She returned to the Ball in 2003 and 2006 and is an honorary director of the charity. In 2003, Netrebko performed as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata in Munich, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Los Angeles Opera, and Donna Anna at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her second album, Sempre Libera, was released the following year. She later appeared as Violetta Valéry in La Traviata at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and in 2008 she performed the same role at Covent Garden to triumphant acclaim on the opening night, opposite Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in performances conducted by Maurizio Benini. However, she

"Depuis le jour" Louise (Charpentier)

cancelled three subsequent performances due to suffering a bronchial condition. This was the second time she had cancelled her performances at the Royal Opera House, having withdrawn from some performances of Don Giovanni the previous summer due to illness. On May 30, 2007, Netrebko made her Carnegie Hall debut with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Originally scheduled for March 2, 2006 Netrebko postponed the recital because she did not feel artistically ready. Netrebko appeared at the Last Night of the Proms on 8 September 2007 where she performed 'Ah! Se una volta ... Ah! Non credea mirarti ... Ah! Non giunge' from La Sonnambula, 'Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß' (Giuditta) and the song 'Morgen!' by Richard Strauss (with violinist Joshua Bell). In the fall of 2007 she reprised her role as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at the Metropolitan Opera. In

"Quel guardo il cavaliere"
Don Pasquale (Donizetti)

December 2007, Netrebko performed for Martin Scorsese, a 2007 Honoree, at the Kennedy Center Honors, and in May 2008 she made a much-awaited debut at the Paris Opera in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, with Joyce DiDonato as her Romeo. Netrebko was scheduled to sing Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in October 2008 at the Metropolitan Opera, but due to her pregnancy she decided to drop out of the role. In her first performance after her maternity leave, Netrebko sang Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor when it opened at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on January 14, 2009 in a production from the Scottish Opera led by John Doyle. She then sang the same role in January and February 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera. Netrebko appeared as Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Royal Opera House in Spring 2009, and as Violetta in La Traviata in June 2009 at the San Francisco Opera. On November 13, 2010 in a matinee performance broadcast nationally by PBS, she sang the role of

"Solveig's Song" Peer Gynt (Grieg)

Norina in Don Pasquale at New York's Metropolitan Opera House under conductor James Levine. On April 2, 2011, she sang the title role of Gaetano Donizetti's Anna Bolena at the Vienna State Opera for a sold-out premiere there, and the repeat performance on April 5, 2011 was broadcast live to cinemas around the world. In the fall of 2011, she will sing the title role of Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera and make her Carnegie Hall recital debut. Time magazine placed her on its Time 100 list in 2007. She was identified by the journal Musical America as 'a genuine superstar for the 21st century' and was named 'Musician of the Year' for 2008. She has also been described by Associated Press as 'the reigning new diva of the 21st century.' She was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2004) and was made a People's Artist of Russia by President Putin in 2008. Playboy magazine placed her in their 'sexiest babes of classical music' list. Netrebko has also won two prestigious Classical BRIT Awards: the 2007 Singer of the Year Award and the 2008 Female of the Year." [Source]

"Casta diva" Norma (Bellini)

"Pie Jesu" Requiem (Lloyd Webber)

"Ave Maria" Otello (Verdi)

"Oh! Quante volte" I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini)
"Inflammatus et accensus" Stabat Mater (Rossini)

Another Drawing to See Anna Netrebko Perform Live

"Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell!"

Radeberger Pilsner, favorite beer of Vladimir Putin during his KGB agent days in 1980s Dresden, has snagged soprano Anna Netrebko for the "Nacht der Stars" concert on February 24, 2012 at the Dresdener Semperoper. Audience members will truly have to be lucky because tickets are not for sale with this event. There will be a drawing for 400 pairs of tickets to the event (in case you missed the Metropolitan Opera drawing for the Anna Bolena dress rehearsal). Enter here. One more image for the campaign is after the jump.
[Source, Source, Source]

"Lucia di Lammermoor" Sextet Makes a Cameo in 1949 Film

A LETTER TO THREE WIVES
"Lora May Hollingsway, who grew up next to the wrong side of the tracks, married her boss who thinks she is just a gold digger. Rita Phipps makes as much money writing radio scripts at night as her school teacher husband does. Deborah Bishop looked great in a Navy uniform in WWII but fears she'll never be dressed just right for the Country Club set. These three wives are boarding a boat filled with children going on a picnic when a messenger on a bicycle hands them a letter addressed to all three from Addie who has just left town with one of their husbands. They won't know which one until that night." [Source]

