This spring, Elza van den Heever returns to The Metropolitan Opera to take on the title role in Richard Strauss’ Salome. She made her role debut in 2022 at Opéra national de Paris, where her performances were met with much acclaim.
The season has marked a particularly rich chapter of Strauss for Ms. van den Heever at the Met, following her critically lauded portrayal of the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten earlier this year. Reflecting on her experience performing both roles, she shared in an interview with the company:
“Salome mostly sits quite low in my voice until the final ten minutes. And her character is so delicious, so complicated and perverse and injured and abused. So completely three-dimensional. But once again, I just love the music. It’s such a privilege—I have to pinch myself every day… To step into the shoes of the people that came before me in this repertoire is daunting, but I’m filled with gratitude, to the Met and especially to Strauss. What an absolute genius.”
Salome receives a bold new staging by director Claus Guth—the first new production of the one-act opera at the Met in two decades. Set in a psychologically charged Victorian-era world, Guth’s interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s biblical drama is steeped in symbolism and the interplay of darkness and light.
The distinguished cast also features Peter Mattei as Jochanaan, Michelle DeYoung as Herodias, Gerhard Siegel and Chad Shelton (May 10) as Herod, and Piotr Buszewski as Narraboth. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads his first company performances of Strauss’ searing masterpiece. Derrick Inouye will also take the podium on May 10 and 24.
On March 21, Elza van den Heever joins Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier for a captivating concert celebrating springtime under the baton of Stephanie Childress, the inaugural winner of the La Maestra competition. Ms. Van den Heever will showcase her dramatic prowess in Beethoven’s powerful concert aria “Ah! perfido”, composed in 1796. The program also features Edith Canat de Chizy’s Alio and Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38.
Photo: Jiyang Chen
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On February 5, 9, 12, 15, 20, and 23, Elza van den Heever debuts at Teatro alla Scala as Sieglinde to Wagner’s Die Walküre. It’s a relatively new role for the soprano, who debuted it just last year with the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, giving a “vocally resplendent” (Seen and Heard) performance.
Conductors Simon Young (Feb 5, 9, 12) and Alexander Soddy (Feb 15, 20, 23) lead a cast of excellent Wagnerians in David McVicar’s production, including Klaus Florian Vogt as Siegmund, Günther Groissböck as Hundig, Michael Volle as Wotan, Okka von der Damerau as Fricka, and Camilla Nylund as Brünnhilde.
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Later this month, Elza van den Heever returns to The Metropolitan Opera to reprise her signature portrayal of the Empress in Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten. She has previously sung the role at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, among other prestigious venues. Of her performance last season at the Vienna State Opera, Bachtrack praised her interpretation, writing: “As the Empress, Elza van den Heever had little difficulty with conveying the celestial being’s initial naïveté, subsequent bewilderment and, finally, wisdom, all with her clear, penetrating tone. Her voice’s evenness throughout the registers was a delight, while her outburst of Singspiel in Act 3 was thrilling and moving.”
Herbert Wernicke’s production of Die Frau ohne Schatten reimagines Strauss’s monumental opera with a bold, abstract visual style that accentuates its psychological and symbolic depths. Through reflective surfaces, stark lighting, and minimalist geometric designs, Wernicke creates a dreamlike world that illuminates the themes of transformation and redemption. Joining Ms. van den Heever in the star-studded cast are Russell Thomas as the Emperor, Michael Volle as Barak the Dyer, Lise Lindstrom as Barak’s Wife, Nina Stemme as the Nurse, and Ryan Speedo Green as the Messenger of Keikobad, under the baton of Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Elza van den Heever begins her 2024/25 season by reprising the role of Leonore in Fidelio at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, with performances on September 26, 29, and October 2, 5, and 10. Known for her rich, expressive voice, Ms. van den Heever previously captivated audiences in this same role at the San Francisco Opera, where Operawire praised her performance: “Van den Heever sang with ardor and luster, her voice tender and filled with longing in early scenes. When she sheds her disguise in Act two, revealing herself to be Leonore, her voice was full of passion and heroism.” She will be joined by a top-tier cast, including Russell Thomas as Florestan, Dimitry Ivashchenko as Rocco, and Brian Mulligan as Pizarro.
Under the direction of Matthew Ozawa and with Enrique Mazzola conducting, this production of Beethoven’s Fidelio is set to be a standout of the season. Ozawa’s staging, previously praised as “transformative… a thoughtful examination of how we strive for the ideals of justice and freedom” (Toronto Star), will provide a dynamic backdrop for van den Heever’s impassioned portrayal of Leonore, the heart of this moving story of love, courage, and justice.
Photo: Jiyang Chen
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On August 10 and 11, Elza van den Heever will perform Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder (“Four Last Songs”) at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival. She will be accompanied by the Saito Kinen Orchestra under the baton of the festival’s principal guest conductor, Nodoka Okisawa.
Composed in 1948 near the end of Strauss’ life, Vier letzte Lieder are celebrated for their lush orchestration and profound reflections on life, death, and transcendence. These four orchestral songs are considered some of Strauss’ most beautiful and poignant works, often performed and cherished for their serene and contemplative nature.
Ms. van den Heever, a well-known Strauss interpreter, has previously performed this stunning set of songs with the San Francisco Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris, with the latter performance being streamed live to audiences worldwide.
This concert program will also include excerpts from Mendelssohn’s Ein Sommernachtstraum, Op. 61, and Strauss’ symphonic poem Don Juan, Op. 20.
Photo: Jiyang Chen
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This month, Elza van den Heever stars as Julia in Gaspare Spontini’s rarely-seen La Vestale at the Paris Opera. Following her successful debut in the role in 2019 at MusikTheater an der Wein, van den Heever brings her acclaimed portrayal to a new audience in this captivating masterpiece.
The opera follows the tale of Julia, a sacred vestal virgin in ancient Rome, who defies her vows by falling in love with Licinius, a renowned general. Their clandestine romance sparks a gripping clash between love and duty, ultimately resolved by a divine intervention that spares Julia from punishment and reunites the star-crossed lovers. As Lydia Steier’s new production delves into themes of political extremism, the opera takes on a renewed relevance, offering a thought-provoking exploration of love, power, and sacrifice.
Under the baton of famed conductor Bertrand de Billy, the brilliant cast includes Michael Spyres as Licinius, Eve-Maud Hubeaux as La Grand Vestale, Julien Behr as Cinna, Jean Teitgen as Le Souverain Pontife, and Florent Mbia as Le Chef des Aruspices.
This spring, Elza van den Heever makes her long-awaited debut as Sieglinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Four concert performances of the monumental work are scheduled, starting at de Doelen (Grand Hall) in Rotterdam on April 26, followed by shows at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden on April 28, Kozerthaus Dortmund on May 1, and concluding at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, on May 4.
The phenomenal cast is also slated to feature Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Siegmund, Soloman Howard as Hunding, Brian Mulligan as Wotan, Karen Cargill as Fricka, Tamara Wilson as Brünnhilde, Jessica Faselt as Helmwige, Brittany Olivia Logan as Gerhilde, Justyna Bluj as Ortlinde, Iris van Wijnen as Waltraute, Maria Barakova as Siegrune, Ronnita Miller as Grimgerde, Anna Kissjudit as Schwertleite, and Catriona Morison as Roßweiße.
Photo: Dario Acosta
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