Artist(s)

The DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA is the largest opera company in the Netherlands and is housed in Dutch National Opera & Ballet, in Amsterdam. Under the leadership of artistic director Pierre Audi and the managing director of Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Els van der Plas, DNO has grown into one of the most important and pioneering opera companies in Europe. This success is due in large part to the Chorus of Dutch National Opera. DNO produces operas of the highest international standard, with a clear focus on artistic quality, diversity and innovation, while daring to take risks. Examples are the first Dutch productions of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen and the operas of Claudio Monteverdi. In general, DNO puts on eleven opera productions per season. In order to reach a bigger and wider audience, almost all the productions are broadcast on radio and a few per year are shown on television. DNO also regularly organises additional activities at other locations and via new media.

MARC ALBRECHT (musical director), principal conductor of Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra|Netherlands Chamber Orchestra , is known for his excellent performances of works by Wagner and Richard Strauss, and of contemporary music. In recent years, he has conducted Der fliegende Holländer (Bayreuth and London), Lulu (Salzburger Festspiele), Die Frau ohne Schatten (Milan) and Die Soldaten (Zürich). As a guest conductor, he has given concerts with Berliner Philharmoniker, Cleveland Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo), Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Rome) and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. From 2006 to 2011, he was the artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. With Dutch National Opera, Albrecht has recently conducted Die Frau ohne Schatten, Elektra, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Zauberflöte and Gurre-Lieder. Under his leadership, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra received an Edison for their CD recording of the DNO production Der Schatzgräber in 2014.
Biographies

ALFRED REITER (Graf Waldner) studied at the conservatoire in Munich, where he won first prize at the Richard-Strauss-Gesellschaft in 1993. At the beginning of his career, he sang many smaller and larger roles in Wiesbaden and Nürnberg. In 2008, he joined the ensemble of Oper Frankfurt. Recent engagements include performances of Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte in Vienna, Paris, London, Glyndebourne, Salzburg and Geneva; Gurnemanz in Parsifal in Leipzig, Geneva and Cardiff (Welsh National Opera); König Marke in Tristan und Isolde in Geneva, Cardiff (WNO) and Cologne; Fafner in Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier in Geneva. Reiter also sang Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte) in the Bregenz Festival in 2014, Graf Waldner (Arabella) in Barcelona, and Seneca (L’incoronazione di Poppea) in Frankfurt.

CHARLOTTE MARGIONO (Adelaide) studied at the conservatoire in Arnhem with Aafje Heynis. She was previously known for her performances ranging from Mozart to Jugendlich Sopranischer roles, but has recently been focusing on parts like Herodias in Salome, the Knusperhexe from Hänsel und Gretel, Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites and Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde. Charlotte Margiono has worked with conductors like Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, Hartmut Haenchen, Bernard Haitink, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Jaap van Zweden. Most recently, she has sung with DNO in Lohengrin, Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro. In the 2015-2016 season, she will perform Gertrud in DNO’s production of Hänsel und Gretel.

JACQUELYN WAGNER (Arabella) studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Oakland University in Michigan. She has won numerous international competitions. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, she received great acclaim for her performance in the title role of Suor Angelica in Cologne. In the 2013-2014 season, she sang La Contessa di Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro in Vienna, followed by her debut in the role of Arabella in Minneapolis. Jacquelyn Wagner also made her debut in Carnegie Hall, New York, where she performed Diemut in Feuersnot, with the American Symphony Orchestra. Wagner has performed the roles of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Violette in La Traviata in Düsseldorf and Berlin. In 2015, she also performed the role of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Opéra National de Paris and the role of Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito with the Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg|Mulhouse.

AGNETA EICHENHOLZ (Zdenka) studied at the Musikhögskolan in Malmö and the Operahögskolan in Stockholm. Her breakthrough came in 2007, with Carmina Burana at the Verbier Festival and the title role of Armida at the Salzburger Festspiele. Agneta Eichenholz has sung with Oper Frankfurt, Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf), Komische Oper (Berlin), Det Kongelige Teater (Copenhagen), Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona), Teatro Real (Madrid) and ROH Covent Garden (London). She has sung the title roles of Lulu and Alcina, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Violetta in La Traviata and Lazuli in L’étoile. Her performances in the world premieres of Jost’s Rumor in Antwerp and Scartazzini’s Der Sandmann in Basel were personal triumphs for Eichenholz. In the future, Eichenholz will be singing the title role in Daphne with the opera of Basel and Hamburg, Ellen (Peter Grimes) with Theater an der Wien and Elettra (Idomeneo) with the Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg.

