GEF

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

George Enescu Festival 2009

The Festival ended.
Long live the Festival!

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......It was my third festival. But this was the best experience so far. It was a challenge to attend so many concerts in only one month. Concerts for breakfast, tea-time concerts, evening delights, midnight greatness... Symphony, chamber music, recitals, opera, ballet, jazz... Palace Hall, Athenaeum, Opera House, National Theatre. There were 38 in total (no pictures for 3 of them). It was a rush, a hurricane sometimes. But I faced it and I'm so proud that all these amazing soloists and orchestras came to Bucharest.
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Some facts and figures, for you to see how big everything was:
- the program of the Festival included 280 works: 24 works by George Enescu, 80 works of Romanian contemporary music, 10 operas&ballets
- there were 175 events/concerts and over 1800 artists from abroad and 1300 Romanian artists took part in them.
- 13 symphonic orchestras from Europe, 14 chamber orchestras, 19 chamber groups, 6 choires, 41 soloists in concerts, 6 soloists in recital.
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- there were given 12 medals - "Cultural Order of Romania"
* Maxim Vengerov - conductor
* Dimitri Kitajenko - conductor
* Christian Zacharias - conductor and pianist
* Roberto Abbado - conductor
* Murray Perahia - conductor and pianist
* Vladimir Ashkenazy - conductor and pianist
* Yuri Temirkanov - conductor
* Yo Yo Ma - cello player
* Mariss Jansons - conductor
* Mischa Maisky - cello player
* Elisabeta Leonskaia - pianist
* Marek Janovski - conductor
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- sold out events:
* Palace Hall - 8th, 11th, 12th, 17th and 26th September
* National Theatre - both "La Belle" performances
* Romanian Opera House - YoYo Ma and the Roadsilk Ensamble
* Palace Small Hall - Swingle Singers
* Athenaeum - Murray Perahia, Elisabeta Leonskaia and all midnight concerts
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- 40.000 people in Festival Square (for the free open air concerts)
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- logistics:
* 6000 nights of accommodation in 9 hotels
* 20 charter flights
* 300 flight tickets on regular flights
* 8 small cars, 4 vans, 6 busses and 3 trucks - used every day
* more than 60 people that worked 24/24, 7/7 for one month
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I have my favorites. Of all I've seen and heard, I chose these:
* Symphonic - Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Concertgebouw conducted by Mariss Jansons (closely followed by Philharmonia conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy)
* Chamber music - Laussane Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christian Zacharias
* Recital - Elisabeta Leonskaia
* Opera and ballet - Monte Carlo Ballet with "La Belle"
* Swingle Singers
* Natalie Dessay
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A lot of people attended. I hope those who were there for the first time learned something. Please, next time, turn off your phones, stop caughing, if you're bored, stay at home, read something about those who'll perform in front of you, don't read the newspaper during the concert, don't open the fuzzy water bottle when it's complete silence, don't applaud in between the parts (if you're not sure, look at the people next to you or at the conductor. His gestures will let you know when it's over).
......In the end, thanks to all the people involved, to Mr Holender who talked to all these people and made them come to a place they might have not heard of before (aka Bucharest/Romania), to Mr Constantinescu, the Director of Artexim, who was everywhere all the time making sure everything goes well. To the 60 or more young people that dedicated more than 2 months of their lives to put the Festival together (they took care of accommodation, transportations, catering, meals, rehearsals, press, guests and everything else). Thanks to all the institutions involved, to all the sponsors and other great people that contributed. Thanks to the artists that came here and received all our love and gratitude every day.
......Thank you, my readers, who followed the blog every day, made comments or just looked at the pictures. Hope you enjoyed this event as much as I did. This post will remain on the first page a few more days. After that you'll find it on the right side of the blog. I have to do this as I'll attend more concerts/operas in the close future.
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See you again in 2011,
for the 20th edition of "George Enescu" International Festival!

