27
Mar
“Damrau soared along effortlessly, oozing charisma, her voice offering radiant platinum brightness”.
The Arts Desk
“Damrau soared along effortlessly, oozing charisma, her voice offering radiant platinum brightness”.
The Arts Desk
27
Mar
29
Mar
1
Apr
The volcano simmers beneath the glamour of the feather boa and tutu. The revenge of the bat becomes a nightmare, and not just for Gabriel von Eisenstein, when a fake marquis and a fake chevalier, a pretend Hungarian countess and a host of budding artists meet at the glittering masked ball at Prince Orlofsky’s house. Glasses clink, relationships are shaken, people love, lie and dance. The party goes on as long as it lasts, true to the motto: ‘Happy is he who forgets …’.
Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, first performed in Vienna in 1874, is part of the Bavarian State Opera’s repertoire. In December 2023, the curtain rose on a spectacular new production of this piece. Director Barrie Kosky gave the ‘operetta of all operettas’ a new look: the whole of Viennese society dances towards the abyss in a colourful and lavish setting.
Cast: Diana Damrau, Georg Nigl, Katharina Konradi, Martin Winkler
Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor
Barrie Kosky, director
Recording from 2023
“They languish until the last encore” Wiener Zeitung, “A deeply felt, rapturous performance” (The Guardian) A radiant concert at the Great Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein: Diana Damrau and Jonas Kaufmann, luminaries of the classical realm and celebrated interpreters of Lieder, breathe life into love songs of two titans of romanticism, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. They explore love’s myriad dimensions through soul-stirring solos and mesmerizing duets in a journey through a kaleidoscope of emotions, from reverie and yearning to the bliss of fulfillment, tempered by moments of heartache, resignation, and sacrifice, charming and moving. Adding to the magic is their esteemed collaborator at the piano, the incomparable Helmut Deutsch, whose artistry enhances every note and infuses the music with an undeniable depth of expression.
Diana Damrau’s new album sweeps us off to three capital cities of operetta – Vienna, Berlin, and Paris – in her next recording, made with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and conductor Ernst Theis. Operette will be released on December 8.
Mar 10, 2025
Diana Damrau, Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch have once again created a recital of songs about love, with works by Mahler and Strauss. Gustav Mahler’s romantic settings of poems from the collection ‘Des Knaben Wunderhorn’ by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano created a poetic and inspiring portrait of life. Several songs are conceived as dialogues between a man and a woman. Mahler thus draws on the traditional ballad style with his own unique style of interpretation: telling a story and presenting it vividly. Duets and solo songs, performed alternately, speak of desire, love and suffering. Dates and cities can be found in the list below.
Feb 26, 2025
VIDEO: OPERA Category
“It’s never easy to revisit the approach to great musical masterpieces marked by so many scenic and musical traditions! But this video of the Bavarian State Opera’s production of Johann Strauß’s famous Die Fledermaus does exactly that, both scenically and musically. Barrie Kosky’s staging is great operetta fun, with great design ideas that cannot be surpassed in opulence and color. Vladimir Jurowski unfolds the full splendor of the music. And so stage and orchestra, acting and singing merge into pure operetta bliss at the highest level.”
“[...]Damrau’s vocal delicacy, [is] able to open a phrase with a delicate crescendo, while often ending them with soft holds as if she were embracing the syllables to the fullest.”
– Operawire
Soprano Diana Damrau has been performing on the world’s leading opera and concert stages for two decades. Her vast repertoire spans title roles in Die Fledermaus (Bayerische Staatsoper), Capriccio (Opernhaus Zürich), Der Rosenkavalier (Baden-Baden, Staatsoper Berlin), Le Nozze di Figaro (La Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper), Anna Bolena (Opernhaus Zürich, Wiener Staatsoper), Roméo et Juliette (La Scala, Metropolitan Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (La Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera, Royal Ballet & Opera), Manon (Wiener Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera) and La Traviata (La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Royal Ballet & Opera, Opéra National de Paris and Bayerische Staatsoper) as well as Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte (Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, Wiener Staatsoper, Royal Ballet & Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper).
Diana Damrau is Kammersängerin of the Bavarian State Opera (2007) and holder of the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (2010). She is a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2021). She has also been selected Singer of the Year (Opernwelt, International Opera Award London, Opera News, Gramophone Editor’s Choice) and since 2020 an asteroid bears her name.
