Marzena Diakun conducts Korngold: Die tote Stadt

Mikko Franck being unwell, he will be replaced by Marzena Diakun, Chief Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

Erich Korngold is the last heir of Viennese Romanticism. He composed many operas for the Viennese Court. Around the 1930's, he moved to Hollywood where he received two Oscars for his works. Composed in 1920, Die tote Stadt is probably Korngold's greatest masterpiece. This opera represents a watershed in the composer's career, who gained international recognition after the premiere. In addition to the musical composition, Korngold wrote the libretto. The story is based on Georges Rodenbach's novel The Dead City of Bruges (1892). The story is set in Bruges' fog; a man lives immersed in the memory of his dead wife. He is haunted by her spectral figure.

At the Auditorium de Radio France, the opera is interpreted by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France led by Marzena Diakun. Marzena Diakun is the Chief Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France since 2015. She has conducted six concerts since the beginning of the season. She has studied beside Howard Griffiths, Colin Metters, Kurt Masur and Pierre Boulez. The Maîtrise de Radio France and the Chœur de Radio France will be conducted by their Music Director Sofi Jeannin. German tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund will embody the two main characters of the opera: Paul and Marietta.

Photo: from left to right, Klaus Florian Vogt © Alex Lipp – Marzena Diakun © C. Abramowitz-RF – Camilla Nylund © www.annas-foto.de