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Orchestre de Suisse Romande/Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Palace Hall - 26.09
Munchener Philharmoniker Kammerorchester/Marin Cazacu - Athenaeum - 26.09
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Natalie Dessay - Athenaeum - 25.09
Bavarian Radio Orchestra / Mariss Jansons - Palace Hall - 24.09
Elisabeta Leonskaia - Athenaeum - 24.09
Natalie Dessay - press conference - 24.09
The Swingle Singers - 23.09
Orchestre du Capitole Toulouse/Tugan Sokhiev/Nelson Freire-Palace Hall-22.09
Mischa Maisky - Athenaeum - 21.09
National Radio Orchestra/Asher Fisch/Julian Rachlin - Palace Hall - 21.09
Teodor Ilincai / Anita Hartig - Festival Square - 20.09
Monte Carlo Ballet / La Belle / National Theatre - 20.09
Sostakovich & Beethoven/Concertgebouw/Mariss Jansons - Palace Hall - 20.09
Schubert / Wiener Kammerorchestre / Heinrich Schiff - Athenaeum - 18.09
Sankt Petersburg Orchestra/Yuri Temirkanov / Helene Grimaud-Palace Hall - 17.09
Philharmonia / Vladimir Ashkenazy / Dan Grigore - Palace Hall - 16.09
Saint Martin in the Fields / Murray Perahia - Athenaeum - 15.09
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Nikolai Lugansy/Cristian Mandeal - Palace Hall - 14.09
Manon Lescaut - Daniela Dessi / Fabio Armiliato / Keri-Lynn Wilson - 13.09
Haydn Reloaded - LCO / Christian Zacharias / Marc Broillet - Athenaeum - 12.09
Saint Saens, Lalo and Ravel - RPO/Andreescu/Joshua Bell - Palace Hall - 12.09
Prague Sinfonia / Christian Benda / Jean-Phillipe Collard - Athenaeum - 12.09
Haydn - Lausanne Chamber Orchestra / Christian Zacharias - Athenaeum - 11.09
Enescu, Mussorgsky and Beethoven - RPO/Nigel Kennedy/Charles Dutoit - 11.09
Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky - Rudolf Buchbinder / Dimitrij Kitajenko - 10.09
Faure Quartett - Athenaeum - 10.09
Stravinsky and Enescu - Dimitrij Kitajenko - Palace Hall - 09.09
Beethoven's Triple Concert&5th Symphony - Maxim Vengerov conducting - 08.09
Il Giardino Armonico - Marie-Claude Chappuis - Athenaeum - 06.09
Rehearsal with Maxim Vengerov - Palace Hall - 06.09
Otello - Gazale/Farina/Gurban - Romanian Opera House - 05.09
"Firebird" - communitary dance - National Theatre - 05.09
Oedipe reloaded with reviews in the Festival's Journal - 02.09
Oedipe - Franco Ferrari - Romanian Opera House - 30.08
Articles about the Festival in Romanian and international press

Monday, September 28, 2009

Festival Square-Teodor Ilincai-Anita Hartig-20.09

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Festival Square - free open air concert
Orchestra: "Banatul" Philharmonic from Timisoara
Teodor Ilincai - tenor
Anita Hartig - soprano
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Program
- Georges Bizet, Aragonaise, Séguédille, Les Toréadors, Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante - Carmen
- Charles Gounod, Salut, demeure chaste et pure - Faust
- P. I. Tchaikovsky, Flower valse - Nutcracker
- Antonin Dvořák, Dans slav nr. 8
- Pietro Mascagni, Intermezzo - Cavalleria rusticana
- Giacomo Puccini, Che gelida manina, Si, mi chiamano Mimi, O Soave fanciulla - La Boheme
- Aram Haciaturian, Adagio - Spartacus
- Giuseppe Verdi, Brindisi -Traviata
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A few videos, for you to listen to their amazing voices
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Che gelida manina - La Boheme - Teodor Ilincai

Kuda, kuda - Eugene Onegin - Teodor Ilincai


Ah, la paterna mano - Macbeth - Teodor Ilincai

Donde lieta usci - La Boheme - Anita Hartig

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Teodor Ilincai and Anita Hartig





Sunday, September 27, 2009

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande-Marek Janowski-Jean-Yves Thibaudet-Liszt-Palace Hall-26.09

