From Mozart to Broadway: Danielle de Niese & Lucerne Festival Strings
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Concert Hall
Date: March 07, 2018
Programme
Mozart Divertimento for Strings in D major K. 136
Mozart
A Selection of Arias from the Range of Arias Accompanied by Strings:
Fuggi il Traditor from Don Giovani
Conservati Fedele
Tu sai per chi m'acese from Mitridate
Hugo Wolf
Italian Serenade in G major
Gioachino Rossini
"Una voce poco fa" from Il barbiere di Siviglia
Luigi Arditi
Il Bacio (The Kiss – a Waltz Song)
Version for Soprano and String Orchestra
——Intermission——
Bartok
Divertimento Sz.113 BB. 118 for String Orchestra
Bernstein
"Dream with Me" from Peter Pan
"I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story
"A Little bit in Love" from Wonderful Town
Waltz from Divertimento
Broadway Songs Arranged for Soprano and Strings
Jule Styne, Bob Merrill
Don't Rain on My Parade”, from Funny Girl
Richard Rodger, Oscar Hammerstein"I Enjoy Being A Girl", from Flower Drum Song
"Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine" (E-flat major)
Leader and Artistic Director: Daniel Dodds
Soloist: Danielle de Niese (soprano)
Ensemble:Festival Strings Lucerne
Artist
Danielle de Niese Soprano
Danielle de Niese has been hailed as “opera's coolest soprano” by New York Times and “not just a superb performer, but a phenomenal one” by Opera News. A multi-faceted artist, de Niese has gained wide recognition for her superb stagecraft, assured singing and her ability to communicate on every level. She regularly appears on the world's most prestigious opera and concert stages and is a prolific recording artist, TV personality and philanthropist.
De Niese has made several important debuts in 2016/17. On the concert and recital platform she made an appearance at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, whilst audiences in London could hear her in recital with Julius Drake at the Barbican. The season has also seen her taking on the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Semperoper Dresden as well returning to Adina in L'elisir d'amore at the Opera national du Rhin and Norina in Don Pasquale in her company debut with Wiener Staatsoper.
Born in Australia to parents of Sri Lankan and Dutch heritage, de Niese became at the age of 18 the youngest ever singer to enter the Metropolitan Opera's prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Programme. One year later she made her Metropolitan Opera debut under James Levine, as Barbarina in Jonathan Miller's acclaimed new production of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. On the strength of her performance, de Niese went on to make major debuts at the Opéra National de Paris, Saito Kinen Festival and Netherlands Opera. In 2005 de Niese made her Glyndebourne Festival debut as Cleopatra in David McVicar's production of Handel Cleopatra, and was catapulted to international fame. She has since reprised the role in the 2009 Glyndebourne revival, and in 2013 at the Metropolitan Opera, always to critical praise.
Her last season began with a double header for the BBC Proms, singing at the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall opposite Jonas Kaufmann, broadcast worldwide, and at Proms in the Park in Hyde Park. Her operatic engagements included the world premiere of Jimmy López's Bel Canto at Lyric Opera of Chicago conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, a return to Theater an der Wien to sing Poppea in Robert Carsen’s new production of Handel Agrippina, under Thomas Hengelbrock, and the new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia as Rosina at the Glyndebourne Festival and BBC Proms.
A prolific recording artist, her debut recording for Decca, Handel Arias, was awarded the prestigious Orphée d'Or from and the much coveted ECHO Klassik award, as well as earning her a Classical Brit Award nomination for Female Artist of the Year. The Mozart Album, Diva, and Beauty of the Baroque followed.