CAST:
Jeanne Crain as Deborah Bishop
Linda Darnell as Lora Mae Hollingsway
Ann Sothern as Rita Phipps
Kirk Douglas as George Phipps
Paul Douglas as Porter Hollingsway
Classical music used in the film includes Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Op. 83 by Brahms and Wein, weib und Gesang, Op. 333 by Johann Strauß. Watch how a piano reduction of "Chi mi frena in tal momento?", which begins the sextet from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, creeps into the 1949 film from director Joseph L. Mankiewicz:

Enjoy a couple classic clips of the vocal version of the Lucia sextet after the jump.

Contemporary Interpretations of Leonora in "Il Trovatore"

Listen to some of the sopranos from the last decade to take on the challenging role of Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore. Following are samples of the difficult aria "D'amor sull'ali rosee" by a few well-known artists, as well as some new contenders:







BONUS: Renée Fleming singing "Tacea la notte" after the jump.

Salzburg Festival Rehearsal Tickets Raise Money for Japan

Piotr Beczała and Anna Netrebko sing the open rehearsal for Iolanta.

"Salzburg (Dapd) Die Organisatoren der Salzburger Festspiele und die Stadt Salzburg spenden 200.000 Euro für den Wiederaufbau der Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall in Japan. Bei der Benefiz-Generalprobe von Peter Tschikowskys Oper Iolanta und Igor Strawinskys Oper Le Rossignol am Samstag, an der unter anderem Anna Netrebko mitwirkte, wurden über 158.000 Euro eingespielt, wie die Organisatoren mitteilten. Bürgermeister Heinz Schaden sagte zu, diese Summe auf 200.000 Euro aufzustocken. Kawasaki ist seit 1992 Partnerstadt von Salzburg. Die Konzerthalle war bei dem Erdbeben am 11. März 2011 nahezu vollständig zerstört worden." [Source]

Franz Gensbichler, Erwin Schrott and Anna Netrebko.

"Die von den Salzburger Festspielen als Benefiz-Veranstaltung verkaufte Generalprobe der konzertanten Opernaufführungen von Tschaikowskis 'Iolanta' und Strawinskys 'Le Rossignol' mit den Stars Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala und Ivor Bolton hat am Samstag im restlos ausverkauften Festspielhaus insgesamt 158.065 Euro eingespielt. Der Erlös kommt zur Gänze dem Wiederaufbau der beim Erdbeben zerstörten Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall in Japan zugute. 'Ein riesiger künstlerischer und sozialer Erfolg', jubelte Präsidentin Helga Rabl-Stadler, die sich bei den Künstlern und dem Publikum bedankte. Bürgermeister Heinz Schaden, der selbst schon mit dem Mozarteumorchester Salzburg in der Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall gewesen ist, konnte spontan für die Stadtregierung versprechen, diese Summe auf 200.000 Euro aufzustocken. 'Eine Städtepartnerschaft zeigt ihren Sinn, wenn man einander in schlechten Zeiten hilft', betonte der Bürgermeister. Kawasaki ist seit 1992 Partnerstadt Salzburgs. Von der musikalischen Darbietung überwältigt zeigten sich Bestsellerautorin Hera Lind und ihr Gatte Engelbert Lainer: 'Zum Weinen schön.' Als großer Netrebko-Fan erwiesen sich auch Fernsehmoderator Sepp Forcher mit seiner Ehefrau Heli. Im Haus gegenüber hieß es gleichzeitig Abschied nehmen von der heurigen Figaro-Produktion, die zum letzten Mal für diese Saison auf dem Programm stand. Unter anderem mit dabei waren der deutsche Ex-Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg mit seiner Frau Stephanie sowie die Schauspieler Friedrich von Thun und Günther Maria Halmer." [Source]

House of Basler Dresses Anna Netrebko in Couture Gowns

The opera star with Basler's Brian Rennie
at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

