Saul and David: When the power struggle does not spare the family.

Oratorio in three acts
Libretto by Charles Jennens after the 1st and 2nd Books of Samuel

In English with German and English subtitles

Premiere
June 1, 2025

Conductor  Leo Hussain

• Staging  Claus Guth

• Set Design & Costume Design  Christian Schmidt

• Lighting Design  Bernd Purkrabek

• Video  Arian Andiel

• Choreography  Ramses Sigl

• Staged by  Juana Restrepo

• Choir  Jan Hoffmann

• Dramaturgy  Yvonne Gebauer, Benedikt Stampfli

• Co-Kostümbildnerin  Dorothee Joisten

• Saul  Florian Boesch

• David  Jake Arditti

• Merab  Jasmin Delfs

• Michal  Mary Bevan

• Jonathan  James Ley

• Abner · High Priest · Doeg  Tansel Akzeybek

• Witch of Endor  Jake Ingbar

Saul and David: When the power struggle does not spare the family.

Oratorio in three acts
Libretto by Charles Jennens after the 1st and 2nd Books of Samuel

In English with German and English subtitles

Premiere
June 1, 2025

Conductor  Leo Hussain

• Staging  Claus Guth

• Set Design & Costume Design  Christian Schmidt

• Lighting Design  Bernd Purkrabek

• Video  Arian Andiel

• Choreography  Ramses Sigl

• Staged by  Juana Restrepo

• Choir  Jan Hoffmann

• Dramaturgy  Yvonne Gebauer, Benedikt Stampfli

• Co-Kostümbildnerin  Dorothee Joisten

• Saul  Florian Boesch

• David  Jake Arditti

• Merab  Jasmin Delfs

• Michal  Mary Bevan

• Jonathan  James Ley

• Abner · High Priest · Doeg  Tansel Akzeybek

• Witch of Endor  Jake Ingbar

On the path to madness: Lucia may not love whom she chooses.

Opera in three acts
Poetry by Salvatore Cammarano based on Walter Scott's novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«

Performed in Italian with German and English supertitles

Premiere
November 18, 2017

Conductor  Roberto Rizzi Brignoli

• Staging  Dietrich W. Hilsdorf

• Set Design  Johannes Leiacker

• Costume Design  Gesine Völlm

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Choir  Jonathan Becker

• Dramaturgy  Juliane Schunke

• Lord Enrico Ashton  Neven Crnić

• Miss Lucia Ashton  Pretty Yende

• Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood  Bekhzod Davronov

• Lord Arturo Bucklaw  James Ley

• Raimondo Bidebent  Peter Kellner

• Alisa  Sabine Brohm

• Normanno  Simeon Esper

On the path to madness: Lucia may not love whom she chooses.

Opera in three acts
Poetry by Salvatore Cammarano based on Walter Scott's novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«

Performed in Italian with German and English supertitles

Premiere
November 18, 2017

Conductor  Roberto Rizzi Brignoli

• Staging  Dietrich W. Hilsdorf

• Set Design  Johannes Leiacker

• Costume Design  Gesine Völlm

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Choir  Jonathan Becker

• Dramaturgy  Juliane Schunke

• Lord Enrico Ashton  Neven Crnić

• Miss Lucia Ashton  Pretty Yende

• Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood  Bekhzod Davronov

• Lord Arturo Bucklaw  James Ley

• Raimondo Bidebent  Peter Kellner

• Alisa  Sabine Brohm

• Normanno  Simeon Esper

On the path to madness: Lucia may not love whom she chooses.

Opera in three acts
Poetry by Salvatore Cammarano based on Walter Scott's novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«

Performed in Italian with German and English supertitles

Premiere
November 18, 2017

Conductor  Roberto Rizzi Brignoli

• Staging  Dietrich W. Hilsdorf

• Set Design  Johannes Leiacker

• Costume Design  Gesine Völlm

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Choir  Jonathan Becker

• Dramaturgy  Juliane Schunke

• Lord Enrico Ashton  Neven Crnić

• Miss Lucia Ashton  Pretty Yende

• Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood  Bekhzod Davronov

• Lord Arturo Bucklaw  James Ley

• Raimondo Bidebent  Peter Kellner

• Alisa  Sabine Brohm

• Normanno  Simeon Esper

On the path to madness: Lucia may not love whom she chooses.

