NZ Debut for Mezzo-Soprano Anne Sofie von Otter

New Zealand Debut for Famed Swedish Mezzo-Soprano Anne Sofie von Otter

“Over several decades, Anne Sofie von Otter has had perhaps the most pristine mezzo voice
in any opera or song-cycle”
- chicagoclassicalreview.com

Anne Sofie von Otter, one of the world’s great mezzo-sopranos, will give two exclusive New Zealand performances – one piano recital, and one symphonic concert - in November 2011.

Von Otter will perform a recital in Auckland on November 16, accompanied by longtime artistic partner, pianist Bengt Forsberg, before appearing with the Vector Wellington Orchestra on November 18, singing Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne. The programme for her Auckland recital will include songs from Canteloube as well as Schubert and Brahms, Swedish composers, and contemporary favourites.

“It is a real thrill to be bringing Anne Sofie to New Zealand, especially as she is able to perform both in recital in Auckland, and then with the Wellington Vector Orchestra,’ says tour promoter Roger King.

“The visit of an artist of this calibre is a tremendous thing for New Zealand music lovers, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” says Vector Wellington Orchestra music director Marc Taddei.

“She is a superstar of classical music.”

Combining vocal genius and exquisite musicality, Anne Sofie von Otter is one of the biggest names in opera and a leading singer of her generation, sought after by the major conductors, orchestras, opera and recording companies of the world.

Equally active in opera, concert, recital and recording, von Otter is famed for her versatility in operatic roles, her interesting recital choices, and her willingness to take vocal risks. She has an international reputation as an operatic force, appearing regularly on the world’s major stages, including Covent Garden, La Scala, Berlin, Munich, and Rome, and boasts an unrivalled personal discography.

Her musical collaborators range from classical luminaries James Levine, from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, and Bengt Forsberg, to Elvis Costello and legendary jazz pianist Brad Mehldau.

“[Anne Sofie von Otter’s] singing was, as ever, poised, intimate, beautifully coloured, irresistibly charismatic.”
- The Daily Telegraph

“[Anne Sofie von Otter] sang with her customary warm dusky tone, gently beautiful pianissimos and supplely shaped phrasing … singing with complete command, she brought haunting sadness and vocal radiance to Schubert's ''Abendstern” [and] gave a riveting performance of ''My Heritage Is Called Longing'' [by Swedish composer Wilhelm Peterson-Berger] with its high-spun vocal line and shimmering accompaniment, like some Impressionistic music box.”
- New York Times

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER RECITAL with
BENGT FORSBERG

Auckland Town Hall
Wednesday 16 November, 2011
ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER with
VECTOR WELLINGTON ORCHESTRA

Wellington Town Hall
Friday 18 November, 2011 at 7.30pm

An unforgettable evening of classical and contemporary favourites, performed by Anne Sofie von Otter and longtime artistic partner, pianist Bengt Forsberg.

Programme will include:
Swedish Songs
Sibelius
‘Canteloube,’ Chants d’Auvergne
Songs by Schubert and Brahms
Anne Sofie von Otter lends her exquisite voice to a selection of Canteloube’s famous Chants d’Auvergne, in an evening of deliciously French music.

Programme:
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Canteloube: Selections from Chants d'Auvergne
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Von Otter will be accompanied by the Vector Wellington Orchestra, New Zealand's oldest regional orchestra, who recently celebrated 60 years playing to Wellington audiences.

Venue:
Great Hall
Auckland Town Hall
The EDGE

Bookings: The EDGE
Phone 09 357 3355 or 0800 289 842
Online www.buytickets.co.nz

Ticket prices:*
Premium $165
A Res $139
B Res $99
C Res $65
*A booking fee will apply

Public sales from Saturday 13 November, 2010. Venue:
Wellington Town Hall
111 Wakefield St
Wellington

Bookings: Ticketek
Phone 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 538)
Online www.ticketek.co.nz

Ticket prices: *
Adult A Reserve $68
Adult B Reserve $58
Concession A Reserve $63
Concession B Reserve $53
*A booking fee will apply

Public sales from Tuesday 22nd February 2011, 9.00am.

--

ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER - BIOGRAPHY

Born in Sweden, Anne Sofie von Otter’s studies began in Stockholm and continued with Vera Rozsa at London’s Guildhall before she became a principal artist of the Basel Opera from where an international career, which has now spanned more than two decades, was launched. Equally active in opera, concert, recital and recording, and noted as one of the most versatile artists of her generation, Anne Sofie von Otter appears regularly on the world’s major stages and boasts an unrivalled personal discography.

