10 Voices Hitting the Highest Holiday Notes

medici.tv is honored to invite you to a spectacular year-end celebration —
get into the spirit with these iconic singers in superb operas and sublime recitals

A centennial celebration for one of opera’s most towering figures… A legendary prima donna who inspired a new silver screen smash… A star-studded opening gala from one of the most revered venues in music: medici.tv is celebrating the season in grand style, and you’re invited to join the festivities! We’ve made our list and checked it twice — now get to know the ten iconic voices making waves in our year-end live streams and new releases, from La Scala to the Paris Philharmonie, in a mix of beloved favorites and never-before-seen spectacles.

Jonas Kaufmann, tenor

Hailed as "the world’s greatest tenor" by The Telegraph, the multi-faceted Jonas Kaufmann has performed over 70 roles in the world’s leading opera houses, receiving recognition for his performances of French, German, and Italian repertoire on the opera stage and in recital. This winter, marvel at his showstopping rendition of "Nessun dorma" in Puccini's Turandot or in Romantic duets with the divine Diana Damrau, two of the most exciting new releases in our catalogue.

Quintessential Kaufmann

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Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Prince Calaf

Puccini’s Turandot

Don Alvaro

Verdi’s La Forza del Destino

Werther

Massenet’s Werther

The Tenor/Bacchus

R. Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos

Florestan

Beethoven’s Fidelio

Paul

Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt

Don José

Bizet’s Carmen

Turiddu

Petro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana

Telemaco

Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria

Asmik Grigorian, soprano

"One of the fiercest dramatic talents in the field" (The New York Times), Asmik Grigorian has established herself as one of today's most sought-after stars since bursting onto the international scene with a tour de force Madama Butterfly. Her undeniable stage presence and crystalline tone make her perfect for an remarkable range of roles, from Salome and Rusalka to Jenůfa and, of course, the revelatory Turandot we're thrilled to be adding to our catalogue this holiday season.

Asmik Grigorian sings sublime Strauss

Grigorian brings her stunning soprano voice to join the charismatic Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic in the haunting, incredibly beautiful Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, whose An Alpine Symphony rounds out a program of all-time favorites. The 22 episodes that make up the rich tableau of An Alpine Symphony demonstrate Strauss's profound appreciation for the Bavarian Alps with a musical day on the peaks, from sunrise to sunset and all the way to the summit. This evocative journey gives way to another musical declaration of love, the Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), a breathtaking paean to life. From the lithe "Frühling" (Spring) to the dark serenity of "Im Abendrot" (At Sunset), this singular set presents Strauss's equanimity in the face of death while celebrating the beauty of life as it remained to him, and as it would continue on after his passing. Grigorian is at her mesmerizing best here, bringing her yearning highs and sonorous lows to one of the last great monuments of German Romanticism in song.

Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Turandot

Puccini’s Turandot

Rusalka

Dvořák’s Rusalka

Nastasia

Tchaikovsky’s The Enchantress

Liza

Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades

Polina

Prokofiev’s The Gambler

Sonya Yoncheva, soprano

Praised as "the finest Violetta since Maria Callas" (Die Welt), Sonya Yoncheva, winner of the 2010 Operalia Competition and Opus Klassik's 2021 Singer of the Year, is a beloved fixture on the most important stages of the world. A "consummate performer" with a "no-holds-barred quality" (Gramophone), she has received enthusiastic public and critical acclaim for her extensive repertoire, including a widely lauded Tosca that we're delighted to include in our year-end celebration.

Puccini's Tosca at the Verona Arena

In 1889, Puccini attended a play — written by Victorien Sardou and performed by the great Sarah Bernhardt — whose main character exuded theatricality. He bought the rights to this passionate drama, and after a few years' work and two operas — Manon Lescaut (1893) and La Bohème (1896) — it was Tosca's turn to be revealed to the general public. Although the work was not an immediate success, it is now widely recognized as one of opera's finest masterpieces. Sung for over a century by the greatest voices, witness Sonya Yoncheva take on the mythical role of Sarah Bernhardt, accompanied by the talented Vittorio Grigòlo and Roman Burdenko — in a superb staging at the Arena in Verona, staged by Hugo de Ana!

Sonya Yoncheva works her magic

Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano

With a voice that is "nothing less than 24-carat gold" (The Times), Joyce DiDonato has towered at the top of the industry both as a performer, a producer, and a fierce advocate for the arts—and her artistry has defined what it is to be a singer in the 21st century. Her multi-sensorial, multi-era, multi-genre program EDEN showcases her at her very best in captivating repertoire spanning more than four centuries, "a performance so beautiful that it makes your insides ache" (Gramophone).