Opera in three acts
Poetry by Salvatore Cammarano based on Walter Scott's novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«

Performed in Italian with German and English supertitles

Premiere
November 18, 2017

Conductor  Roberto Rizzi Brignoli

• Staging  Dietrich W. Hilsdorf

• Set Design  Johannes Leiacker

• Costume Design  Gesine Völlm

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Choir  Jonathan Becker

• Dramaturgy  Juliane Schunke

• Lord Enrico Ashton  Neven Crnić

• Miss Lucia Ashton  Pretty Yende

• Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood  Bekhzod Davronov

• Lord Arturo Bucklaw  James Ley

• Raimondo Bidebent  Peter Kellner

• Alisa  Sabine Brohm

• Normanno  Simeon Esper

On the path to madness: Lucia may not love whom she chooses.

Opera in three acts
Poetry by Salvatore Cammarano based on Walter Scott's novel »The Bride of Lammermoor«

Performed in Italian with German and English supertitles

Premiere
November 18, 2017

Conductor  Roberto Rizzi Brignoli

• Staging  Dietrich W. Hilsdorf

• Set Design  Johannes Leiacker

• Costume Design  Gesine Völlm

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Choir  Jonathan Becker

• Dramaturgy  Juliane Schunke

• Lord Enrico Ashton  Neven Crnić

• Miss Lucia Ashton  Pretty Yende

• Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood  Bekhzod Davronov

• Lord Arturo Bucklaw  James Ley

• Raimondo Bidebent  Peter Kellner

• Alisa  Sabine Brohm

• Normanno  Simeon Esper

In Leoš Janáček’s opera, Kát’a Kabanová, the eponymous heroine is ensnared at the heart of an ominous mesh of relations. Her domineering mother-in-law, Kabanicha, oppresses and controls her son Tichon, whose marriage to Kát’a suffers massively from heteronomy. Because Kát’a finds no fulfilment in this family, she flees and fulfils her unsatisfied erotic desires in an affair with Boris. As composer and librettist, Janáček bundles the plot of the literary template, Alexander N. Ostrovsky’s drama, The Storm. The libretto largely dispenses with the portrayal of the external social circumstances, from whence Kát’a’s essence and choices are decisively determined. Instead, Janáček traces the development of the title character in a psychological-sensitive musical language. Kát’a’s feelings of guilt increase continuously until they discharge into a public confession as an emotional storm. The turbulent and in places fanciful music opens the space for passages of lyrical grace and allows us to experience the essence of the characters. In Kát’a, director Krzysztof Warlikowski sees an outsider, who is denied a life in harmony with her desires, and at the end prefers death over lies. The destructive power of religion behind it all is not only found in a small Russian town on the banks of the Volga in the 1860s, where the libretto places the plot, but rather can also be seen everywhere all over the world.

Cast

• Conductor

  Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

• Production

  Krzysztof Warlikowski

• Set Design

  Małgorzata Szczęśniak

• Lighting

  Felice Ross

• Video

  Kamil Polak

• Choreography

  Claude Bardouil

• Choruses

  Christoph Heil

• Dramaturgy

  Christian LongchampLukas Leipfinger

• Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj

  Milan Siljanov

• Boris Grigorjevič

  Pavel Černoch

• Marfa Ignatěvna Kabanová (Kabanicha)

  Violeta Urmana

• Tichon Ivanyč Kabanov

  John Daszak

• Katěrina (Káťa)

