Defiant Requiem in Vienna: Verdi at Terezín

In a program originally scheduled for the Musikverein in Vienna, Martin Haselböck and his Orchester Wiener Akademie played Beethoven and Schubert both familiar and curiously obscure. 

The Singverein and Akademieorchester were joined by Swedish soprano Malin Hartelius and Florian Boesch for Brahms' German Requiem.

"Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie leben im Leipzig des 18. Jahrhunderts," entführt Dirigent Haselböck sein Publikum in die Welt von überirdisch strahlenden Klängen der Geigen, Pauken und Trompeten und des jubelnden Chors - die Welt von Bachs Kantaten.

The Giacomo Variations takes its time really getting down to business – the business Giacomo Casanova was in – the business of love.It begins with a lot of theatre business. The set, designed by Renate Martin and Andreas Donhauser, consists of three gigantic Marie-Antoinette skirts. Lift one and there’s a bed for romping.

Under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, the Czech Philharmonic and a sprawling supporting cast lead listeners up a stairway to heaven. 

Jakub Hrůša returns to his Moravian roots leading the Czech Philharmonic in a stellar concert performance of Janáček's Cunning Little Vixen.