Songs of Love and Desire was the theme of the 1998 New Year's Eve concert of the Berlin Philharmonic under the musical direction of Claudio Abbado.
Christine Schäfer, Simon Keenlyside, and Marcelo Àlvarez excelled in famous arias and scenes from Mozart, Verdi, and Tchaikovsky, and were joined by Primadonna assoluta Mirella Freni.
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro: Overture; Die Zauberflöte: “Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen”; Don Giovanni: „Deh, vieni alla fi nestra”, “Fin ch’han dal vino”, “La ci darem la mano”
Bizet: L’Arlésienne: Carillon, Farandole
Rossini: La gazza ladra: Overture
Verdi: Rigoletto: “È il sol dell’anima – Addio speranza ed anima”, “Caro nome che il mio cor”, “La donna è mobile”; La Traviata: “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici”
Berlioz: Le Carnaval Romain
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin: Polonaise, Letter Scene