"The world-famous soprano Anna Netrebko is the new brand ambassador for Basler. The elaborate couture dresses that Anna Netrebko will be wearing at her concerts will be designed exclusively for her by our Creative Director, Brian Rennie. 'Anna has truly inspired me to create dream dresses in heavy silk satin, in yellow or midnight blue or with fine hand embroidery', says Brian Rennie. The premiere of our collaboration was on Friday, 29 July 2011, at the Royal Palace in Munich. This concert marked the launch of three open-air concerts that Anna Netrebko will give together with her life partner and bass-baritone Erwin Schrott, as well as the renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann. The other locations will be at Vienna’s Stadthalle on 06 August and at Berlin’s Waldbühne on 16 August. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra will accompany these three exceptional artists. The program is a diverse potpourri of classical masterpieces, which alternate between arias, duets and trios. The collaboration between Anna Netrebko and Brian Rennie is not unexpected. Both have known and appreciated each other for years. Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott were guest stars at Brian Rennie's first show for the Basler Fashion Week in Berlin in early July. 'Anna Netrebko has charisma, glamour. She is on the one side, the greatest soprano of our time and an amazing artist, and on the other, a modern sexy woman and mother', explains Brian Rennie. Anna Netrebko is also the ideal brand ambassador for Basler, as she combines modernity and coolness in a perfect symbiosis. The Basler brand has successively been emotionalised and consequently modernised since the arrival of Brian Rennie. 'My goal is this, that fashion from Basler is perceived and purchased by a wide audience regardless of age, nationality or clothing size.'" [Source]

Track updates on the relationship between the opera singer and dress designer by visiting their facebook page here. See more photos of Anna Netrebko wearing Basler creations after the jump.

 

Anna Netrebko Gets MET Release for the Autumn

On September 16, Deutsche Grammophon will release Anna Netrebko - Live at the Metropolitan Opera. According to the Anna Netrebko blog:

"The CD...includes works by Prokofiev, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Gounod, Offenbach and Puccini. Anna Netrebko sings with top opera singers such as Dimitri Hvorostovsky, Juan Diego Florez, Roberto Alagna, Joseph Calleja and Piotr Beczala. Valery Gerviev, Sylvain Cambreling, Placido Domingo and James Levine conduct the Metroplitan Opera Orchestra." [Source]