  Corinne Winters

• Váňa Kudrjáš

  James Ley

• Varvara

  Emily Sierra

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Rachael Wilson

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Kuligin

  Thomas Mole

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Tim Kuypers

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Glaša

  Ekaterine Buachidze

• Fekluša

  Elene Gvritishvili

• Bayerisches Staatsorchester

• Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

In Leoš Janáček’s opera, Kát’a Kabanová, the eponymous heroine is ensnared at the heart of an ominous mesh of relations. Her domineering mother-in-law, Kabanicha, oppresses and controls her son Tichon, whose marriage to Kát’a suffers massively from heteronomy. Because Kát’a finds no fulfilment in this family, she flees and fulfils her unsatisfied erotic desires in an affair with Boris. As composer and librettist, Janáček bundles the plot of the literary template, Alexander N. Ostrovsky’s drama, The Storm. The libretto largely dispenses with the portrayal of the external social circumstances, from whence Kát’a’s essence and choices are decisively determined. Instead, Janáček traces the development of the title character in a psychological-sensitive musical language. Kát’a’s feelings of guilt increase continuously until they discharge into a public confession as an emotional storm. The turbulent and in places fanciful music opens the space for passages of lyrical grace and allows us to experience the essence of the characters. In Kát’a, director Krzysztof Warlikowski sees an outsider, who is denied a life in harmony with her desires, and at the end prefers death over lies. The destructive power of religion behind it all is not only found in a small Russian town on the banks of the Volga in the 1860s, where the libretto places the plot, but rather can also be seen everywhere all over the world.

Cast

• Conductor

  Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

• Production

  Krzysztof Warlikowski

• Set Design

  Małgorzata Szczęśniak

• Lighting

  Felice Ross

• Video

  Kamil Polak

• Choreography

  Claude Bardouil

• Choruses

  Christoph Heil

• Dramaturgy

  Christian LongchampLukas Leipfinger

• Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj

  Milan Siljanov

• Boris Grigorjevič

  Pavel Černoch

• Marfa Ignatěvna Kabanová (Kabanicha)

  Violeta Urmana

• Tichon Ivanyč Kabanov

  John Daszak

• Katěrina (Káťa)

  Corinne Winters

• Váňa Kudrjáš

  James Ley

• Varvara

  Emily Sierra

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Rachael Wilson

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Kuligin

  Thomas Mole

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Tim Kuypers

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Glaša

  Ekaterine Buachidze

• Fekluša

  Elene Gvritishvili

• Bayerisches Staatsorchester

• Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

In Leoš Janáček’s opera, Kát’a Kabanová, the eponymous heroine is ensnared at the heart of an ominous mesh of relations. Her domineering mother-in-law, Kabanicha, oppresses and controls her son Tichon, whose marriage to Kát’a suffers massively from heteronomy. Because Kát’a finds no fulfilment in this family, she flees and fulfils her unsatisfied erotic desires in an affair with Boris. As composer and librettist, Janáček bundles the plot of the literary template, Alexander N. Ostrovsky’s drama, The Storm. The libretto largely dispenses with the portrayal of the external social circumstances, from whence Kát’a’s essence and choices are decisively determined. Instead, Janáček traces the development of the title character in a psychological-sensitive musical language. Kát’a’s feelings of guilt increase continuously until they discharge into a public confession as an emotional storm. The turbulent and in places fanciful music opens the space for passages of lyrical grace and allows us to experience the essence of the characters. In Kát’a, director Krzysztof Warlikowski sees an outsider, who is denied a life in harmony with her desires, and at the end prefers death over lies. The destructive power of religion behind it all is not only found in a small Russian town on the banks of the Volga in the 1860s, where the libretto places the plot, but rather can also be seen everywhere all over the world.

Cast

• Conductor

  Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

• Production

  Krzysztof Warlikowski

• Set Design

  Małgorzata Szczęśniak

• Lighting

  Felice Ross

• Video

  Kamil Polak

• Choreography

  Claude Bardouil

• Choruses

  Christoph Heil

• Dramaturgy

  Christian LongchampLukas Leipfinger

• Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj

  Milan Siljanov

• Boris Grigorjevič

  Pavel Černoch

• Marfa Ignatěvna Kabanová (Kabanicha)

  Violeta Urmana

• Tichon Ivanyč Kabanov

  John Daszak

• Katěrina (Káťa)

