Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) presents

Rafael Payare Gives Us A Hero’s Life

The noble, serene Rückert-Lieder by Mahler will showcase the exceptional voice of Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, in a concert also featuring the majestic, largely autobiographical symphonic poem A Hero’s Life by Richard Strauss. In addition, a work to be discovered: Johanna Müller-Hermann’s Heroische Ouvertüre, performed for the first time by the OSM.

Superstar soprano Sonya Yoncheva has been heralded as one of the mosy acclaimed and exciting performers of her generation. The recipient of the 2021 Opus Klassik as Singer of the Year is an acclaimed fixture on the most important stages of the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Berlin Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Opéra de Paris. Her unforgettable portrayals of iconic roles have received tremendous acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

Sonya Yoncheva’s extensive repertoire includes jewels of the Baroque canon, as well as works by Bellini, Cherubini, Giordano, Mascagni, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi. Celebrated for her distinctly beautiful voice and exceptional dramatic presence, Sonya is equally at home on the concert and recital stage, having performed to critical acclaim in cities including Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Dresden, Hamburg, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Monte-Carlo, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Santiago de Chile, Salzburg, Tokyo, and Vienna.

In the 2022/23 season, Sonya makes three debuts in iconic soprano roles: At the Wiener Staatsoper, she sings her first Ciò-Ciò-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, while at the Teatro alla Scala she debuts in two parts by Giordano: As Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chénier and in a new production of Fedora, a role she also brings to the Metropolitan Opera in a new production opening on New Year’s Eve. At the MET, she also reprises her acclaimed portrayal of Bellini’s Norma, whereas at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden she stars as Cherubini’s chilling Médée. On the concert platform, Sonya opens the season of the Bayerische Staatsoper in the open-air concert “Oper für alle” and appears in all-Handel concerts in Sofia, Lyon, Versailles and La Rochelle. She also sings for the first time Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and returns to the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in a Verismo Gala and in a one-off concert performance of Tosca.

Program
Johanna Müller-Hermann, Heroische Ouvertüre, op. 21 (12 min.)
Mahler, Rückert-Lieder (18 min.)
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben [A Hero’s Life], op. 40, TrV 190 (40 min.)

Maison symphonique
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:30pm
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 7:30pm

Grand Preconcert Talk and Recital on March 28 and 30 at 6:30 pm
Katherine Verebely welcomes François de Médicis, musicologist
Récital
Olivier Thouin, violin
Ali Kian Yazdanfar, double bass
Todd Cope, clarinet
Stéphane Lévesque, bassoon
Denys Derome, horn
Strauss (arr. Franz Hasenöhrl), Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders! (9 min)

Only a few tickets remain!
To purchase your tickets visit: www.placedesarts.com