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…

Giacomo Puccini honours his own code by bringing all those elements together in a single work, Il trittico, which is made up of three one-act operas. Finding the right librettos was not easy, but one month after the end of the First World War, his…

In this special Gala Night that took place at Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin in 1993, renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim and opera star Placido Domingo perform some of the most famous overtures and opera scenes from Giuseppe Verdi’s and Richard Wagner’s…

György Ligeti (1923-2006) is undoubtedly one of the most famous contemporary composers. Since his composition "Atmosphères" was used in Stanley Kubrick's "A Space Odyssey", at least the sound of his music has become known to a wider audience. In 1996…

When painter Gustav Klimt coated his famous paintings with gold leaf, Richard Strauss musically reveled in the opulence that was so typical of Vienna at the time. No fewer than five powerful Wagnerian voices are needed for his "Die Frau ohne Schatten…

After more than 3 years of absence and millions of albums sold all over the world, the French singer ZAZ gave a unique concert in the Carrières de Lumières des Baux de Provence in October 2021. Accompanied by her musicians, she performs her greatest…

On New Year's Eve 2022, the Berliner Philharmoniker and chief conductor Kirill Petrenko welcome a very special guest: Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann joins in for a rousing Italian and Russian programme. Sonorous foundation, radiant high notes, intelligent…

Following the success of King Arthur, which was presented at major European festivals, Vox Luminis is discovering Henry Purcell's "The Fairy Queen", a semi-opera in five acts written for the Dorset Garden in 1692. The dramatic plot of the work is…

The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) died before he could complete his final opera Turandot. Fortunately, his lesser-known colleague Franco Alfano managed to use the maestro's notes to complete the opera in time for its April 26, 1926…

Keith Jarrett is one of the few jazz superstars, whose concerts sell out almost immediately, wherever he plays. But Keith is much more than just a jazz musician. Through an exploration of his life and work, and close encounters with the man himself…