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Palace Grand Hall
Series "Great Orchestras"
ORCHESTRE DE LA SUISSE ROMANDE
Conductor: MAREK JANOWSKI
Soloist: JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET
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Program:
Enescu – Suite no. 1 in C Major op. 9
Liszt – Concerto no. 2 for piano and orchestra in A Major
Brahms – Symphony no. 2 in D Major op. 73
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.....This was the last concert of the Festival. Happy to be there, but sad it was over. Mr Holender and the Minister of Culture, Mr Paleologu, came on stage to say a few words. Mr Holender has been appointed Director of the Fesitval for 2011 too. Very good news. His presence here guarantees high quality of music.
......I loved every second of it. The orchestra was good, the soloist did a great Liszt. No further comments. For me it was the perfect ending.
......And this was the encore
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Brahms's 3rd Symphony, 3rd movement - Herbert von Karajan - Tokyo - 1981


Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Marek Janowski



......A vivid recitalist, in 2007-08 Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs at Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Carnegie’s Zankel Hall in New York and Chicago’s Symphony Hall. Additional recitals take him to Japan, Germany, Spain, and several US cities. Mr. Thibaudet’s season is rounded out by performances at some of the world’s most renowned festivals, which include the Tuscan Sun, Ravinia and Saratoga Festivals in summer 2007, the historic December Nights of Sviatoslav Richter Festival in Moscow, followed by January performances at the Cartagena Festival in Colombia and the New Zealand Festival in March. An active chamber musician, Jean-Yves Thibaudet collaborates regularly with other notable artists, and tours with Takács Quartet in April 2008.
......Jean-Yves Thibaudet is an exclusive recording artist for Decca, which has released over 30 of his albums, earning the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or, Choc de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, two Echo awards, and the Edison Prize. His latest recording, Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerti Nos. 2&5, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, released in early fall 2007, follows the album, Aria—Opera Without Words, which was released in February 2007, inspired by the artist’s love and admiration for the human voice as "the best vehicle for expression in music." The disc features transcriptions of opera arias by Saint-Saëns, R. Strauss, Gluck, Korngold, Bellini, J. Strauss II and Puccini; some of the transcriptions are by Mikhashoff, Sgambati and Brassin, others—Thibaudet’s own. Thibaudet was the soloist on the 2005 Oscar-nominated soundtrack of Universal Pictures’ Pride and Prejudice, and in 2005 released his recording of Strauss’s Burleske with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Among other recordings are Satie: The Complete Solo Piano Music, and the jazz albums Reflections on Duke: Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays the music of Duke Ellington and Conversations with Bill Evans, his tribute to two of jazz history’s greats.
......Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age five and made his first public appearance at age seven. At twelve, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age fifteen, he won the Premier Prix de Conservatoire and three years later, won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. In 2001, the Republic of France awarded Thibaudet the prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2002, he was awarded the Premio Pegasus from the Spoleto Festival in Italy, for his artistic achievements and his longstanding involvement with the festival. His most recent accolade is the 2007 Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoire de la Musique. (festivalenescu.ro)
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......Listen here to Jean-Yves Thibaudet playing Liszt's 2nd piano concerto. It's just an excerpt, but after that you'll want to listen more.
......Thank you, Mr Thibaudet. See you next year, in Los Angeles.

Munchener Philharmoniker Kammerorchester-Lorenz Nasturica Herschcowici-Marin Cazacu-Athenaeum-26.09

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Romanian Atheneum
Series "Chamber Music"
"MUNCHENER PHILHARMONIKER KAMMERORCHESTER"
Orchestra sponsored by Stelian Gheorghe
Conductor: LORENZ NASTURICA HERSCHCOWICI
Soloist: MARIN CAZACU
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Program:
Respighi - Antique Dance
Paul Constantinescu - Concerto for strings
Haydn - Symphony no. 43 E flat Major "Mercury"
Haydn - Concerto for cello and orchestra in C Major
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Symphonierochester der Bayerischen Rundfunks-Mariss Janons-24.09