JAMES RUTHERFORD (Mandryka) won the International Wagner Competition of the Seattle Opera in 2006. He went on to perform Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde and the title role of Der fliegende Holländer at various festivals and opera houses. James Rutherford has sung regularly with Oper Graz (Hans Sachs and Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Giorgio Germont in La traviata, Iago in Otello, Orest in Elektra and the title role of Falstaff). He has also been a guest at the opera houses in Berlin, Paris, London and Chicago. He is making his debut as Mandryka in Arabella with Dutch National Opera.

WILL HARTMANN (Matteo) completed his studies at the Musikhochschule in Cologne. He won prizes in competitions such as the Alexander Girardi Competition. Will Hartmann started his career as a baritone, but developed into a tenor. In Hannover, where he was employed at the opera house, he made many role debuts. He has also guested in opera houses in Berlin, Graz, Vienna, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Naples and Milan, and at festivals in Orange, Edinburgh and Bregenz. He has performed Florestan in Leonore and Laca Klemeň in Jenůfa, both in Berlin. In the autumn of 2013, he made his debut in Geneva as Siegfried in Der Ring des Nibelungen. Hartmann will shortly be performing in Morgen und Abend in the Royal Opera House, London, and in the same role with Deutsche Oper Berlin.

MARCEL REIJANS (Graf Elemer) was the winner of the Cristina Deutekom Concours, and went as the Dutch representative to the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. His repertoire includes numerous roles, such as Camille in Die lustige Witwe, the title role of Candide, Andres in Wozzeck, Vana Kudrjáš in Kát’a Kabanová, Paris in King Priam, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Froh and Loge in Das Rheingold and Erik in Der fliegende Holländer. Marcel Reijans has guested in the opera houses of New York, Barcelona, Lyon, Dresden, Hamburg and Antwerp, and at festivals in Aix-en-Provence and Tanglewood, as well as with the BBC Proms. In 2015, Reijans performed Tristan in Le vin herbé with BOZAR, Bruxelles, and Don José in Carmen with Anhaltisches Theater Dessau. With DNO, he has performed in Les Troyens, Raaff, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Tannhäuser, Carmen, Salome, Fidelio, Das Rheingold and the family opera Ramble to Reims.

ROGER SMEETS (Graf Dominik) has been a regular guest artist with the Komische Oper Berlin since 1986, where he has sung title roles and main roles in Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Sweeney Todd, Le nozze di Figaro, Kiss Me Kate, Die Zauberflöte and L’incoronazione di Poppea. He has performed roles in the world premieres of Gold, 92 bars in a crashed car (Frankfurt) and The Children of Uranium (Genoa and Naples). Roger Smeets has performed in Tokyo/ Nagoya, Vienna, Bartlesville (USA), Paris, Budapest, Cologne and Copenhagen. Smeets has also sung in Arabella in the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona. In the 2015-2016 season, Smeets will be performing with DNO in Dialogues des Carmélites and Khovanshchina. He has previously sung with DNO in La fanciulla del West, Turandot, Les vêpres siciliennes, Billy Budd, Eugene Onegin, Parsifal, La Traviata, The Gambler and Lulu.

THOMAS DEAR (Graf Lamoral) studied at the Rainier III Music Academy in Monaco. He started his career at the opera house of Monte Carlo. In 2011, he won the Spanish Viñas Competition. He went on to make debuts in Geneva (L’amour des trois oranges and Richard III), in Paris (Salome and Arabella), and with the Vlaamse Opera (The Enchantress), and he performed in Nice (La bohème, Die Zauberflöte and Pelléas et Mélisande) and Bordeaux (Salome and Die Zauberflöte). He also sang Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte on tour through France, Eremit in Der Freischütz (Rennes), Escamillo in Carmen (Limoges), Schäfer in Daphne (Toulouse) and Colline in La bohème at a summer festival in France. In the 2015-2016 season, Dear will be singing the role of Zuniga in Carmen, in Avignon. He has performed with Dutch National Opera as Erster Priester/Zweiter Geharnischter Mann in Die ZauberfIöte.

SUSANNE ELMARK (Die Fiakermilli) is a much sought-after guest in European opera houses. She has sung roles like Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and the title role in Lulu, in Munich, Berlin, Madrid, Frankfurt and Oslo. She also sang the role of Fiakermilli in Frankfurt. Susanne Elmark recently performed the demanding lead role of Marie in Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten, conducted by Marc Albrecht and directed by Calixto Bieito (Zürich). She sang the role again with the Komische Oper Berlin. Elmark is making her debut with Dutch National Opera in Arabella.

