Sir Simon Rattle News

The 2014-15 season sees one of Deborah Voigt's most personal projects come to fruition, with the HarperCollins publication of her candid, funny, and soul-baring memoir Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva. She also returns to the opera house, reprising her star turn in Francesca Zambello's Salome for her Dallas Opera debut; making her title role debut in a new staging of The Merry Widow at Michigan Opera Theater; and undertaking the roles of Elisabeth and Venus in Tannhäuser at the Hamburg State Opera – her first time singing both roles in the same production. To launch her new appointment as WQXR's inaugural Susan W. Rose Artist-in-Residence, Voigt co-hosts the opening-night broadcast of Carnegie Hall Live, joining WQXR host Jeff Spurgeon to present the Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle and Anne-Sophie Mutter live in concert from the New York venue. She herself headlines the season-opening concert of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and season-closing events at both the Pacific Symphony and the USM Symphony, which she joins for “An Evening with Deborah Voigt.” Meanwhile, as returning Artist-in-Residence at the Washington National Opera, the beloved soprano continues mentoring young singers in the company's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program throughout the season.

Making its Off-Broadway debut at The New Victory Theater from November 1 - November 9, Isango Ensemble's Young Vic production of The Magic Flute: Impempe Yomlingo reimagines Mozart's masterpiece opera with a South African context. Featuring township percussion, an orchestra of marimbas and a cast of more than thirty vibrant voices from the townships surrounding Cape Town, and winner of the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and a Globes de Cristal for Best Opera, this Magic Flute dazzles with drama, comedy and the sublime joy of finding true love.

The Berliner Philharmoniker releases its live recording of Bach's spiritual and dramatic St John Passion, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and staged by Peter Sellars, in a box set comprising both DVD and Blu-Ray, today, September 19.

The Utah Symphony and Music Director Thierry Fischer are joined by renowned piano soloist Yefim Bronfman at Abravanel Hall today and tomorrow, September 19 and 20 at 8 PM. Mr. Bronfman, a regular soloist with orchestras all around the world, will play Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2.

The Berliner Philharmoniker releases its live recording of Bach's spiritual and dramatic St John Passion, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and staged by Peter Sellars, in a box set comprising both DVD and Blu-Ray, on Friday, September 19. The linen-bound hardcover edition from the orchestra's new in-house label, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings, features St John Passion in the best possible picture and sound quality with extensive bonus material, including an interview with Sir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars, an introduction to the work by Chorus Master Simon Halsey, and a comprehensive booklet with photos. The set is available from www.berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com and Arkiv Music.

The Utah Symphony and Music Director Thierry Fischer are joined by renowned piano soloist Yefim Bronfman at Abravanel Hall on September 19 and 20 at 8 PM. Mr. Bronfman, a regular soloist with orchestras all around the world, will play Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2.

This fall, WQXR, New York City's classical music station and CARNEGIE HALL will once again bring concerts from the renowned concert hall to national and international audiences through live and recorded broadcasts and webcasts of 12 concerts from the 2014-15 season.

Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter--widely recognized as a champion of new music as well as for her commitment to artistic excellence, dedication to the growth of classical music, and for her support of young artists--presents a six-concert Carnegie Hall Perspectives series throughout the 2014-2015 season, demonstrating all of her core artistic interests. Ms. Mutter champions 20th- and 21st-century violin repertoire throughout her series, including contemporary works written for her by Sebastian Currier, Norbert Moret, and Andre Previn.

Thomas Adès, the brilliant British pianist, conductor, and composer who has been hailed as among 'the most imposing figures in contemporary music' (The New Yorker), will lead the Academy Festival Orchestra in its final concert of the 2014 Summer Festival season at Santa Barbara's historic Granada Theatre tonight, August 9.

Carnegie Hall launches its 2014-2015 season on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m. with an Opening Night Gala concert featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker and Music Director Sir Simon Rattle. The program includes Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist Anne-Sophie Mutter as well as Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and Stravinsky's closing scenes from The Firebird.

Thomas Adès, the brilliant British pianist, conductor, and composer who has been hailed as among “the most imposing figures in contemporary music” (The New Yorker), will lead the Academy Festival Orchestra in its final concert of the 2014 Summer Festival season at Santa Barbara's historic Granada Theatre on Saturday, August 9. Featuring Stravinsky's dramatic and innovative ballet Petrushka (1947 version) as well as Ives' Variations on “America,” Mr. Adès' own work Polaris: Voyage for Orchestra, and “Four Sea Interludes” from Britten's Peter Grimes, the concert will begin at 8 pm. Tickets start at $15.

It's not simply the inspiration of living under our beautiful flat-topped mountain with its snowy table cloth that makes Cape Town the undisputed opera capital of South Africa. There are other important factors. Like the support and presence of a vibrant university with a music department that year after year trains young men and women from all backgrounds to become polished performers in multi-languages.

It's not simply the inspiration of living under our beautiful flat-topped mountain with its snowy table cloth that makes Cape Town the undisputed opera capital of South Africa. There are other important factors. Like the support and presence of a vibrant university with a music department that year after year trains young men and women from all backgrounds to become polished performers in multi-languages.

British pianist Stephen Hough makes his much-anticipated Bravo! Vail debut with Maestro Jaap van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, June 29 at Vail's Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. For his debut, Hough has selected Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major-a work of deep complexity and epic beauty that is an established favorite among music lovers the world over. Also featured on this varied concert program are Faure's Suite from the Incidental Music to Maeterlinck's Pelleas et Melisande, and Ravel's Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloe. The evening closes with Ravel's most recognizable work, Bolero. Tickets for this concert titled 'Ravel's Bolero' are on sale now. Lawn tickets are $28 or $5 for children ages 12 and under. Visit bravovail.org or call the box office at 877.812.5700 for more information.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present the fourth annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival (PJLIF) this weekend, June 20-22, 2014.

Ehrenkranz Artistic Director Jane Moss today announced the schedule for Lincoln Center's fifth White Light Festival, October 7 through November 11, 2014. The multidisciplinary Festival spans 12 venues, and numerous musical traditions and genres. It will include 30 performances, films, and events and feature eight premieres, plus new works and debuts by artists and companies from the United States, Australia, Germany, Pakistan, Poland, the U.K. and South Africa - including the Lincoln Center debut of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Summer is just around the corner, and we are looking ahead in anticipation to the start of Carnegie Hall's 2014-2015 season! Listed below are classical music highlights at Carnegie Hall, including details on UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa, a three-week festival from October 10 to November 5, featuring an exciting array of events to be presented at Carnegie Hall and partner venues throughout New York City, inviting audiences to explore the incredibly dynamic and diverse culture of South Africa.

Opera Australia is pleased to announce that internationally renowned tenor, Jonas Kaufmann, will perform a second concert in Sydney on Sunday 17 August at Sydney Opera House. This performance will follow Jonas Kaufmann's two other concerts in Sydney and Melbourne.

Four-time Grammy winner and preeminent jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves recently released her first album in five years, Beautiful Life, to rave reviews. Beautiful Life, which made its debut in February of this year, is an emotionally charged volcanic journey covering the spectrum from jazz to soul. Ms. Reeves will share her passion for this album in her one-night performance at Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom June 16.