  Corinne Winters

• Váňa Kudrjáš

  James Ley

• Varvara

  Emily Sierra

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Rachael Wilson

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Kuligin

  Thomas Mole

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Tim Kuypers

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Glaša

  Ekaterine Buachidze

• Fekluša

  Elene Gvritishvili

• Bayerisches Staatsorchester

• Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

In Leoš Janáček’s opera, Kát’a Kabanová, the eponymous heroine is ensnared at the heart of an ominous mesh of relations. Her domineering mother-in-law, Kabanicha, oppresses and controls her son Tichon, whose marriage to Kát’a suffers massively from heteronomy. Because Kát’a finds no fulfilment in this family, she flees and fulfils her unsatisfied erotic desires in an affair with Boris. As composer and librettist, Janáček bundles the plot of the literary template, Alexander N. Ostrovsky’s drama, The Storm. The libretto largely dispenses with the portrayal of the external social circumstances, from whence Kát’a’s essence and choices are decisively determined. Instead, Janáček traces the development of the title character in a psychological-sensitive musical language. Kát’a’s feelings of guilt increase continuously until they discharge into a public confession as an emotional storm. The turbulent and in places fanciful music opens the space for passages of lyrical grace and allows us to experience the essence of the characters. In Kát’a, director Krzysztof Warlikowski sees an outsider, who is denied a life in harmony with her desires, and at the end prefers death over lies. The destructive power of religion behind it all is not only found in a small Russian town on the banks of the Volga in the 1860s, where the libretto places the plot, but rather can also be seen everywhere all over the world.

Cast

• Conductor

  Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

• Production

  Krzysztof Warlikowski

• Set Design

  Małgorzata Szczęśniak

• Lighting

  Felice Ross

• Video

  Kamil Polak

• Choreography

  Claude Bardouil

• Choruses

  Christoph Heil

• Dramaturgy

  Christian LongchampLukas Leipfinger

• Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj

  Milan Siljanov

• Boris Grigorjevič

  Pavel Černoch

• Marfa Ignatěvna Kabanová (Kabanicha)

  Violeta Urmana

• Tichon Ivanyč Kabanov

  John Daszak

• Katěrina (Káťa)

  Corinne Winters

• Váňa Kudrjáš

  James Ley

• Varvara

  Emily Sierra

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Rachael Wilson

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Kuligin

  Thomas Mole

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Tim Kuypers

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Glaša

  Ekaterine Buachidze

• Fekluša

  Elene Gvritishvili

• Bayerisches Staatsorchester

• Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

In Leoš Janáček’s opera, Kát’a Kabanová, the eponymous heroine is ensnared at the heart of an ominous mesh of relations. Her domineering mother-in-law, Kabanicha, oppresses and controls her son Tichon, whose marriage to Kát’a suffers massively from heteronomy. Because Kát’a finds no fulfilment in this family, she flees and fulfils her unsatisfied erotic desires in an affair with Boris. As composer and librettist, Janáček bundles the plot of the literary template, Alexander N. Ostrovsky’s drama, The Storm. The libretto largely dispenses with the portrayal of the external social circumstances, from whence Kát’a’s essence and choices are decisively determined. Instead, Janáček traces the development of the title character in a psychological-sensitive musical language. Kát’a’s feelings of guilt increase continuously until they discharge into a public confession as an emotional storm. The turbulent and in places fanciful music opens the space for passages of lyrical grace and allows us to experience the essence of the characters. In Kát’a, director Krzysztof Warlikowski sees an outsider, who is denied a life in harmony with her desires, and at the end prefers death over lies. The destructive power of religion behind it all is not only found in a small Russian town on the banks of the Volga in the 1860s, where the libretto places the plot, but rather can also be seen everywhere all over the world.

Cast

• Conductor

  Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

• Production

  Krzysztof Warlikowski

• Set Design

  Małgorzata Szczęśniak

• Lighting

  Felice Ross

• Video

  Kamil Polak

• Choreography

  Claude Bardouil

• Choruses

  Christoph Heil

• Dramaturgy

  Christian LongchampLukas Leipfinger

• Savjol Prokofjevič Dikoj

  Milan Siljanov

• Boris Grigorjevič

  Pavel Černoch

• Marfa Ignatěvna Kabanová (Kabanicha)

  Violeta Urmana

• Tichon Ivanyč Kabanov

  John Daszak

• Katěrina (Káťa)

  Corinne Winters

• Váňa Kudrjáš

  James Ley

• Varvara

  Emily Sierra

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Rachael Wilson

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Kuligin

  Thomas Mole

  (2025: Mar 17, 21, 24, 27, 30)

  Tim Kuypers

  (2025: Jul 07)

• Glaša

  Ekaterine Buachidze

• Fekluša

  Elene Gvritishvili

• Bayerisches Staatsorchester

• Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
An opera in two acts, with one intermission
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Performed in German with German and English subtitles

James will be performing on Sep 6th and 13th; and on Jan 5th, 12th, 19th, and 31st.

