The first performance of Ferdinando Paër’s “Leonora” (1804) using the critical new edition, previously announced in the last [t]akte-Newsletter, will take place at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music as planned on 7, 9 and 11 August, despite restrictions due to Corona virus. The Festival Orchestra, conducted by Alessandro de Marchi, will play on the stage of the Tiroler Landestheater and the vocal soloists will act their parts in front of the orchestra without full costumes or masks. Ferdinando Paër was Kapellmeister in Dresden, and Ludwig van Beethoven was familiar with Paër’s work, which was premiered a year before his own „Leonore“. Following cancellations of performances in Schwetzingen, Martina Franca (Italy) and Bonn, this will be the only opportunity to hear Paër’s work in the Beethoven anniversary year.

The impact of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s operas, which cannot be over-estimated, is generally well-known. A series with four albums, arranged by vocal range, now makes his arias available for teaching and performance.

„How to respond to Clara Schumann?“ That is the question for fellow composer Charlotte Seither, 146 years younger than Schumann. There’s no question of looking backwards for her.

Christoph Prégardien is widely regarded as one of the foremost lyric tenors of our time. In particular, it is his achievements as a lieder singer that are highly acclaimed. Firmly established in his recitals and in his work as a teacher at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Kölnis the cosmos of Franz Schubert’s lieder. Claudia Mücke had a lengthy talk with Prégardien – about singing art songs, about singing lessons, about the importance of editions and, of course, about the genius of Franz Schubert.

Editions from Smetana’s “Má vlast” (My Country) and Dvořák’s “Sedm skladeb pro malý orchestr” (Seven Pieces for Small Orchestra)

Barry Cooper offers alternative variant readings in the new Bärenreiter edition, corrects uncertainties and adds a rediscovered composition with a close connection to the Mass.

The source material for the three “Leonore” Overtures is extremely poor. Helga Lühning now sheds light on the different versions as far as sources allow.