Newsletter, June & July 2013

Ville Matvejeff - New Chief Conductor of Jyväskylä Sinfonia

Finnish conductor, composer, pianist and singer Ville Matvejeff, who recently joined our roster, has been appointed Chief Conductor of Jyväskylä Sinfonia from January 2014 until 2016! Before taking up his new duty, Ville has several coming debuts in his calendar; with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra on June 12, at Helsinki Festival in August where he will conduct Tapiola Sinfonietta in Don Giovanni and finally in September with Turku Svenska Teater where he will conduct Le nozze di Figaro.

Question: You are also the founder and artistic director of New Generation Opera and artistic director of Heinävesi Music Festival. What is New Generation Opera?

Answer: New Generation Opera was founded in order to renew the art of opera and its means of expression, production and distribution, as well as promote the new generation of most interesting Scandinavian opera artists. We want the opera to become more accessible to everybody and to communicate better as an art form under today’s visual conditions. We have worked hard to make our opera performances more like films from a visual point of view. In addition to this we will also have mobile applications which will enable people to see and listen to our performances live at a lower price. I also find it important to develop Scandinavian cooperation in the opera field. That is why I have invited two fantastic Swedish sopranos, Ida Falk Winland (Donna Anna) and Malin Christensson (Zerlina) to join our production of Don Giovanni, which will be performed at the Helsinki Festival in August 2013.

Q: What do you prefer to do, symphony or opera?

A: I started my conducting career in the opera world but nowadays I find it difficult to decide which is more important. But I love working with singers – I have always had the human voice very much at heart. On the whole, all forms of music are important to me.

Q: During the season 2012/13 you have worked as Head of Coaching at the Malmö Opera. Can you describe differences between working in Sweden and in Finland?

A: One difference, often regarded as a stereotype, I have found to be true: In Finland we do not have long discussions before or during decision-making, effective decisions are reached quickly. In Sweden numerous long meetings are held before reaching a decision. Still, people who are employed in Sweden seem to be happier and a little more content and positive, for everyone has had a chance to express their opinion about various processes. In the end most people agree on the decisions that have been made. In Finland we often complain about bad decisions long after they have been made. Comparing orchestras, I would say that Swedish orchestras are more disciplined and have a higher standard than Finnish ones. In Finland you have to work harder during rehearsals but at concerts Finns express more feeling and excitement.

Q: How much time do you devote to composing and what projects are in progress?

A: At the moment I have plenty of conducting work to do but I still work on a couple of commissions. The next few first performances include a concerto for horn and orchestra and an opera.

Next spring Ville Matvejeff will make his first appearance with Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg conducting Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9.

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Daniel Frank is Tannhäuser with Dudamel

Tenor Daniel Frank, who made his debut in Germany as Tannhäuser at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf in May (while at the same time singing Tamino at the Malmö Opera) will sing the role of Tannhäuser together with Gustavo Dudamel at the Opera de Colombia in Bogotá on July 13, 16 & 18. From there Daniel goes on to Peru where he will sing Tannhäuser with Fredrik Zetterström as Wolfram and conductor Mateusz Moleda at Teatro Municipal de Lima. In the spring of 2014, Daniel once again tackles the role of Tannhäuser, now at the Royal Opera in Stockholm.

Michael Weinius makes his Royal Albert Hall debut

Michael Weinius’ summer starts with Siegmund in Die Walküre on June 5 at the Latvian National Opera in Riga and then at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg on June 9 and 16. On July 12 Michael gives a midnight concert with Bengt-Åke Lundin as part of the “Musik i Kullabygden” Festival. On July 13 he returns to Wagner at Vattnäs Concert Barn’s Wagner Gala. On July 18 Michael makes his Royal Albert Hall debut at a Proms concert with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Thomas Søndergård, as he is the soloist in Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No 3, “The Song of the Night”.

Wotan in Taipei

After his great success as Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra, Anders Lorentzson now prepares for the role of Wotan, as the National Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan celebrates the Wagner Jubilee by giving Die Walküre in Taipei on July 10, 12 & 14.

 A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In the magic atmosphere surrounding Läckö Castle on Lake Vänern in western Sweden, young Swedish mezzo-soprano Josefine Andersson will sing the role of Hermia, as Opera at Läckö Castle celebrates the Britten Jubilee with a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this summer.  Performances take place between July 13 and August 3 and in the same production Martin Vanberg will sing the role of Hermia’s admirer Lysander. On June 29 Josefine can be heard at a concert on the opening night of Östhammars Musikvecka, where she will sing Handel arias from Julius Caesar and Hercules with the Swedish baroque ensemble Rebaroque.

In a Spirit of Festivals and Jubilees

Charlotta Larsson’s summer will be spent in a spirit of festivals and jubilees. On July 5 she will appear together with Fredrik Zetterström in a passionate opera and romance performance in the music festival Musik vid Siljan. Shortly after this, on July 11, Charlotta and Fredrik celebrate Verdi’s 200^th anniversary at a concert in Vattnäs Concert Barn. On July 24 Charlotta will sing at Loka Brunn at a concert in memory of Christina Nilsson who often visited the spring there. Last but not least Charlotta appears at two concerts, on July 27 and August 3, at Opera Pa Skaret, celebrating its 10^th anniversary with among others Roy Cornelius Smith.

New CD releases at BIS Records

The Stenhammar Quartet records all the string quartets by Wilhelm Stenhammar at BIS Records. The first of three volumes containing among other things String Quartet No. 3 and No. 4 will be released on June 10. The next volume "Stenhammar String Quartets vol. 2” will appear in the autumn containing "String Quartet No. 5 and No. 6. Also in June the company records on CD tenor Yinjia Gong and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Markus Lehtinen. “I was tremendously impressed by Yinjia Gong’s performance of Nessun Dorma at the Jussi Björling Gala. He is one of the few high tenors who manages the 9 high C’s in the aria “Ah! Mes amis” in Donizetti’s opera La Fille du Régiment”, says BIS Records managing director Robert von Bahr. Robert reveals that Gong’s CD will contain Italian and French arias and of course Nessun Dorma will be included!