"Summit of the Stars": Netrebko, Schrott and Kaufmann in Munich

They came, they sang, they conquered. The opera trio performed to a crowd of 15,000 who were willing to pay ticket prices up to $500 for tickets. There was beer and champagne, as well as pretzels and steak. The open-air concert managed to avoid the rains as well. Read a summation here: "Opernstars aus Russland, Uruguay und Bayern, dazu ein tschechisches Orchester mit italienischem Dirigenten: Es geht international zu beim "Gipfeltreffen der Stars.' Bunt gemischt ist auch das Programm, das Sopranistin Anna Netrebko, Bassbariton Erwin Schrott und Tenor Jonas Kaufmann am Freitagabend in München bei ihrem ersten gemeinsamen Auftritt präsentieren: Opern- und Operettenmelodien aus drei Jahrhunderten - von Mozart über Verdi und Gounod bis hin zu Gershwin und Tauber. Obwohl die vor den klassizistischen Propyläen aufgebaute Bühne 38 mal 16 Meter misst, ist sie dicht gefüllt. Mehr als 100 Musiker bevölkern das Podium: Die drei Opernstars
werden begleitet von der Prager Philharmonie unter der Leitung von Marco Armiliato und dem Philharmonischen Chor München. Bis die rund 15.000 Menschen auf dem Königsplatz Netrebko, ihren Lebensgefährten Schrott und Kaufmann erstmals zusammen zu hören bekommen, vergeht fast eine Stunde. Unmittelbar vor der Pause singen die drei Klassikstars das Finale des 3. Akts der eher unbekannten Verdi-Oper I lombardi alla prima crociata. Ein zweites Terzett folgt am Ende des Konzerts mit dem Finale des 5. Akts aus Gounods Faust. Dazwischen sind die Sänger allein oder im Duett zu hören. Netrebko und ihr Lebensgefährte Schrott begeistern mit einem Stück aus Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Kaufmann gibt mit der Russin Duette von Massenet und Verdi zum besten. Alle drei Sänger wie auch der italienische Dirigent präsentieren sich gut gelaunt und streuen hin und wieder einen Scherz ein. Netrebko gab bereits 2005 und 2009 große Open-Air-Konzerte auf dem Königsplatz. Für Kaufmann ist des zwar eine Premiere, trotzdem aber ein echtes Heimspiel: Von der Bühne aus kann er zur Münchner Musikhochschule hinüberblicken, an der 'ich das Handwerk gelernt habe,' wie er dem Publikum sagt. Viel Zeit habe er hier verbracht. 'Sie können sich vorstellen, wie wohl es mir geht.' Und Kaufmann ist es auch, der während des Konzerts die meisten "Bravo"-Rufe erhält. Trotz Ticketpreisen von bis zu 340 Euro ist der Königsplatz nahezu komplett gefüllt. An 15 Ständen können sich die Fans mit Champagner und Bier, Steaks und Brezn versorgen. Am Fanartikel-Stand decken sich junge wie ergraute Konzertbesucher mit Kaufmann-Netrebko-Schrott-Tassen, -T-Shirts, -Schlüsselanhängern und -Sitzkissen ein. Das "Gipfeltreffen der Stars" ist ein großes Musikevent, das Open-Air-Konzerten von Popstars in nichts nachsteht. Auch hinter den Absperrungen haben es sich zahlreiche Münchner bequemt gemacht, um dem Konzertabend zu lauschen. Und wie bei einem Popkonzert stürmt ein Teil des Publikums am Ende des fast dreistündigen Auftritts vor die Bühne, zückt Fotohandys und Kameras. Bei den Zugaben erreicht die Stimmung ihren Höhepunkt. Netrebko singt 'O mio babbino caro' von Puccini (aus Gianni Schicchi), Schrott einen Tango aus seiner südamerikanischen Heimat und Kaufmann Lehár's 'Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert' (aus Giuditta). Trotz schlechter Wetterprognosen bleibt es ein trockener Abend für die Konzertbesucher - zur Erleichterung von Kaufmann: 'Ich bin Münchner. Und ich hätte mich furchtbar geschämt, wenn hier alles baden gegangen wäre.' Weitere gemeinsame Auftritte haben die drei Sänger in der Wiener Stadthalle (6. August) und auf der Berliner Waldbühne (16. August)." [Source]

Head over to the Anna Netrebko blog for more photos of the concert:

Also, if you want to sample a little of what you may have missed, you can buy this compilation CD put out by Universal prior to the concerts:

Netrebko and Schrott Will Open Restaurant in Vienna

"Operndiva Anna Netrebko und Bassbariton Erwin Schrott wollen ein Restaurant eröffnen – und zwar in Wien, wie sie in einem Interview für die morgen erscheinende NEWS-Ausgabe bekannt geben. Die Stadt bleibt Lebensmittelpunkt, obwohl beide in der nächsten Saison keine Auftritte an der Staatsoper haben. Beide lassen auch hinsichtlich der Salzburger Festspiele, die sie in diesem Sommer nachhaltig mitgestalten, aufhorchen: Anna Netrebko singt dort zwar nächstes Jahr die Mimi in La Bohème, hat aber für die folgenden Jahre der Intendanz Alexander Pereira keine Anfrage. Schrott ist in dieser Ära überhaupt nicht gebucht. „Ja, das tut es" antworten beide einstimmig auf die Frage ob sie das schmerze. Am 6. August treten beide mit dem Tenor Jonas Kaufmann in der Wiener Stadthalle zu einem Galakonzert mit Arien, Duetten und sonstigem auf. Gelegenheit also, für länger Abschied zu nehmen."

NEWS: Stimmt es, dass Sie demnächst ein Restaurant eröffnen werden?
Netrebko: Wir dachten, dass es doch auch noch etwas anderes außerhalb der Oper geben muss. Das Restaurant machen wir aus Leidenschaft. Da geht es nicht ums Geschäft, denn ich weiß, wie schwierig es ist, ein Restaurant professionell zu führen. Aber wir kochen gern und lieben beide gutes Essen in guter Gesellschaft. Wir wollen etwas Neues entwickeln.

NEWS: Wird das Restaurant in Wien sein?
Netrebko: Ja, ich denke schon.
Schrott: Ja. Und dann übernehmen wir die Welt!