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Palace Grand Hall
Series "Great Orchestras"
SYMPHONIEORCHESTER DES BAYERISCHEN RUNDFUNKS
Conductor: MARISS JANSONS
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Program:
Beethoven – Symphony no. 7 in A Major op. 92
Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Vorspiel und Liebestod)
Strauss - "Rosenkavalier" Suite
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......For me, this was the best concert at the Palace Hall. This might be debatable for those who enjoyed more Concertgebouw. Let me tell you that at this level it's difficult to say who's better. Of course, the specialists could find many differences, technically speaking. But I'm not talking about this. I'm talked about what I felt when listening. Mariss Jansons is a magician and he proved it again on this evening. I've never heard that sound for Wagner before. Impressed? The word is not enough to describe the feeling. It was the first time I had tears in my eyes when listening to symphonic music. It was powerful, every note was in its place. It was a true music lesson for any listener but also for any orchestra in this world. This is what means to play with your soul, to think of each small detail, to creat an idea and to move it throughout the score. I felt the love, the struggle, the serenity towards the end. How amazing were those prolonged cadenzas that left me breathless in order not to disturb the chord that came right after to solve the idea.
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......Listen here to this great piece, Prelude and "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde .
......Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons (2009) Grand Philharmonic Hall, St. Petersburg




.....Beethoven's 7th Symphony was great too. I particularly like the second movement. Somebody that I admire very much put some words on the music.
......Listen here to the original - Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan (yes, again this orchestra&conductor) and then to the other version.




......The Rosenkavalier Suite ended a perfect evening of German, romantic music. Should it be the fact that Mariss Jansons has been leading this orchestra since 2003 and he has a contract signed untill 2012? Should it be the fact that the instrumentists don't consider this just a job? Music is not a job. It's art made with love and passion. The result was in front of my eyes. In front of your eyes is you were there. I'm still under the spell cast by Jansons on that evening. I'm sure he'll be back in 2011.
......Listen to them playing it.
......Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons (2009) Grand Philharmonic Hall, St. Petersburg




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Mariss Janons and the concert master








......Maestro, ladies and gentlemen of the orchestra, you have all my respect!

Elisabeta Leonskaia-Ravel-Enescu-Debussy-Chopin-Recital-Athenaeum-24.09

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Romanian Atheneum
Series "Chamber Music"
Recital ELISABETHA LEONSKAIA
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Program
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Maurice Ravel - « Valses nobles et sentimentales »
George Enescu - Sonate for piano f sharp minor op. 24 no. 1 (1924)
Claude Debussy - « Preludes » - « Le vent dans la plaine »
- « La fille aux cheveux de lin » (I)
- « Feux d’artifice » (II)
Frederic Chopin - Scherzo no. 1 h minor op. 20
- Scherzo no. 2 b minor op. 31
- Scherzo no. 3 c sharp minor op. 39
- Scherzo no. 4 E Major op. 54
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......This was a really beautiful program. And difficult as well. Mrs Leonskaia won the piano competition of the "George Enescu" Festival 45 years ago. She came back for the Festival 2 years ago, with a concert at the Palace Hall. Then she was scheduled to sing with the Philharmonic here in Bucharest, during the season, but she had some sort of injury. She was here but couldn't play. So this was a great opportunity to see her again. I enjoyed every second.
......There were a lot of people in the hall. Many more than for other concerts. There were 2 encores. Then the Minister of Culture offered her the "Cultural Order". Instead of words, she played another song.
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......For decades now, Elisabeth Leonskaja has been among the most celebrated pianists of our time. In a world dominated by the media, Elisabeth Leonskaja has remained true to herself and to her music, and in doing so, is following in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era, such as David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, who never wavered in their focus on the quintessence of music despite working in a very difficult political environment. Her almost legendary modesty still makes her somewhat media-shy today. Yet as soon as she walks out on the stage, audiences can sense the force behind the fact that music is and always has been her life’s work.
......Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, to a Russian family, she was regarded as a child prodigy and gave her first concerts as early as age 11. Her exceptional talent soon brought her to study at the Moscow Conservatory. While still a student at the Conservatory, she won prizes in the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long and Queen Elizabeth international piano competitions.
......Elisabeth Leonskaja’s musical development was shaped or influenced to a decisive degree by her collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter. The master recognized her exceptional talent and fostered her development not only through teaching and giving her advice, but also by inviting her to play numerous duets with him. A memorable musical event! The musical partnership and personal friendship between Sviatoslav Richter and Elisabeth Leonskaja endured until Richter’s death in the year 1997. In 1978 Elisabeth Leonskaja left the Soviet Union and made her new home in Vienna. Her sensational performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1979 marked the beginning of her steadily blossoming career as a concert pianist in the west.
......Elisabeth Leonskaja has appeared as a soloist with virtually all the leading orchestras in the world, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestr London, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and many others, under the baton of such leading conductors as: Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Sanderling, Maris Jansons, Yuri Temirkanov and many others.
......In her adopted home, the Republic of Austria, Elisabeth Leonskaja’s outstanding achievements have also gained her great recognition. She has been made an Honorary Member of the Konzerthaus of Vienna. In 2006, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor, First Class, for her services to the cultural life of the country – the highest award of its kind in Austria.
......Today the "Lioness of the Keyboard" has matured into an exceptional pianist, one who is above emphasizing her virtuosity and who enjoys the warmest of receptions wherever she appears. (festivalenescu.ro)
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Saturday, September 26, 2009

