Daniele Gatti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a Brahms symphony cycle and the composer's Ein deutsches Requiem over three concerts, tonight, February 27 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys a long and glorious association with the symphonies of Brahms and premiered his Second and Third symphonies in 1877 and 1883. The orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall following last season's extraordinary performances during the Vienna: City of Dreams festival. The orchestra begins its residency with Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 on February 27, followed by Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 on February 28. On March 1, soprano Diana Damrau, baritone Christian Gerhaher, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir led by Joe Miller join the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Mr. Gatti for Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45.
Acclaimed as the "leading coloratura soprano in the world" (New York Sun),
Diana Damrau continues to amaze audiences with her unique voice and arresting stage presence. A regular guest at the most renowned opera companies and concert halls, she was awarded the title Bayerische Kammersängerin in 2007 and named "Best Female Singer" at the 2014 International Opera Awards. An audience favorite at New York's Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Damrau has returned to New York every year since 2005, tackling Zerbinetta, Rosina, Aithra, Konstanze, Gilda, Lucia, Marie, Adèle (Rossini's Le comte Ory), and Adina, and causing a sensation by singing both her first Pamina and her last Queen of the Night in a 2007 run of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. A native of Günzburg an der Donau, Germany, Ms. Damrau studied voice with Carmen Hanganu at Würzburg Conservatory and with Hanna Ludwig in Salzburg. She made her professional operatic debut at Würzburg's Mainfrankentheater in 1995.
During his studies under Paul Kuen and Raimund Grumbach, German baritone Christian Gerhaher attended the Opera School of the Academy of Music in Munich and, together with his regular piano partner Gerold Huber, studied lied interpretation with Friedemann Berger. While completing his medical studies, Mr. Gerhaher perfected his vocal training in master classes given by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Inge Borkh. Mr. Gerhaher is himself an enthusiastic teacher and holds an honorary professorship at the Academy of Music in Munich. In 2013, he received the German Theatre Award "Der Faust" for his portrayal of Pelléas.
Recognized as one of the world's leading choral ensembles, the
Westminster Symphonic Choir has recorded and performed with major orchestras under virtually every internationally acclaimed conductor of the past 80 years. The ensemble is composed of juniors, seniors, and graduate students at Westminster Choir College. Recent seasons have included performances of Verdi's Requiem with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Berg's Wozzeck with the London Philharmonia and Esa-Pekka Salonen; Villa-Lobos' Choros No. 10 and Estévez' Cantata Criolla with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Gustavo Dudamel; Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and
Daniel Barenboim; and Rouse's Requiem with the
New York Philharmonic and
Alan Gilbert.
Daniele Gatti was born in Milan, where he studied piano, composition, and conducting at the city's Verdi Conservatory. He has recently been appointed the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's new chief conductor, a post he will assume in 2016. Mr. Gatti has been the music director of the Orchestre National de France since September 2008. Since September 2009, he has been the conductor laureate of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (of which he was the music director during the thirteen previous years). Prior to these appointments, he was music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1992-97), and of the Teatro Comunale in Bologna (1997-2007), principal guest conductor at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (1994-97), and principal conductor at the Zurich Opera House (2009-2012). Mr. Gatti has conducted many new productions at leading opera houses all over the world, including the Vienna State Opera (Simon Boccanegra, Moses und Aron, Otello, Boris Godunov, Lulu), La Scala Milan (Lohengrin, Wozzeck, Don Carlo, and Lulu), the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (Aida and Fidelio), the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Otello and Falstaff), the Zurich Opera House (Falstaff, Parsifal, Otello, Die Meistersinger von Nu?rnberg, and Mathis der Maler), and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he made his debut in a new production of Madama Butterfly in 1994, and where he returned in February 2013 for an acclaimed new production of Parsifal. In December 2013, he opened the new season at La Scala with La Traviata, closing the bicentenary Verdi celebrations.
There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more consistently and closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In the course of its 173-year history, the musicians of this most prominent orchestra of the capital city of music have been an integral part of a musical epoch that-thanks to an abundance of uniquely gifted composers and interpreters-must certainly be regarded as unique. Additionally, the Vienna Philharmonic's extensive touring schedule, prolific recordings and global television broadcasts allow its artistry to be experienced around the world. The orchestra's close association with this rich musical history is best illustrated by the statements of countless preeminent musical personalities of the past.
Richard Wagner described the orchestra as being one of the most outstanding in the world; Anton Bruckner called it "the most superior musical association"; Johannes Brahms counted himself a "friend and admirer";
Gustav Mahler claimed to be joined together through "the bonds of musical art"; and
Richard Strauss summarized these sentiments by saying: "All praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement."
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