conductor
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris) – January 21st 2021 – 8:00 PM
Cancelled due to Covid-19 crisis
Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Sypres, two exceptional tenors and Rossini specialists, share the stage at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with Opéra Fuoco for an exceptional evening in the series of ‘Les Grands Voix’. The program presents arias and duets, masterpieces from 19th century Italian bel canto repertoire.
ITHINK Financial Amphitheatre
February 19th 7:30 PM / February 24th 7:30 PM
In February of 2021, Stern will lead performances of La Bohème and the Magic Flute in a 5000 seat open air arena, as part of the first Palm Beach Opera Festival. This innovative project will be key to bringing back live performance in the 20-21 season.
February 21st – 2:00 PM/ February 26th – 7:30 PM
Known for its enduring story and infectious score, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte captures the imaginations of young and old.
Date: 21st January 2021
Time: 20:00
Location: Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
More info
2020/21
RIVALI E AMICI, ROSSINI OPERAS ARIAS AND DUETS
Tenor – Michael Spyres
Tenor – Lawrence Brownlee
Musical direction – David Stern
Opera Fuoco Orchestra
Date: 19th February 2021
Time: 19:30
Location: ITHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Stage direction – James Robinson
Mimi – Latonia Moore
Rodolfo – Michael Fabiano
Musetta – Isabel Leonard
Marcello – Quinn Kelsey
Colline – Ryan Speedo Green
Alcindoro/Benoît – Samuel Ramey
Palm Beach Opera Orchestra
Date: 21st February 2021
Time: 14:00
Pamina – Janai Brugger
Tamino – Matthew Polenzani
Papageno – Joshua Hopkins
Queen of the Night – Kathryn Lewek
Sarastro – Morris Robinson
Papagena – Patricia Westley
Monostatos – Matthew DiBattista
First Lady – Shannon Jennings
Second Lady – Jenny Anne Flory
Third Lady – Avery Amereau
First Spirit – Emily Helenbrook
Second Spirit – SarahAnn Duffy
Third Spirit – Megan Callahan
First Priest/ Armored Man – Moisés Salazar
David Stern's musical leadership is spread across three continents. Whether conducting a major symphony orchestra, baroque opera, teaching vocal master classes or defending cultural activities, Stern keeps his musicians, students and audiences riveted by sharing his strong musical convictions, his flexibility of approach and his belief that music is relevant and indeed essential in today's world. He is the founder and director of the Paris-based opera studio and period-instrument ensemble Opera Fuoco, as well as artistic adviser and chief conductor of the Shanghai Baroque Festival and chief conductor of the Palm Beach Opera in Florida.
“(…) The tone was set by conductor David Stern’s nicely shaped overture, taken at a moderate pace, with solo instruments given the freedom to ornament their lines. This musical approach immediately engaged fans of bel canto opera and signaled that this would not be a routine reading of a familiar score. Throughout the evening, the prospect of interesting variations never let the listener’s attention lag and each singer was able to personalize his or her character musically. Stern kept a firm had throughout the evening with a brief exception during the Act I finale, from which the ensemble quickly recovered. (…)” Karl Hesser
Grammophone magazine’s review of David Stern’s recording with NDR Radiophilharmonie and Ania Vegry of Gassmann’s rare opera arias and scenes: “Conductor David Stern draws alert playing from the NDR Radiophilharmonie. “
“After the conclusion of the famous Overture to Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Palm Beach Opera chief conductor David Stern invited the orchestra to stand to receive the applause. (…) The Overture, fortunately, was not marred by any madcap antics on stage, full of crisp string playing, such as in the mock-sinister minor-key theme that sounds like snipping barber scissors. (…) Stern led a spirited performance, with thumps of drums and cymbals, through crescendos and accelerandos, that gave the opera a propulsive start.”
David Fleshler
Florian Leopold Gassmann – Ah, ingrato Amor (Opera arias & sinfonias) – CPO, 2020
Ania Vegry / David Stern & NDR Radiophilharmonie
`New releaseOPERA FUOCO – APARTÉ
Opera Fuoco’s latest recording features three former members of the Opera Fuoco studio, Lea Desandré, Natalie Perez, Chantal Santon and the Opera Fuoco orchestra conducted by David Stern. Berenice, che fai? is a compilation of late Baroque and early Classical works based principally on Metastasio’s famous 18th-century opera scene « Ah Berenice » from his opera Antigono.
Not only was the scene set to music by such composers as Haydn and Hasse, but also by Antonio Maria Mazzoni and Marianna Martinez, a composer of Spanish descent who was widely connected to the Viennese music scene and, for a time, lived in the same noble house as Metastasio and Haydn at Grosse Michelstrasse. The young Mozart’s concert aria « Berenice » and Johann Christian Bach’s aria « Confusa, smarrita» from the composer’s lost pasticcio opera, Berenice, as well as Hasse’s Antigono overture complement the program.
Cherubini, Boisselot, Hérold
Karine Deshayes / Opera Fuoco