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonice Bremen-Louis Langree-Peter Jablonsky-Natalie Dessay-25.09

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Romanian Atheneum
Midnight concerts
DEUTSCHE KAMMERPHILHARMONIE BREMEN
"MADRIGAL" NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR
Conductor: LOUIS LANGREE
Conductor of the choir: Voicu Popescu
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Program:
Mozart – "Maurerische Trauermusik" KV 477
Mozart – Concerto for piano and orhcestra no. 17 in G Major K 453
Soloist: PETER JABLONSKI - pian
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Mozart – Missa in c minor K 427
Soloists:
NATALIE DESSAY, Soprano
LISA LARSSON, Soprano II
EMANUEL-CRISTIAN CARAMAN, Tenor
SIMON KIRKBRIDE, Bas
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......Who would have thought two days ago that the Festival would produce such a nice surprise? Itwas even better that I could see her in concert because, as she declared, she doesn't like concerts too much. Thanks to Mr Holender (I think), she came to Bucharest on such a short notice. And the Hall was perfect for this kind of music.
......During the first part, Mr Jablonski performed a clean, by-the-book Mozart concert.
Peter Jablonski




......The Missa was performed after the interval. And I saw that more people entered the hall, coming to listen to her. The orchestra came on stage, then the choir. This choir is a legend here. They're very good and easily recognizable because of the dresses of the ladies. Wearing a long, black dress and carying a bottle of water and the score, Natalie Dessay entered the stage followed by the other 3 soloists and the conductor. She leaned, smiled to the audience and sat down. The music started. Knowing what she said at the press conference about the audience being too close to stage during a concert, I paid attention to what she's doing when she's not singing. Her eyes had two directions. Either the score in front of her or the ceiling. She looked in the audience two or three times only. I guess it's a matter of keeping concentration. People in the hall had high expectations. And she did a wonderful job. A crystal clear voice that delivered Mozart's message. I especially liked the last 15 minutes as the voices warmed up and sounded perfectly.
......For those who heard her before, this is a confirmation (live) of her value. Those who listened to her for the first time might want to repeat the experience. But since she's an opera singer in the first place, this is where she gives her best. So try to see her performing in an opera, live or recorded. She sings a lot in Europe and there are plenty of DVDs available in music stores. As a suggestion: La Fille du Regiment with Juan Diego Florez - on DVD (see here)or live (next year at ROH).
......There is also her latest CD that is worth all the attention. Bach - Cantatas, released this year under Virgin Classics. Click on the photo for more information.
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......And now enjoy the pictures. And say good bye (as i did) to the midnight concerts at the Athenaeum. This was the last one during the Festival.








From left to right: Lisa Larsson, Natalie Dessay, Emanuel Cristian Caraman, Simon Kirkbride