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Spotlight on ... Sondra Radvanovsky in the Orchestral Concert II

A real highlight of this year's programme! The Orchestral Concert II will be an opera gala, as the programme includes excerpts from major operatic works such as Peter Tchaikovsky's »Eugene Onegin« and Giuseppe Verdi's »Macbeth«, reflecting the diversity and expressive power of opera as an art form. The young Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund will conduct the evening with soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, tenor SeokJong Baek, baritone Simon Keenlyside and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.

Sondra Radvanovsky © Michael Cooper

»Radvanovsky was extraordinary. Like Maria Callas ... she uses the slightly grainy quality of her sound to exciting dramatic purpose ... Her account ... was at once intensely anguished and surpassingly beautiful«.

The New York Times about Sondra Radvanovsky

At the centre of the evening is one of the most important sopranos of our time: Sondra Radvanovsky was trained at the Metropolitan Opera as part of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Programme. After appearing there in smaller roles, she attracted the attention of critics as Antonia in »Les Contes d'Hoffmann«. Since then, she has appeared at all the world's major opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, the Met and the Zurich Opera House, and has sung in concerts with leading orchestras worldwide. In recent seasons, Sondra Radvanovsky took on the title role in David McVicar's new production of »Medea« at the Metropolitan Opera and delighted audiences as Turandot at the Paris Opera. At the Deutsche Oper Berlin, she appeared in the title role in »Aida« and as Lisa in »Pique Dame«, and she also returned to the Royal Opera House in for »Andrea Chénier«. Outside of the opera stage, Sondra Radvanovsky frequently gives recitals all over the world, including at the Liceu in Barcelona and at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. In 2025, Sondra Radvanovsky will make her debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival with the Orchestral Concert II.

To the Biography of
SeokJong Baek

To the biography of
Simon Keenlyside

Interview with... Tabita Berglund

What expectations do you have for the Salzburg Easter Festival?

Tabita Berglund: Of course I've heard a lot about this city - it's the epicentre of classical music, so my expectations are enormous for that reason alone. I've had many teachers who have studied in Salzburg - many of the established Norwegian musicians are influenced by this city, so I'm very excited.

We will hear arias and duets that have to stand alone, stripped from their dramatic narrative. Why do you think they will still have an effect on the audience?

Tabita Berglund: What makes an opera so interesting is that a really good aria or a really good duet captures the essence of the emotion. And that comes through, whether in the context of the whole piece or if you only hear that one excerpt. However, I would still recommend that audiences to read the background stories beforehand, although I am convinced that a well-written operatic aria is a jewel that always shines, no matter what the musical setting.

Which composer from the programme would you like to meet for a drink and why?

Tabita Berglund: Oh. Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky! He is one of my favourite composers, in a way the first composer I fell in love with musically. He opened my ears to another world and I still remember exactly how I played the symphonies in the orchestra as a cellist, or the Rococo Variations. That was simply a completely new experience for me, which also opened up the entire Russian repertoire to me. So I would really like to have a drink with him and find out all the secrets about him.
To the full interview with Tabita Berglund
Tickets

To the biography of
Tabita Berglund