Alejo Pérez Conducts Festive Reunion of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

For the first time since March 2020, the internationally acclaimed Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Chorus will once again perform together for a festive concert. Under the musical direction of maestro Alejo Pérez and with soloists from the international stage, they will offer an evening dedicated to liberation and to chasing away the darkness.

'Ihr werdet froh euch wiedersehn' are the words of Sarastro in the second act of Die Zauberflöte, and they certainly apply to this concert.

After almost ten months, our entire Symphony Orchestra and Chorus - both nominated for an International Opera Award 2020 - will once again play together live from Opera Ghent. The orchestra members and the soloists will be on stage and the Chorus will sing from the auditorium, all according to current Belgian safety regulations.

This festive concert will carry us towards the light. We will leave the darkness behind and celebrate freedom regained. Ludwig van Beethoven's 'liberation opera' Fidelio is therefore a must in this context, but Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth is also about a country longing for redemption.

In addition to these two works, which form the common thread throughout the concert, there will be arias from Die Zauberflöte (W. A. Mozart), La Damnation de Faust (H. Berlioz) and Die Walküre and Lohengrin (R. Wagner). Rounding out the programme are Cantique de Jean Racine (G. Fauré) and Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen from the Rückert-Lieder (G. Mahler.)

Normally, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen would have staged a production of Tristan und Isolde around this time. This production will be moved to a later season, but we have kept the singers. Soloists from Belgium will share the stage with international names, a mix of young talent and established power.

The Argentinian soprano Carla Filipcic Holm will make her debut with us and will be joined by the young Italian soprano Elisa Soster, who is a member of our young ensemble this season. The American mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davies, formerly of our young ensemble, is a familiar face to our audience. She returns to our stage where she was last seen as Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos.

The Belgian tenor Denzil Delaere is also an alumnus of our young ensemble and returns as a guest. He shares tenor parts with the Swedish tenor Michael Weinius who is one of the most sought-after Wagner interpreters of the moment.

Audiences will remember the young Belgian baritone Ivan Thirion from Der Schmied von Gent as Saint Joseph. The Croat Goran Jurić, who previously performed with us as Heinrich in Lohengrin, will sing the bass parts. The Belgian tenor Erik Dello, the Belgian baritone Kris Belligh and the Australian bass Simon Schmidt are the soloists from the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Chorus.

The concert will be broadcast live from Opera Ghent. It will be hosted by Klara radio presenter Katelijne Boon.

Artistic director Jan Vandenhouwe cordially invites you to attend the concert. Click here to reserve the link to the broadcast. You will receive the link half an hour before the start of the concert. It will remain valid for fourteen days.

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Information:

FINALLY 2021!

Works by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

MUSICAL DIRECTOR Alejo Pérez

CHORUS MASTER Jan Schweiger

Carla Filipcic Holm, soprano
Elisa Soster, soprano
Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo soprano
Michael Weinius, tenor
Denzil Delaere, tenor
Erik Dello, tenor*
Ivan Thirion, baritone
Kris Belligh, baritone*
Goran Jurić, bass
Simon Schmidt, bass*

*members of Opera Vlaanderen Chorus

OPERA BALLET VLAANDEREN SYMPHONY CHORUS
OPERA BALLET VLAANDEREN CHORUS

Presentation Katelijne Boon

LIVE ONLINE

FROM OPERA GHENT

SAT 23.01.2021 | 8 pm

Tickets: €10 | operaballet.be

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