The occasion for which Gioachino Rossini composed Il viaggio a Reims was «royal» in the truest sense of the word: Charles X was anointed king in 1825. The coronation in Reims was followed by lavish celebrations in Paris, during which all of the city's theaters were to present a suitably themed commissioned work. In their opera, Rossini and his librettist Luigi Balocchi paid homage to Charles X, who was present at the premiere, in their very own way: 14 notables from various European countries gather at the luxurious «Zur Goldenen Lilie» spa. But they are unable to reach the coronation in Reims, their actual destination, because all the horses in the city have been rented out. So the European delegates are stuck – and spend the time first and foremost preoccupied with themselves. Frenchwoman Madame de Folleville, for example, is inconsolable when she is informed that her suitcases containing the latest fashions from Paris have gone missing... Mini-dramas, love and jealousy scenes play out, but all without consequences. At the end, the national anthems of all the hotel guests are sung – including a Tyrolean yodel song – and together they pay tribute to the king with a hymn from afar.

Rossini’s delightfully absurd opera brings together dreamlike ensembles whose strange state of limbo allows them to defy time, as well as senseless, turbocharged banter that won’t just delight die-hard Rossini fans.

The vocal parts are among the most technically difficult Bel Canto roles of all – and present a wonderful challenge for the young talents of our International Opernstudio. The young Swiss conductor Dominic Limburg provides the orchestral spark for this concert performance.i

The occasion for which Gioachino Rossini composed Il viaggio a Reims was «royal» in the truest sense of the word: Charles X was anointed king in 1825. The coronation in Reims was followed by lavish celebrations in Paris, during which all of the city's theaters were to present a suitably themed commissioned work. In their opera, Rossini and his librettist Luigi Balocchi paid homage to Charles X, who was present at the premiere, in their very own way: 14 notables from various European countries gather at the luxurious «Zur Goldenen Lilie» spa. But they are unable to reach the coronation in Reims, their actual destination, because all the horses in the city have been rented out. So the European delegates are stuck – and spend the time first and foremost preoccupied with themselves. Frenchwoman Madame de Folleville, for example, is inconsolable when she is informed that her suitcases containing the latest fashions from Paris have gone missing... Mini-dramas, love and jealousy scenes play out, but all without consequences. At the end, the national anthems of all the hotel guests are sung – including a Tyrolean yodel song – and together they pay tribute to the king with a hymn from afar.

Rossini’s delightfully absurd opera brings together dreamlike ensembles whose strange state of limbo allows them to defy time, as well as senseless, turbocharged banter that won’t just delight die-hard Rossini fans.

The vocal parts are among the most technically difficult Bel Canto roles of all – and present a wonderful challenge for the young talents of our International Opernstudio. The young Swiss conductor Dominic Limburg provides the orchestral spark for this concert performance.i

Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

©Nasser Hashemi

Scenes by Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica with the collaboration of Giulio Ricordi and Giacomo Puccini

Scenes by Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica with the collaboration of Giulio Ricordi and Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

©Nasser Hashemi

Soziale Projekte unterstützen und Musik genießen – das können die Besucher der Sparda-Musiknacht miteinander verbinden. Seit Gründung der Stiftung Kunst, Kultur uns Soziales der Sparda-Bank West im Jahr 2004 finden Benefizkonzerte in wechselnden Spielstätten in NRW statt.

Auf diese Weise konnten in den vergangenen viele Menschen erreicht und mit klassischer Musik begeistert werden. Dabei dürfen sich die Besucher nicht nur auf ein großartiges Klangfeuerwerk freuen. Eine Besonderheit dieser Konzertreihe ist, dass jeder Besucher auch anderen etwas Gutes tut. Denn die Sparda-Stiftung orientiert sich an den Eintrittsgeldern und spendet einen großzügigen Betrag für wohltätige Zwecke.

Die diesjährige Sparda-Musiknacht in der Historischen Stadthalle Wuppertal findet am 28. November 2024 statt. Es spielt das Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal unter der Leitung von Dominic Limburg.

Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

©Nasser Hashemi

Scenes by Giacomo Puccini

Scenes based on "La vie de Bohème" by Henri Murger in four pictures

Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica with the collaboration of Giulio Ricordi and Giacomo Puccini

Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb. She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room. The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness. The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.

Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb. She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room. The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness. The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.

Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb. She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room. The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness. The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.

After two consecutive sold-out productions of ‘La Traviata’ in 2022 and ‘Tosca’ in 2023, Northern Ireland Opera returns to the Grand Opera House in September 2024 with Tchaikovsky’s stunning operatic masterpiece, ‘Eugene Onégin’.

Directed by Cameron Menzies, don’t miss your opportunity to see this award-winning national opera company’s new production of one of the most exciting stories ever set to music, by the composer of ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

After two consecutive sold-out productions of ‘La Traviata’ in 2022 and ‘Tosca’ in 2023, Northern Ireland Opera returns to the Grand Opera House in September 2024 with Tchaikovsky’s stunning operatic masterpiece, ‘Eugene Onégin’.

Directed by Cameron Menzies, don’t miss your opportunity to see this award-winning national opera company’s new production of one of the most exciting stories ever set to music, by the composer of ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

After two consecutive sold-out productions of ‘La Traviata’ in 2022 and ‘Tosca’ in 2023, Northern Ireland Opera returns to the Grand Opera House in September 2024 with Tchaikovsky’s stunning operatic masterpiece, ‘Eugene Onégin’.