Featuring:

• Sarastro  Georg Zeppenfeld

• Königin der Nacht  Julia Sitkovetsky

• Pamina  Victoria Randem

• Tamino  James Ley

• Papageno  Michael Nagl

• Erste Dame  Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk

• Zweite Dame  Dominika Škrabalová

• Dritte Dame  Michal Doron

• Monostatos  Timothy Oliver

• Sprecher  Markus Marquardt

• Papagena  Sofia Savenko

• Erster Priester  Anton Beliaev

• Zweiter Priester  Aaron Pegram

• Erster Geharnischter  Jürgen Müller

• Zweiter Geharnischter  Matthias Henneberg

• Drei Knaben  Dresdner Kreuzchor

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House basement 45 minutes before curtain

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
An opera in two acts, with one intermission
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Performed in German with German and English subtitles

James will be performing on Sep 6th and 13th; and on Jan 5th, 12th, 19th, and 31st.

Featuring:

• Sarastro  Georg Zeppenfeld

• Königin der Nacht  Julia Sitkovetsky

• Pamina  Victoria Randem

• Tamino  James Ley

• Papageno  Michael Nagl

• Erste Dame  Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk

• Zweite Dame  Dominika Škrabalová

• Dritte Dame  Michal Doron

• Monostatos  Timothy Oliver

• Sprecher  Markus Marquardt

• Papagena  Sofia Savenko

• Erster Priester  Anton Beliaev

• Zweiter Priester  Aaron Pegram

• Erster Geharnischter  Jürgen Müller

• Zweiter Geharnischter  Matthias Henneberg

• Drei Knaben  Dresdner Kreuzchor

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House basement 45 minutes before curtain

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
An opera in two acts, with one intermission
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Performed in German with German and English subtitles

James will be performing on Sep 6th and 13th; and on Jan 5th, 12th, 19th, and 31st.

Featuring:

• Sarastro  Georg Zeppenfeld

• Königin der Nacht  Julia Sitkovetsky

• Pamina  Victoria Randem

• Tamino  James Ley

• Papageno  Michael Nagl

• Erste Dame  Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk

• Zweite Dame  Dominika Škrabalová

• Dritte Dame  Michal Doron

• Monostatos  Timothy Oliver

• Sprecher  Markus Marquardt

• Papagena  Sofia Savenko

• Erster Priester  Anton Beliaev

• Zweiter Priester  Aaron Pegram

• Erster Geharnischter  Jürgen Müller

• Zweiter Geharnischter  Matthias Henneberg

• Drei Knaben  Dresdner Kreuzchor

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House basement 45 minutes before curtain

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
An opera in two acts, with one intermission
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Performed in German with German and English subtitles

James will be performing on Sep 6th and 13th; and on Jan 5th, 12th, 19th, and 31st.

Featuring:

• Sarastro  Georg Zeppenfeld

• Königin der Nacht  Julia Sitkovetsky

• Pamina  Victoria Randem

• Tamino  James Ley

• Papageno  Michael Nagl

• Erste Dame  Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk

• Zweite Dame  Dominika Škrabalová

• Dritte Dame  Michal Doron

• Monostatos  Timothy Oliver

• Sprecher  Markus Marquardt

• Papagena  Sofia Savenko

• Erster Priester  Anton Beliaev

• Zweiter Priester  Aaron Pegram

• Erster Geharnischter  Jürgen Müller

• Zweiter Geharnischter  Matthias Henneberg

• Drei Knaben  Dresdner Kreuzchor

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House basement 45 minutes before curtain

