Premiere of »Die Zauberflöte«: Bertrand de Billy conducts
Saison 2024/2025 |
Franz Welser-Möst has been forced to cancel his conducting duties for the new production of The Magic Flute at the Vienna State Opera (premiere: January 27, 2025) for health reasons. After successful immunotherapy, he suffered unexpected side effects that make his participation impossible.
Bertrand de Billy, recently appointed honorary member of the Vienna State Opera, will take over the musical direction.
»We have prepared every detail of this new production with Franz Welser-Möst very carefully and over a long period of time. I know how painful it is for him not to be able to realize these ideas himself; the team at the Staatsoper feels the same way. We all wish him a speedy and lasting recovery. The fact that a conductor as important to the house as Bertrand de Billy is willing to take over the musical direction at this time during rehearsals is a stroke of luck and we owe him a great debt of gratitude.«
The premiere of Die Zauberflöte features the house debuts of director Barbora Horáková and soloists Julian Prégardien (Tamino) and Ludwig Mittelhammer (Papageno); Serena Saénz as the Queen of the Night, Slávka Zámečníková as Pamina, Matthäus Schmidlechner as Monostatos and Ilia Staple as Papagena can be heard for the first time in the Haus am Ring. Georg Zeppenfeld sings the role of Sarastro.