NEWS: Was wird auf der Speisekarte stehen? Churrasco oder Borschtsch?
Schrott: Darüber haben wir noch keine Entscheidung getroffen.

[Source]

See more photos of the couple, currently in Salzburg, after the jump.

More photos can be found here.

Magazine Cover Models: Erwin Schrott and Anna Netrebko

Opera Chic gives complete coverage of the Italian magazine Io Donna cover story titled "Viviamo d'Arte, Viviamo d'Amore." The blog post gives an English translation to the interview as well as lots more photos. These two have really cranked up the sexy volume in the opera world. As much as they lead separate lives, it is apparent that the couple is very much a singular force with both business and family. Check out the Opera Chic post here.

Limelight Magazine Picks Their Top 10 Opera Film Selections

Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike
Sylvia Sass doing Bartók.

Paulo Montoya chooses from a plethora of operatic depictions on celluloid and narrows the best down to the top 10. Directors include such luminaries as Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Robert Dornhelm, Miklós Szinetár, Gianfranco de Bosio and Götz Friedrich, while some of the greatest opera singers in the last 60 years featured include Mirella Freni, Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Leonie Rysanek and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The most recent film on the list is Puccini's La Bohème featuring Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón from 2009. Chances are many of the titles are available on demand through Netflix. Sounds like a good chance to stay inside from the summer heat and see some cinematic excellence. View the full list.

Erwin Schrott Admits to GQ He Feels Like a Circus Performer

The ring master in Paris.

"Das Auftreten auf internationalen Bühnen genießt Schrott: 'Der Wunsch, herumzukommen im Leben, war in der Tat immer ein Motiv für meine Entscheidungen. Ich träumte als Kind schon davon, in einem Wanderzirkus zu arbeiten. Deswegen wurde mein Traum auch wahr – letztlich bin ich ja nichts anderes als ein vagabundierender Zirkusartist. Ich habe mich nie mit Alternativen beschäftigt', berichtet Schrott. 'Meine Eltern mussten immer schuften – mir dagegen erscheint es so, als wäre das, was ich tue, gar keine Arbeit.'"

He also discusses his love of Anna Netrebko and that he wants nothing more for her than to be happy. He also talks about his days growing up in Uruguay and getting caught smoking on the school yard. Check out the August 2011 issue of German GQ for the complete interview. [Source]

Erwin Schrott Shows Off His New Blonde Locks in Köln

Read all about the concert by clicking here.

The New Ortofon Flagship MC Anna Inspired by Netrebko

According to the June 2011 HiFi Newsletter of Ortofon:
At the High-End show May 2011 in Munich Ortofon was very pleased to showcase the brand newest High End flagship MC Anna. Ortofon has a long tradition paying tribute to the persons who had been a feature of the High-End culture, Ortofon culture and Music culture and history. In honour of these remarkable persons Ortofon launched a number of products through the last years, incl. MC Windfeld, MC Rohmann, Kontrapunkt BACH series etc. This year we are very proud and honoured to introduce our new High End cartridge MC Anna, dedicated to the virtuoso opera singer Anna Netrebko. By this we will emphasizes our commitment and devotion to the music, pure musicality and the power it possesses. MC Anna represents a combination of following elements very characteristic for Ortofon:
- The housing and the body of the cartridge are made in Titanium with SLM technique. The Selective Laser Melting technique was pioneered by Ortofon for manufacturing of the MC A90, SPU 90th Anniversary and Xpression cartridges.
- The new improved magnet system which Ortofon has patent pending. High performance iron-cobalt alloy is applied for some parts of the magnet system
The new revolutionary armature damping system that provides complete elimination of unwanted resonance.
- Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, thin and light, with an extraordinarily large contact surface, tracing accuracy unparalleled by any other needle in existence. Special polished Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 on Boron cantilever provides more responsive and transparent sound reproduction. [Source]

Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott Will Make History

"For the first time in the history of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, a New Year’s concert will be presented in addition to a New Year’s Eve concert, featuring performers no less renowned than those singing in the final show of the year. Latvian mezzosoprano Elina Garanča and German tenor Jonas Kaufmann will take to the stage together for the concert on 31st December 2011 at 5pm, then Anna Netrebko and her husband Erwin Schrott will launch the New Year with arias and duets at the first ever New Year’s Concert, which will be presented on Tuesday 3rd January 2012 at 8pm." [Source]

Anna Netrebko Laments Stabbed Mother in Pergolesi "Dolorosa"

Photos: Anna Netrebko is Anna Bolena

(Photo: Michael Pöhn/Wiener Staatsoper)

Head over to the Intermezzo blog to see a whole lot of photos from the production of Anna Bolena that is to be premiered at the Wiener Staatsoper on April 2 featuring Anna Netrebko in the title role, Elīna Garanča and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo. There is also an article in the Kurier with more photos.

