Athens Megaron 2009-10: Muti, Antonacci, Luisi, Fink, Dessi, Armiliato, Meier ...

The press conference at the Athens Megaron today, confirmed what you, sexy readers, had read here, at parsifal's, 9 months ago: That the Athenians will have the joy to watch Anna Caterina Antonacci as Alceste in Autumn 2009.

But apart from that, the press conference confirmed what the 2009 season showed in full glory, the dynamic of the opera/vocal audience in Athens and that the Megaron administration should and obviously has reconsidered its target group.

And in case you liked the namedropping of the title, read below for moar moar moar.

Alceste, semi-staged performance,
19, 22 October
Anna Caterina Antonacci (Alceste)
Gregory Kunde (Admète)
Dimitris Platanias (High Priest)


Under maestro George Petrou who will also conduct Haendel's Theodora in Concert Version
with Mary Ellen Nesi, Ernanda Galli, Kristina Hammarström (March 2010)


The schedule of the Athens Megaron seems totally adapted to the credit crunch, as this is the only opera production for 2009-10 (and a semi-staged one).


However, the co-production (Megaron and Greek National Opera) of
Un Ballo in Maschera under the stage direction of Ugo de Ana
will probably be the operatic highlight of the season.

The cast is veeeery interesting and will host Micaela Carosi for the first time in Greece.



~Un Ballo in Maschera~

Riccardo: Roberto Aronica
Amelia: Micaela Carosi
Ulrica: Anna Smirnova
Renato: Tassis Christoyannis
Oscar: Valentina Farcas

January, 24, 27, 29, 31, 2010

Giovanni Pacor, the GNO's Artistic Director, will lead the Orchestra of the Greek National Opera (in his debut as a maestro in Athens).


~Great Orchestras~

Orchestre de Paris under Christoph Eschenbach,

Saint Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov,

Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer
(March 2010, playing among others Beethoven's 9th with Myrto Papatanasiu, Jorma Silvasti, Kelly O'Connor and Kristinn Sigmundsson)

I Solisti Veneti under Claudio Scimone with Marita Paparizou

...PAUSE...

DEEP BREATH:

Staatskapelle Dresden under Fabio Luisi

WITH

Anne Schwanewilms (!)
Genia Kühmeier (!!)
Bernarda Fink (!!!)

(all three of them in just one night???)

in excerpts from Richard Strauss' operas (14 & 15 May 2010)



AND!!!

~~~The Wiener Philharmoniker under Riccardo Muti (June 2010)~~~


And as if those were not enough...


Joshua Bell will give a recital (not at the metro) in April 2010



Waltraud Meier will sing Berlioz' La mort de Cleopatra with the Orchestre de Paris and Ch. Eschenbach (February 2010)

Matthias Goerne will sing a liederabend on May the 9th 2010

Michael Chance will pay a tribute to Henry Purcell

Jordi Savall with La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Montserrat Figueras (April 2010)

AND (last but not least)


Daniella Dessí and hubbie Fabio Armiliato will star in an Opera Gala in May 2010 (hooray!).

After the totally disappointing Athens Festival 2009, the Megaron says
(on behalf of the greek music-lovers)
"V for Vendetta, eat my dust".