Joyce DiDonato takes her blockbuster album EDEN on tour: arias and songs from four centuries

Joyce's 2022 album EDEN was only the starting point for a multi-year tour that has seen her use her extraordinary voice to spread a message of connection — with our planet and with one another — across 45 cities on five continents. It is our honor to present this multi-sensorial, multi-era, multi-genre project on medici.tv with a striking staging by Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, lighting design by John Torres, and music by longtime collaborators Maxim Emelyanychev and the award-winning ensemble Il pomo d'oro. EDEN showcases Joyce at her very best in captivating repertoire spanning more than four centuries, including arias by Gluck and Handel, sublime songs from Mahler's Rückert-Lieder, Charles Ives's haunting The Unanswered Question, and a breathtaking new commission by Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman. Bringing a "glorious sense of home" and evoking "tearful wonder," Joyce once again delivers "a performance so beautiful that it makes your insides ache" (Gramophone).

The joy of Joyce DiDonato

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Juan Diego Flórez, tenor

"The greatest bel canto tenor of his generation" (Bachtrack), Juan Diego Flórez has a voice magical enough to break generational taboos: his 2007 encore of "Ah! mes amis" from Donizetti's La fille du régiment, with its nine high Cs, was the first at La Scala in 75 years. At home in any language and in a staggering variety of repertoire, Flórez regales us this winter in a Paris recital with trademark works by Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi.

Flying high with Flórez

Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Count Almaviva

Rossini’s The Barber of Seville

The Duke of Mantua

Verdi’s Rigoletto

Werther

Massenet’s Werther

Tonio

Donizetti’s La fille du régiment

Le Comte Ory

Rossini’s Le Comte Ory

Edgardo

Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor

La Scala 2024-25 season opener

One of the classical music world's yearly highlights is back on medici.tv in 2024: the opening night at Milan's legendary Teatro alla Scala, coming to you — as always — on December 7, the feast day of Milan's patron saint Sant'Ambrogio (Saint Ambrose), and bringing — as always — an extraordinarily prestigious cast of vocalists to one of the greatest operas ever composed. This year, it is Verdi's La forza del destino (The Power of Fate) that opens the season on a high note with soprano Anna Netrebko as Donna Leonora, baritone Ludovic Tézier as her vengeful brother Don Carlo, and tenor Brian Jagde as her beloved Don Alvaro, from whom fate conspires to keep her. Maestro Riccardo Chailly conducts his ninth Verdi production at La Scala, leading the excellent house orchestra in one of the most passionate of all Italian opera scores, beginning with a stormy Overture popular enough to feature regularly on symphonic concert programs; staging falls once more to the marvelous Leo Muscato, whose productions at this storied venue have won resounding acclaim. A night at the opera not to be missed!

Anna Netrebko, soprano

"A soprano with star power in the best sense, a charismatic expressivity that pervades every element of her performance" (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times), Anna Netrebko has become a reigning prima donna of the 21st century. This year she is headlining one of the biggest events on the classical calendar, starring as Donna Leonora in Verdi's La Forza del destino in La Scala's season-opener.

Anna Netrebko and Daniel Barenboim in recital

Experience the magic of a rare musical collaboration in this unforgettable 2010 recital by renowned pianist Daniel Barenboim and celebrated soprano Anna Netrebko, recorded live at the iconic Berliner Philharmonie. Together, they bring to life an all-Russian program of masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov—a perfect pairing for Barenboim’s virtuosic command and Netrebko’s dazzling vocal artistry. Barenboim’s distinctive interpretation and Netrebko’s vocal prowess combine to bring a fresh depth to these iconic pieces, showcasing both musicians' technical skill and musical insight. On the prestigious Berlin stage, the pair enchants an eager audience, receiving multiple encores and a standing ovation—a testament to their undeniable chemistry and musical brilliance.

Anna Netrebko joins Jonas Kaufmann and Thomas Hampson for an all-star evening in Munich

Three Stars in Munich brings together three of our ten voices — Anna Netrebko, Thomas Hampson, and Jonas Kaufmann — as well as mezzo-soprano Elena Zhidkova and bass Ildar Abdrazakov for a program of nonstop opera hits. Among the program's many highlights, witness the power of Netrebko's soprano voice and exquisite dynamic range in solo numbers like "Qui Radamès verra" from Verdi's Aida and "Io sono l'umile ancella" from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, as well as marquee duets like the famous Barcarolle from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann (with Zhidkova) and the romantic "O soave fanciulla" from Puccini's La Bohème with Kaufmann — who also joins her for an unforgettable West Side Story finale. This unique event, with a cast that would fulfill the dreams of any opera house manager in the world, takes place in Munich's Königsplatz, whose large green spaces and monumental architecture frame the performances with appropriate grandeur.

Ludovic Tézier, baritone

"Arguably the leading Verdi baritone on the global stage for the best part of a decade" (Gramophone), Ludovic Tézier is a sought-after performer who has brought his dramatic intensity and vocal mastery to the world's biggest stages—including Milan's La Scala, where you can catch him this December playing the vengeful Don Carlo in Verdi's La forza del destino.

Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Don Carlo

Verdi’s Ernani

Albert

Massenet’s Werther

Prince Yeletsky

Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades

Don Carlo di Vargas

Verdi’s La forza del destino

Amorasno

Verdi’s Aida

Henri Ashton

Donizetti’s Lucie de Lammermoor

Athanaël

Massenet’s Thaïs

Lescaut

Massenet’s Manon

Sir Riccardo Forth

Bellini’s I Puritani

Maria Callas, soprano

Perhaps the most iconic classical singer of the 20th century, Maria Callas rewrote the rules of opera, combining an utterly unique, compelling tone with staggering technique and an uncanny ability to embody the tragic characters she played. With the 2024 release of the biopic Maria, we're marveling once again at some of the most legendary performances by one of music's most emblematic figures.

Maria Callas in two classic Paris recitals, 1958 and 1965

"Compared to her," said the great Renata Scotto, "most singers were pleasant to listen to, but as if they were disconnected from reality. Callas spoke to us in the present." In two unforgettable evenings recorded seven years apart, La Divina's voice is as immediate and undeniable as ever; all we can do is marvel at the agility and power of her instrument in some of her most memorable repertoire, including a never-bettered "Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma and a supremely mischievous "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's The Barber of Seville.

Fanny and Alexander, the brand-new opera by Mikael Karlsson

Ingmar Bergman's semi-autobiographical 1982 masterpiece Fanny and Alexander, widely considered to be among the greatest films ever made, gets a 21st-century makeover for the opera stage by "one of today's greatest avant-gardists in opera" (OPUS), Mikael Karlsson, with a superb cast including two of our ten iconic voices, opera royalty Thomas Hampson and Anne Sofie von Otter! Following the widespread success of their 2023 adaptation of Lars von Trier's Melancholia, Karlsson and librettist Royce Vavrek transform one of the grandest of all films into an equally grand opera. Fanny and Alexander opens on a joyous Christmas celebration with the Ekdahl siblings Fanny (Sarah Dewez) and Alexander (Jay Weiner), whose parents Emilie (Sasha Cooke) and Oscar (Peter Tantsits) run the local theatre. All too soon, though, these scenes of mirth will give way to sorrow: when Oscar dies unexpectedly, Emilie remarries the cruel and intransigent bishop Edvard Vergerus (Thomas Hampson), whose authoritarian ways lead Alexander to take refuge in a fantasy world of his own making…

Thomas Hampson, baritone

With a baritone voice "so rich it can circle the universe" (Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America), Thomas Hampson is a singular artist: an opera singer, a Grammy-winning recording artist, and an "ambassador of song" known for his outreach and education work. This winter, catch him as Bishop Edvard Vergerus in the live world premiere of Fanny and Alexander.

Thomas Hampson performs folk songs with Mariss Janson and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

In 2015, Mariss Jansons invited renowned baritone Thomas Hampson to a momentous event: the conductor's final turn as principal conductor of the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Hampson shone in a pair of works from two very different folk traditions: Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of folk songs and popular legends from the heart of Germany, and a selection from the Old American Songs by Aaron Copland, a set of songs celebrating the varied folk traditions of Hampson's homeland. Jansons also leads the ensemble in Ick seg adieu (I bid you adieu) by Dutch composer Martijn Padding, an apt work commissioned just for this concert, and Bartók's spirited Concerto for Orchestra. Having fled Hungary during wartime and already afflicted with leukemia in his adopted America, Bartók created a work that would become one of his best-loved, symbolic of "the passage of austerity and funereal dirges ... into an affirmation of life." The perfect choice, indeed, to mark the end of Jansons's spectacular career.

Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Richard Nixon

Adams’s Nixon in China

Faust

Busoni’s Doktor Faust

Mandryka

R. Strauss’s Arabella

Lindorf/Coppelius/Dappertutto/Miracle

Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann

Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa

Verdi’s Don Carlo

Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano

Anne Sofie von Otter's "generous personality is reflected in the way she puts over every item, with care for text and a honeyed sweetness of tone" (BBC Music Magazine). She is one of today's most recorded artists, with an incomparable and wide-ranging catalogue built over more than four decades at the top of her profession, and we are thrilled to broadcast her live in the world premiere of Fanny and Alexander.

Mikael Karlsson's Melancholia

Before moving on to Bergman's Fanny and Alexander in 2024, Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson looked to Lars von Trier's film Melancholia, starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, for inspiration — and transformed it into this gripping and thought-provoking opera. After several successful collaborations with choreographer Alexander Ekman, Karlsson teamed up with Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek to create a true gem of the contemporary scene. Justine (soprano Lauren Snouffer) is preparing to be married when she witnesses the giant planet Melancholia leaving its orbit, threatening to enter into a world-ending collision with Earth. Her sister Claire (mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb) tries in vain to console Justine, while their mother (a scene-stealing Anne Sofie von Otter, bringing her usual masterful intensity) does nothing to calm the bride-to-be. As the apocalyptic meeting between the planets begins to appear inevitable, will Justine manage to escape her numbness in time?

Memorable roles on the medici.tv stage

Clytemnestre

Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide

Geneviève

Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande

Merope

Enescu’s Œdipe

Adelaide

R. Strauss’s Arabella