Anna Netrebko: The Queen That Changes Diapers

Anna talks Anna with Peter Jarolin of the Kurier

In a new Kurier interview, Anna Netrebko reveals her thoughts about the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena which she will debut in Vienna this Saturday, April 2. Other topics in the interview include new recordings (she hopes the performances will be recorded for CD and DVD), upcoming roles (Manon Lescaut and Il Trovatore), her future plans for singing at the Vienna State Opera with Erwin Schrott (Le Nozze di Figaro and Eugene Onegin) and how her German language skills are coming along (she hopes once son Tiago starts kindergarten that he will help teach

her). When the soprano admits that she has always wanted to play a queen on stage, the interviewer says that she is already the "Königen der Oper" to which she responds that all of that doesn't matter when you're changing your son's diapers.
[Source]

Royal Wedding Music, Part 2: Who Would Be Available To Sing?

POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR ROYAL WEDDING SOLOIST
In a business where professionals are contracted out five years in advance, what singer could possible be free to sing for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011? Checking schedules of the top dozen front-runners for the job discloses that some could be a private jet ride away from the event:

Renée Fleming will have completed her last performance of Strauss's Capriccio at the Metropolitan Opera on April 23 and has a Strauss concert of orchestral songs and scenes from Arabella with the Berlin Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann.

Anna Netrebko sings the Pergolesi Stabat Mater on April 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, and again on May 2 in Toulouse, France.

Kate Royal makes her Metropolitan Opera debut the night of April 29 in Orfeo ed Euridice. The second performance of the run is May 4. There are only five performances of the Gluck opera.

Angela Gheorghiu has concerts on April 27 and May 1 at the National Concert Hall in Seoul, Korea.

Marina Poplavskaya is performing The Tsar's Bride of Rimsky-Korsakov at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden during the month of April and her penultimate performance in the run takes place at 7PM on April 29.

Anja Harteros just canceled her appearances at the San Diego Opera as the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, but is to appear in that very role on May 4 in Wiesbaden. She will be singing performances of Mimí in La Bohème at the Hamburg State Opera on April 23 & 30.

Cecilia Bartoli makes her way to Down Under for concerts in Australia on March 15 & 18. Then there is nothing in her schedule until a May 5 concert performance with Orchestra La Scintilla in Berlin.

Elīna Garanča the mezzo-soprano is singing the role of Giovanna Seymour in Donizett's Anna Bolena with a last performance at the Wien Staatsoper in Austria on April 17 and the first performance of the same work at the Opernhaus Zürich in Switzerland on May 21.




What about the possibility of a male performing during the ceremony?

Rolando Villazón will be in rehearsals at the Royal Opera House for Massenet's Werther which will have its opening night on May 5.

Plácido Domingo sings a concert with Ana María Martínez in Puerto Rico on April 17 and then will head to Washington, D.C., for Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride opening on May 6.

Jonas Kaufmann can be found at the Metropolitan Opera in the middle of performing the role of Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre. Performance dates bookend the nuptials date: April 28 and May 2.

Bryn Terfel is also at the Metropolitan Opera taking on the role of Wotan with performances scheduled on April 28 and May 2.

Anna Netrebko Has Accident But Still Has a Ball in Slovakia

Netrebko and Schrott celebrating the new National Theater

Fresh off the heels of the Vienna Opera Ball, Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott arrived at the Crystal Ball as promised. After a rocky red carpet with their Mercedes getting into a minor accident, the couple signed autographs and strode into the party taking place in Bratislava. The duo performed and José Cura was also on hand for a rendition of "Nessun Dorma." [Source]

Watch the video of Anna and Erwin arriving (with the chauffeur crashing into the garbage can) here and check out more photos after the jump.