Directed by Cameron Menzies, don’t miss your opportunity to see this award-winning national opera company’s new production of one of the most exciting stories ever set to music, by the composer of ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

After two consecutive sold-out productions of ‘La Traviata’ in 2022 and ‘Tosca’ in 2023, Northern Ireland Opera returns to the Grand Opera House in September 2024 with Tchaikovsky’s stunning operatic masterpiece, ‘Eugene Onégin’.

Directed by Cameron Menzies, don’t miss your opportunity to see this award-winning national opera company’s new production of one of the most exciting stories ever set to music, by the composer of ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

Programm

Wolfgang A. Mozart

Flötenkonzert Nr. 1 G-Dur K313

Solistin: Giovanni Gorla

Felix Mendelssohn

Violinkonzert für Violine und Streichorchester d-Moll

Solist: Giuseppe Tucci

C. M. von Weber

Concertino für Klarinette und Orchester Es-Dur

Solistin: Patricia Duarte

Franz Liszt

Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 Es-Dur

Solistin: Nicole Loretan

INTERMEZZO is the middle element in a Richard Strauss trilogy running at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in which director Tobias Kratzer shines a spotlight on phases in the trajectory of a relationship. Following on from ARABELLA, which explored the difficulties of courtship, INTERMEZZO studies the “wearisome lowlands”. And as with ARABELLA Kratzer makes out a modernity in the material that transfers well to the 21st century: on the one hand we have a woman looking for meaning beyond that of a wife but unable to make the break from her husband; on the other hand the real-life husband reinforcing his patriarchal role by creating a character based on his wife, thereby immortalising his own view of the relationship. Because Strauss is also creating a monument to his own artistry in the form of complex symphonic interludes – another subject explored by the production.

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb. She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room. The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness. The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.

Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb. She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room. The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness. The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Benjamin Britten [1913 – 1976]
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Conductor Dominic Limburg wants to bring young people closer to the orchestra with one of Benjamin Britten's best-known pieces: "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - the name says it all: it is the orchestra familiarisation piece par excellence. When all the instruments play at the same time in a concert, they are often difficult for untrained ears to distinguish. Here, on the other hand, the individual orchestra groups are dissected, their different sounds sounded out. As in a wine tasting, specific colours and aromas are pointed out. At the end, the whole orchestra comes together in a complicated fugue; if you have listened carefully beforehand, you can find the individual groups there. For me, it is one of the tasks of every orchestra to also develop formats for children and young people. That's exactly what we're doing with Britten's piece: it's an offer for young people to discover the orchestra."

Benjamin Britten [1913 – 1976]
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Conductor Dominic Limburg wants to bring young people closer to the orchestra with one of Benjamin Britten's best-known pieces: "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - the name says it all: it is the orchestra familiarisation piece par excellence. When all the instruments play at the same time in a concert, they are often difficult for untrained ears to distinguish. Here, on the other hand, the individual orchestra groups are dissected, their different sounds sounded out. As in a wine tasting, specific colours and aromas are pointed out. At the end, the whole orchestra comes together in a complicated fugue; if you have listened carefully beforehand, you can find the individual groups there. For me, it is one of the tasks of every orchestra to also develop formats for children and young people. That's exactly what we're doing with Britten's piece: it's an offer for young people to discover the orchestra."

Benjamin Britten [1913 – 1976]
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Conductor Dominic Limburg wants to bring young people closer to the orchestra with one of Benjamin Britten's best-known pieces: "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - the name says it all: it is the orchestra familiarisation piece par excellence. When all the instruments play at the same time in a concert, they are often difficult for untrained ears to distinguish. Here, on the other hand, the individual orchestra groups are dissected, their different sounds sounded out. As in a wine tasting, specific colours and aromas are pointed out. At the end, the whole orchestra comes together in a complicated fugue; if you have listened carefully beforehand, you can find the individual groups there. For me, it is one of the tasks of every orchestra to also develop formats for children and young people. That's exactly what we're doing with Britten's piece: it's an offer for young people to discover the orchestra."

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Director Julia Burbach places the story of Alcina in a clever frame story, which brings the intense depth of this woman's feelings even closer to us. We accompany the protagonist to a kind of psychological island that becomes a protected space for dealing with her emotional abysses. Because even though the play has a lot of stage magic in store, it is about real feelings of real people: We experience Alcina's journey from an angry abandoned woman to a desperate lover to a broken woman, accompanied by a lively and expressive music. In close collaboration with conductor Dominic Limburg, Julia Burbach has developed a very special version for Wuppertal, which, through bold cuts and a partially changed order, offers a completely new perspective on George Frideric Handel's otherwise unadulterated opera and takes Alcina's personal development a step further.

Andreas Homoki and set designer Wolfgang Gussmann take a linear, child-friendly approach to the story, bringing a levity and poetic imagery to the opulent music that are best exemplified in the nocturnal woodland scenes. There is no shortage of excitement and spine-chilling moments, and the dramatic appearance of the witch, eagerly awaited by younger audience members in particular, includes a humorous touch. Children aged 8 and upwards can enjoy Humperdinck’s tale of good triumphing over evil, in which Gretel und Hansel, by virtue of pluck and imagination, free not only themselves but all the other kids from the clutches of the witch.