The December 21 performance of Britten’s Peter Grimes from the Wiener Staatsoper will be streamed LIVE online worldwide, via the Staatsoper’s streaming service. Elza van den Heever stars as Ellen Orford, with Stephen Gould in the title role, and Brian Mulligan as Balstrode. Graeme Jenkins conducts the Staatsopernorchester, with stage direction by Christine Mielitz. Visit the Staatsoper onlineto see the broadcast time in your area.
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On December 13, 16, 18 & 21Elza van den Heever sings the role of Ellen Orford in Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes at the Wiener Staatsoper.Stephen Gould stars in the title role, with Brian Mulligan featured as Balstrode. Graeme Jenkins leads the Staatsopernorchester for these performances, with stage direction by Christine Mielitz.
Ms. van den Heever previously sang the role to great acclaim with the San Francisco Symphony and English National Opera:
“Elza van den Heever, a superb South African soprano who looks and sounds remarkably like the young Joan Sutherland, stands out from the herd as a stolid and sensible Ellen Orford, with a voice of angelic sheen and purity promising hope and redemption.” (The Telegraph)
“Former San Francisco Opera Merola and Adler Fellow Elza van den Heever, who made her debut in the role of Ellen Orford opposite Skelton in the English National Opera‘s “Grimes” earlier this year, continues to show why she is a singer to watch and hear at any opportunity. Here, she maintains a dramatically significant control in Ellen’s early scenes. The voice is clear, precise, reflecting Ellen‘s quiet determination to stand up to the villagers in her defense of the man she hopes to marry. … Later, when she discovers a bruise on the neck of the new apprentice… and wavers in her belief in Peter, van den Heever unleashes a glorious lyrical ribbon of pain and beauty, every bit of loneliness and heartbreak spilling out of her. Her rendition of the “Embroidery Aria” in the third act, that quiet moment meant to suggest the calm between an ebbing and crashing wave, was etched in wistful resignation. ” (San Francisco Chronicle)
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Elza van den Heever returns to the Canadian Opera Company this season, to star in the title role of Bellini’s timeless tragedy, Norma. Performances take place October 23, 26 & 28 and November 5at the Four Seasons Centre, and also feature Russell Thomas as Pollione, Isabel Leonard as Adalgisa, and Dimitry Ivashchenko as Oroveso, with Maestro Stephen Lord and the COC Orchestra and Chorus. The production, featuring stage direction by Kevin Newbury, was first seen at San Francisco Opera.
Ms. van den Heever previously performed the role to an enthusiastic response from audiences and critics at the Opéra National de Bordeaux:
“The role of Norma is considered a great platform of the lyric repertoire, and the South African Elza van den Heever makes the most of her abilities in this production. It is an opportunity for truly bravura singing, with demands on the soprano for accuracy in the upper reaches, concentration in rapid passages and sheer endurance for the two hours and 30 minutes of music.” (Facts & Arts)
Elsa will also sing Norma later this season (April-May) at The Dallas Opera.
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Elza van den Heever sings Strauss’ Four Last Songs on August 23 with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Conductor Sebastian Weigle leads the all-Strauss programme, which also includes Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28 and Sinfonia domestica, Op. 53.
Elza van den Heever sings Leonore in a concert presentation of Beethoven’s Fidelio this summer at Caramoor. The performance takes place on July 31 at Caramoor’s outdoor venue, the Venetian Theater, and is a highlight of the festival’s season. The cast also includes Paul Groves (Florestan); Georgia Jarman (Marzelline); Kristinn Sigmundsson (Rocco); Andrew Owens (Jaquino); and Alfred Walker (Don Pizarro). Pablo Heras-Casado leads the Orchestra of St. Luke’s for this not-to-be-missed performance.
This season, Elza van den Heever stars as Elisabetta in Verdi’s Don Carlo, in Strasbourg at the Opéra national du Rhin. She performs June 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 & 28 and July 8 & 10, with Andrea Carè and Gaston Rivero alternating in the title role, Tassis Christoyannis as Posa, and Stephen Milling sings Filippo II.
Image: Opéra national du Rhin
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Don’t miss Elza van den Heever’s performances as Giorgetta in Il tabarro and the title role in Suor Angelica, part of Puccini’s masterful Il Trittico, this spring at the Oper Frankfurt. Ms. van den Heever was previously in residence at the company, and this engagement marks her much awaited return to the Frankfurt stage. Performances take place March 13, 20, 25, 28 & 31 and April 3 & 9.
Image: Monika Rittersaus
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