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John Malkovich - The Infernal Comedy

Martin Haselböck / Wiener Akademie / Bernarda Bobro / Martene Grimson

What would happen if a serial killer were to return from the underworld, were to pen his autobiography and present the results on a promotional tour that draws much on the stuff of music itself? This murderous scenario spanning the worlds of fiction and reality is exactly where John Malkovich feels at home. We know him as the baddy par excellence, someone who is one of the most important actors of our time. In “The Infernal Comedy”, Malkovich slips into the role of the Austrian mass murderer Jack Unterweger. After he was sentenced, and then reprieved, he continued to kill, before taking his own life. During the 1980s he was the darling of the intellectuals and the media. Malkovich tells the tale in a shocking, fascinating and – at the end of the day – quite enjoyable way, supported by the Baroque Orchestra of the Viennese Academy and two sopranos, who advance the plot by means of some fitting arias.

Dates:
23.06.2012    Stuttgart – Liederhalle, 20:00
24.06.2012    Munich – Philharmonie am Gasteig, 20:00
26.06.2012    Berlin – Philharmonie , 20:00

Harald Schmidt - Der Schauspieldirektor

Julia Bauer / Anna Palimina / Robin Johannsen / Julien Prégardien / Jörg Dürmüller / Concerto Köln

Cabaret artist, talk-show entertainer and now, a “Schauspieldirektor”: Harald Schmidt is a multi-talent, so much is true. Last year he was asked if he could like to appear with Concerto Köln on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, the role being the “Schauspieldirektor”. Schmidt is not someone to say no. Mozart conceived his “Schauspieldirektor” as a singspiel and left enough room for spoken text. The passages in question were dusted off by Harald Schmidt in a most professional way and rendered suitable for the present day. The music and the vocal numbers themselves remained unscathed – but the result is a Mozart comic opera in new clothes. The audience is bound to grin.

Dates:
14.01.2012    Kiel – Kieler Schloss, 20:00
15.01.2012    Lübeck – Musik- und Kongresshalle, 18:00
21.01.2012    Düsseldorf – Tonhalle, 20:00
22.01.2012    Frankfurt – Alte Oper, 20:00
27.01.2012    Nurnberg – Meistersingerhalle, 20:00
29.01.2012    Munich – Philharmonie, 20:00
18.02.2012    Stuttgart – Liederhalle, 20:00
02.03.2012    Bremen – Glocke, 20:00
03.03.2012    Bielefeld – Oetkerhalle, 20:00
04.03.2012    Dortmund – Konzerthaus, 17:00
04.05.2012    Aachen – Eurogress, 20:00
06.05.2012    Berlin – Philharmonie, 11:00

Rolando Villazón - Italian songs

Nuevo Mundo Chamber Orchestra

As Alfredo in Verdi’s “Traviata” and as the Count in “Rigoletto, as Nemorino in Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore”, Rolando Villazon has celebrated many a triumph on opera stages around the world. For his newest project he delves into the world of the great masters of bel canto. Along with the recognised masterpieces by Giuseppe Verdi, Gaetano Donizetti, Gioacchino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, we have a host of wonderful songs. Villazon has made a highly personal choice. The rare bel canto items are seen in a new light: instead of piano accompaniment, the listener is treated to original orchestral arrangements. Discover this new side of bel canto along with one of its best interpreters.

Dates:
30.03.2012 Baden-Baden – Festspielhaus, 20:00
05.04.2012 Munich – Philharmonie, 20:00

In cooperation with Universal Music Classical Management and Productions Ltd.

Cameron Carpenter

Der Shootingstar der Orgel

To revolutionise the organ – Cameron Carpenter considers it his duty to carry out exactly this. Whether original compositions and transcriptions, film music or great works of the traditional organ repertoire: in his concerts Carpenter really does invent the organ anew. At last, a player who can open our ears to a previously unimaginable universe of sound. His technique is without parallel. Carpenter is a singular talent, which manifests itself in his personality as a musician too. Born in 1981 in Pennsylvania, USA, Cameron Carpenter remains the most celebrated and controversial organist of our time. After appearances in London, Melbourne, Moscow, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Luxembourg and Hong Kong, as well as in the Philharmonic Halls of Munich, Cologne and Berlin, the 2011/12 season will see him on an extensive tour of the major concert halls in Germany.

Dates:

07.02.2012 Essen – Philharmonie, 20:00

20.02.2012 Hannover- Kuppelsaal, 20:0 0

14.02.2012 Nurnberg – Meistersingerhalle, 20:00

26.03.2012 Munich – Philharmonie am Gasteig, 20:00