Bruckner’s ‘Te Deum’ at Staatsoper Berlin

On December 13 and 14, Elza van den Heever will join the Staatskapelle Berlin and Staatsopernchor Berlin for a special concert at Staatsoper Berlin. Conducted by the illustrious Daniel Barenboim, the concert will also feature a star-studded group of singers including Elīna Garanča, Siyabonga Maqungo and Jan Martiník. Together with Ms. van den Heever, they will perform as the soloists in Bruckner’s celebratory Te Deum. Other exciting repertoire being performed by the orchestra and chorus includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 In D Major »London«, Luca Francesconi’s Dentro Non Ha Tempo and Schubert’s Gesang Der Geister Über Den Wassern, D 714.

Photo: Jiyang Chen

‘Lohengrin’ at Staatsoper Berlin

On November 30, December 4 and 12, Elza van den Heever stars as Elsa of Brabant in Wagner’s Lohengrin at Staatsoper Berlin. She has garnered much acclaim for her portrayal of the role, having performed it at esteemed opera houses including Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Frankfurt and Opernhaus Zürich.

This dark and thrilling production by Calixto Bieito, which originally premiered in a livestream by the company in 2020, will also feature other notable cast members including Gábor Bretz as Heinrich Der Vogler, Andreas Schager as Lohengrin, Martin Gantner as Friedrich Of Telramund, Ekaterina Gubanova as Ortrud and Adam Kutny as The King’s Herald. Thomas Guggeis conducts.

Photo: Jiyang Chen

Berg and Brahms with the Orchestre de Paris and Simone Young

On November 3 and 4, Elza van den Heever will once again join Orchestre de Paris in a concert under the baton of Simone Young. The performances will begin with Berg’s lusciously orchestrated song cycle entitled Sieben frühe Lieder. She will then be joined by Choeur de l’Orchestre de Paris and baritone Wolfgang Koch for Brahms’ epic German Requiem.

Later in the season, she will repeat the Berg set along with Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with pianist Vlad Iftinca at Carnegie Hall.

Photo: Jiyang Chen

Wagnerians in Concert on PBS

PBS will broadcast “Wagnerians in Concert” on November 5, showcasing Elza van den Heever, Christine Goerke, Michael Volle, and Andreas Schager, accompanied by pianist Craig Terry. This concert was recorded in Wiesbaden, Germany, and featured music from “Tannhäuser,” “Parsifal,” “Die Walküre,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” and more, as well as Wagner’s complete Wesendonck Lieder. The broadcast is hosted by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

Click here to see a preview of the performance. To find out when you can watch it in your area, check PBS’ local listings.

‘Fidelio’ in San Francisco

On October 14, 17, 20, 22, 26, 30, Elza van den Heever returns to San Francisco Opera as Leonore in their new production of Fidelio. Envisioned by renowned director Matthew Ozawa, the opera gets a modern take with a detention center being the story’s setting where Leonore seeks answers regarding her activist partner’s disappearance. 

A signature of Ms. van den Heever, her interpretation of the role has garnered rave reviews:

“While the cast was superb throughout, Elza Van Den Heever shone, even shocked, as Lenore … All attention is on her superb acting and particularly the voice. It floats totally supported by the breath. Huge and resounding, it seems effortless to produce, although perfection often does sound deceptively simple.” (Berkshire Fine Arts)

She will be joined on stage by Russell Thomas as Florestan, Greer Grimsley as Don Pizarro, and James Creswell as Rocco. Eun Sun Kim conducts.

Stream the production LIVE on October 14 and 20 at 7:30 pm PDT and 17 at 2 pm PDT for $25 via San Francisco Opera. 

Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs’ with the Orchestre de Paris

On Wednesday, November 18, The Philharmonie Live will broadcast the Orchestre de Paris’ concert starring Elza van den Heever. Under the baton of Simone Young, she will sing Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs, and the ensemble will perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. Previously, the San Francisco Classical Voice celebrated Ms. van den Heever’s performance of the bewitching and peaceful work:

“With Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas leading a beautifully restrained orchestral performance, van den Heever delivered the vocal part with grace and sensitivity. Looking glamorous in an indigo gown, her dark hair long and flowing, the soprano shaded the performance with an apt blend of wonder and resignation. In the first song, “Fruhling” (Spring), she sounded agile, lifting the voice with apparent ease to the phrase “Duft und Vogelgesang” (scents and birdsong) over the orchestra’s sheer, shimmering sound.”

Elza van den Heever makes her staged role debut as The Empress

Elza van den Heever returns to the role of The Empress after her successful debut in the concert performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic last February.

“Tout change quand paraît l’Impératrice. Timbre d’argent cousu d’or, avec un aigu agile comme le vol de l’hirondelle, un galbe de la phrase aux souplesses félines, Elza van den Heever est la grande triomphatrice de la soirée. L’incarnation aura besoin de se libérer, mais pour une première fois, c’est déjà un accomplissement, qui impose l’artiste parmi les grands sopranos Strauss d’aujourd’hui.”

Diapason

This time, she stars in a production by Katie Mitchell, which will be performed at the Dutch National Opera from April 25 – May 20 and Marc Albrecht on the podium. Joining her are AJ Glueckert, Michaela Schuster, Sebastian Holecek, Julietta Aleksanyan, Eva Kroon, Peter Gijsbertsen, Josef Wagner, Iréne Theorin, Andri Björn Róbertsson, Sam Carl and Paul Kaufman.