Herman Finkers: Oudejaarsconference 2015

Berlioz: Les Troyens

After a siege of ten years, the Greeks leave Troy. A giant wooden horse has been left on the beach. Despite Cassandra's dark premonitions, the offering is borne into the city...Pierre Audi directs Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and American tenor Bryan Hymel in this epic Berlioz's opera, that requires an omnipresent chorus, a huge orchestra and a great virtuosity from the solists.

Vincenzo Bellini - Norma (De Nederlandse Opera)

In Guy Joosten's ingenious production of Bellini's masterpiece, Norma is about more than just beautiful singing. It becomes a layered, timeless drama in which Norma is the archetypal successful woman struggling to retain her dominant but vulnerable position. Hasmik Papian's lyrical and intense interpretation of the title role accentuates the striking similarity between a Druid high priestess and a modern opera diva. Conductor Julian Reynolds guides the brilliant cast, choir and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra to great heights, providing a refr...