What a strange idea Mondonville had! Based on a cruel fable by La Fontaine with a tragic ending, he wrote a charming opera libretto with a happy ending, and composed a delightful pastoral. In the prologue, Dame Clémence Isaure, the mythical founder…

On Wednesday, October 16th, Dmitri Hvorostovsky's birthday, the Festival officially opens with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem.

Compelling love duets, escalating conflicts and arias bursting with virtuosity and emotion. In his three Tudor Queens operas, bel canto master Gaetano Donizetti composed at the top of his game. In this concert, an international cast takes you on an…

Envy, greed, gluttony, anger, lust, sloth, pride.... In the Catechism, seven offences are considered sins so extreme, that they cannot be forgiven. In art, they have inspired all genres: from Renaissance painters to Hollywood films. Eric Gauthier…

A ballet by John Neumeier A Ghost Light – a single lamp that illuminates the stage when rehearsals or performances are finished – is part of a long theatrical tradition. Legend says that originally, the night light was for the ghosts of former…

Orchestras once played Bach as well as Bruckner. Only specialised ensembles showed that note and performance signs have changed their meaning quite a bit over the centuries. So far, so theoretical: in practice, Handel's "Il Trionfo" awaits us, a…

The internationally renowned Danza Contemporanea de Cuba have for more than 50 years produced dancers of the highest level with a style evoking the sensual, mystical and raw heart of Cuban spirit. Nowadays, its active repertoire contains more than 70…

Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns is reimagined for the first time on screen in a bold and thrilling new production. Shot on location at the iconic Rivoli Ballroom in South London, Clowns is an intense dance performance unlike anything audiences will have…

Herbert Blomstedt appears with the Gewandhaus Orchestra for the last time as the Gewandhaus Music Director in this recording. After seven successful years in Leipzig, the maestro performs a work in the Thomas Church that is especially dear to him…

João Gilberto is winner of two Grammy awards and nominee for six, he is one of the most important figures in Brazilian music and the grandmaster of bossa nova. His first and only approved live video was taped in November 2006 at the age of 75 in…