Anne Sofie Von Otter’s diverse repertoire has played a key role in sustaining her international reputation as an operatic force: Der Rosenkavalier in London, Paris, Chicago, Munich, Stockholm as well as in Vienna and at the Met, conducted by the late Carlos Kleiber (filmed for DVD); Gluck’s Orfeo in Geneva and Alceste at Paris’ Chatelet, both conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Carmen at the Glyndebourne Festival (Philippe Jordan) and at the Santa Fe Opera (Alan Gilbert); Nerone in Monteverdi’s Poppea at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (Marc Minkowski); Didon in Berlioz’ Les Troyens at the Geneva Opera (John Nelson); Komponist at the Vienna State Opera (the late Giuseppe Sinopoli); Baba the Turk in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the historic Theater an der Wien (Nicholas Harnoncourt) and, in her long-awaited return to the Basel Opera, Offenbach’s La Grande Duchesse with Christoph Marthaler.

Recently, Anne Sofie von Otter further broadened her repertoire producing two highly-acclaimed Wagnerian role debuts: firstly Brangäne/Tristan und Isolde in a semi-staged production by Peter Sellars with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen followed by Waltraute/Die Goetterdämmerung in a co-production by Stéphane Braunschweig at the Aix-en-Provence and Salzburg Festivals with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

A long-running relationship with James Levine at New York’s Metropolitan Opera has led to numerous performances there of Rosenkavalier, Clemenza di Tito and Idomeneo as well as stage debuts as Debussy’s Mélisande and Countess Geschwitz in Alban Berg’s Lulu. A regular performer in Paris, the Théatre des Champs Elysées and Opéra de Paris have been platforms for many further role debuts including Handel’s Ariodante (Marc Minkowski), Clairon in Strauss’ Capriccio (Ulf Schirmer), Sesto in both Clemenza di Tito and Giulio Cesare (Marc Minkowski), Handel’s Xerxes (William Christie), Ottavia/Poppea (Rene Jacobs) and Lully’s Thesée (Emmanuelle Haim).

An acclaimed recitalist, Anne Sofie von Otter performs around the globe with her accompanist, Bengt Forsberg and is renowned for her fresh and explorative programming. An equally busy concert career takes her to the major halls of Europe and North America where she enjoys a regular partnership with many of the world's pre-eminent conductors.

Much of Anne Sofie von Otter’s operatic repertoire can be found on recording: Dorabella with Solti, Monteverdi’s Ottavia, Glück’s Orfeo and Alceste, Mozart’s Sesto and Idamantes with Gardiner, Cherubino with Levine, Marguérite with Chung, Dido with Pinnock, Xerxes with Christie, R Strauss’ Composer with Sinopoli, Debussy’s Mélisande, Bluebeard’s Castle and Oktavian with Haitink, Werther with Nagano and Ariodante, Hercules, Sesto/Giulio Cesare with Minkowski.

During a long period as an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon, Anne Sofie von Otter enjoyed a prolific output of recordings with orchestra, piano and chamber ensemble. Highlights include a Grammy award-winning Schubert collection with Claudio Abbado, Weill, Mahler, Bach and Zemlinsky selections with John Eliot Gardiner, Berlioz and Brahms with James Levine, collections of

Lieder by Schubert, Schumann, and Grieg together with Bengt Forsberg and a collaboration with Elvis Costello on the award-winning release For the Stars. The recent Grammy-nominated Terezin project, a collection of songs and musical works composed by musicians imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Theresienstadt, garnered unanimous world-wide critical acclaim.

Anne Sofie von Otter’s current season includes an extensive recital tour of the USA and Europe together with Brad Mehldau, orchestral concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Israel Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic/Salonen, the San Francisco Symphony/Michael Tilson Thomas as well as tours with Concerto Copenhagen/Mortensen and Les Musiciens du Louvre/Minkowski. A season of operatic debuts, Anne Sofie von Otter will sing new productions of Rameau’s Castor et Pollux at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, Charpentier’s Medee for the Frankfurt Opera, and Handel’s Tamerlano alongside Placido Domingo at Barcelona’s Gran Teatro del Liceu.

In 2010, Anne Sofie von Otter began an exciting new recording relationship with Naïve Paris. The first Naïve record, Love Songs, a collaboration with legendary jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, will be released in October 2010.

ENDS

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