Mezzo-soprano URSULA HESSE VON DEN STEINEN (Eine Kartenaufschlägerin) started her career with the opera houses in Hamburg and Dresden, and with the Komische Oper Berlin. Later engagements took her to Brussels, Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam, and to the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. Her roles include Fricka in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Eboli in Don Carlo, Venus in Tannhäuser, Clairon in Capriccio, Dalila in Samson et Dalila, Marie in Wozzeck, the title role of Carmen and the Foreign Princess in Rusalka. In the ZaterdagMatinee radio concert series, she sang Helicon in Glanert’s Caligula. She has worked with conductors like Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly and Sebastian Weigle. With Dutch National Opera, she has performed in Die Zauberflöte and in Arabella. Future projects will take her to Barcelona, Berlin, Riga and Essen.
The baritone RICHARD MEIJER (Welko) trained as a singer at the Conservatoire of Maastricht. In the Stadttheater Aachen, he sang in musicals and performed opera roles like Monterone in Rigoletto and Ottokar in Der Freischütz. In addition to his performances in oratorios and song recitals in the Netherlands and abroad, Richard Meijer has made television and radio recordings with André Rieu, among others. He conducts the new pop choir 2Enjoy and produces children’s performances with the Fabulijn foundation. He has worked with conductors like Elio Boncompagni, Ed Spanjaard, Marcus Bosch, Marc Minkowski, Jaap van Zweden and Sir Simon Rattle. He has been a member of the Chorus of Dutch National Opera since 2010.

RICHARD PRADA (Ein Zimmerkellner) started his musical studies in Brazil and completed them at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where he took lessons with Cristina Deutekom, among others. He is a member of the Chorus of Dutch National Opera, works with the Netherlands Bach Society and sings with ensembles like Fala Música, Bozzolo and Cappella Figuralis. He has performed as a soloist in the Netherlands and abroad. His repertoire includes tenor parts from the St John and the St Matthew Passion (Bach), Requiem (Mozart), Petite messe solennelle (Rossini) and Messiah (Händel). In the field of opera, he has performed roles like Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. In the 2015-2016 season, he will be singing Un Messo in Il trovatore with Dutch National Opera.

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Along with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is the regular orchestra partner of Dutch National Opera and is internationally regarded as one of the best opera orchestras. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra gives a varied programme of concerts in the Concertgebouw and performs in major concert halls and at festivals in the Netherlands and abroad. The orchestra combines artistic excellence with hospitality to a wide public and takes responsibility for the future of classical music and opera in an extensive programme of educational and talent development activities.
Marc Albrecht has been principal conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra| Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and of Dutch National Opera since 2011. Under his leadership, the orchestra has had great success with Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder and Wagner’s Lohengrin, among other productions. Conducted by Albrecht, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra received an Edison for their recording of the DNO production Der Schatzgräber in 2014.

The CHORUS OF DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA is a professional chorus whose members also regularly perform as soloists. In addition to the more familiar repertoire, the chorus has helped produce several world premieres. The chorus was acclaimed for their contribution to Moses und Aron (Amsterdam and Salzburg), for which they received the Prix d’Amis from the Friends of Dutch National Opera in 1996. Recent milestones were Saint François d’Assise (also performed at the BBC Proms), Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Ercole amante, Boris Godunov, La Juive, Les Troyens, Eugene Onegin, Parsifal, Guillaume Tell, The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh (Opera Award 2012 for best production), Götterdämmerung, Faust and Falstaff, as well as the concerts of Der fliegende Holländer in Rotterdam, Paris and Dortmund, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Ching-Lien Wu has been the artistic director of the Chorus of Dutch National Opera since 1 September 2014. In the 2014-2015 season, the Chorus had great success with Gurre-Lieder, L’étoile, Lohengrin, La bohème, Il viaggio a Reims and Die Zauberflöte.

Composer(s)

Press

Jacquelyn Wagner and Agneta Eichenholz are perfectly matched, and James Rutherford sounds good, if not particularly characterful, as Mandryka. Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra are admirable.
Gramophone, 01-12-2021

"Every recoring form Richard Strauss his opera Arabella is a accession. It even more is when director Marc Albrecht the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest with choir and solists lades above himself."  
Edison Nomination, 19-10-2016

Ihr Opernratgeber / 06-05-2016
Ihr Opernratgeber, 06-5-2016

"Even the orchestra pit - due to the technical conditions of recording - only moderately grows vital and blooming life, as far as one understands this as equal to transparency in sound and intensity in instrumental colours. It's a shame, because Marc Albrecht fulfills his duties with competence.
Fono Forum, 01-3-2016

["].. Of all the latest opera's, Arabella is most dear to me. One time, many years ago, I heard heavenly music playing on the radio with voices that pleased my ears. It turned out to be Arabella." 
Luister, 17-12-2015

4**** stars ''The cast, with Jacquelyn Wagner (Arabella and Agneta Eichenholz (Zdenka) in superb roles, is fantastic and so is the playing of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.'
Het Parool, 17-9-2015

4****stars ''The critics are positif without any exception, especially about the orchestra and the conducter, they also bring the musical excitement to the cd''
Trouw, 11-9-2015