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

Jean-Sébastien Vallée: Conductor & TMC Artistic Director

Sherezade Panthaki: Soprano

Nicholas Burns: Countertenor

James Ley: tenor

Enrico Lagasca: Bass-baritone

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

Jean-Sébastien Vallée: Conductor & TMC Artistic Director

Sherezade Panthaki: Soprano

Nicholas Burns: Countertenor

James Ley: tenor

Enrico Lagasca: Bass-baritone

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

Jean-Sébastien Vallée: Conductor & TMC Artistic Director

Sherezade Panthaki: Soprano

Nicholas Burns: Countertenor

James Ley: tenor

Enrico Lagasca: Bass-baritone

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

Jean-Sébastien Vallée: Conductor & TMC Artistic Director

Sherezade Panthaki: Soprano

Nicholas Burns: Countertenor

James Ley: tenor

Enrico Lagasca: Bass-baritone

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

Jean-Sébastien Vallée: Conductor & TMC Artistic Director

Sherezade Panthaki: Soprano

Nicholas Burns: Countertenor

James Ley: tenor

Enrico Lagasca: Bass-baritone

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
An opera in two acts, with one intermission
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Performed in German with German and English subtitles

James will be performing on Sep 6th and 13th; and on Jan 5th, 12th, 19th, and 31st.

Featuring:

• Sarastro  Georg Zeppenfeld

• Königin der Nacht  Julia Sitkovetsky

• Pamina  Victoria Randem

• Tamino  James Ley

• Papageno  Michael Nagl

• Erste Dame  Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk

• Zweite Dame  Dominika Škrabalová

• Dritte Dame  Michal Doron

• Monostatos  Timothy Oliver

• Sprecher  Markus Marquardt

• Papagena  Sofia Savenko

• Erster Priester  Anton Beliaev

• Zweiter Priester  Aaron Pegram

• Erster Geharnischter  Jürgen Müller

• Zweiter Geharnischter  Matthias Henneberg

• Drei Knaben  Dresdner Kreuzchor

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House basement 45 minutes before curtain

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

First performed in Dresden in 1924, Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo provides all manner of insights into his turbulent married life. A comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts.

(Libretto by the composer)

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Starting Time: 7 pm

Venue: Semperoper Dresden

Free introductory talk held in the Semper Opera House cellar 45 minutes before curtain-up

• Conductor  Patrick Hahn

• Staging  Axel Ranisch

• Set Design  Saskia Wunsch

• Costume Design  Alfred Mayerhofer

• Lighting Design  Fabio Antoci

• Video  Falko Herold

• Choreography  Michael Tucker

• Dramaturgy  Jörg Rieker

• Christine  Maria Bengtsson

• Hofkapellmeister Robert Storch  Christoph Pohl

• Anna  Ute Selbig

• Baron Lummer  James Ley

• Der Notar  Bernhard Hansky

• The Frau des Notars  Sabine Brohm

• Ein Kapellmeister  Jürgen Müller

• Ein Kommerzienrat  Anton Beliaev

• Ein Justizrat  Martin-Jan Nijhof

• Ein Kammersänger  Tilmann Rönnebeck

• Resi  Sofia Savenko

• Pauline  Katharina Pittelkow

• Richard  Erik Brünner

Ana Maria Labin | Fiordiligi
Angela Brower | Dorabella
James Ley | Ferrando
Leon Košavić | Guglielmo 
Miriam Albano | Despina
Alexandre Duhamel | Don Alfonso

Marc Minkowski | direction
Chœur et orchestre Les Musiciens du Louvre

The nineteenth century attempted to consign Così to oblivion. It was accused of being immoral. Yet the work is actually one of the gems of the libertine movement which, despite originally being a literary trend, spread across Enlightenment Europe and fed into many other artistic spheres. Light-hearted, fickle and misogynistic, the work was criticised on almost every level at the time. Yet this is Mozart at his tenderest and most sensual. The libretto is full of delicious permutations and offers musicians a wide variety of situations and vocal ensembles. Is this all about the carefree attitude of youth challenged by the notion of fidelity or is it the perfect guide to the art of loving? Everyone can draw their own conclusion.

Production Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

A musical tour with members of the Semperoper ensemble

Conductor  Johannes Wulff-Woesten

• Moderation  Nora Schmid

• Performers  Rosalia Cid, Valerie Eickhoff, Nicole Chirka, Clara Nadeshdin, Magdalena Lucjan, Marjukka Tepponen, Mario Lerchenberger, James Ley, Bekhzod Davronov, Danylo Matviienko, Neven Crnić, Alexandros Stavrakakis, Krzysztof Bączyk, Tuuli Takala