From left to right: John Sunderland, Michael Papadopoulos, Elisabeth Strid, George Shishkovsky, Sir Antonio Pappano.
An Evening with Brünnhilde:
Nordic Dreams and Wagnerian Drama
Fundraising Concert for the Drottningholm Court Theatre
THE CONCERT
6 June – St Paul’s Knightsbridge, London
7.30–10.00 pm including intermission
Ticket price: £50
This unique London concert celebrates the magic of the Drottningholm Court Theatre — a world-renowned 18th-century opera house and UNESCO World Heritage Site, located within the Drottningholm Royal Palace outside Stockholm.
Preserved in its entirety — from its original 18th-century stage machinery to its painted sets and auditorium — Drottningholm is unlike any other theatre in the world. Attending a performance there is the closest one can come to experiencing opera as it was in the time of Mozart and Rameau.
Because of the historic value and fragility of the building, the theatre’s season is necessarily short, typically presenting just one production each year with only eight performances. Yet the quality of the music-making, singing, staging, and costumes is consistently outstanding, giving rise to spellbinding productions that attract international audiences and artists of the highest calibre.
It is precisely because of this rare combination of artistic excellence and practical limitation that we are exploring ways to bring the magic of Drottningholm to wider audiences beyond Sweden.
Discussions are currently underway to create a future collaboration in London, allowing UK audiences to experience this extraordinary heritage in a new setting.
PROGRAMME
Part I
• Scandinavian song repertoire by Grieg, Sibelius, Stenhammar, and others
• Performed by acclaimed Swedish soprano Elisabet Strid (fresh from her Brünnhilde role in the Royal Opera House’s new Ring cycle)
• Accompanied by John Sunderland, piano
• Introduced by George Shishkovsky, wearing an 18th-century costume from the Drottningholm Theatre
Intermission
Part II
• Operatic highlights from Wagner
• Performed by Elisabet Strid
• Accompanied by Michael Papadopoulos, piano (Kapellmeister at the Volksoper Vienna)
• Introduced by Sir Antonio Pappano (Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate at the Royal Opera House)
ARTISTS
Elisabet Strid – Soprano
John Sunderland – Piano
Sir Antonio Pappano – Presenter
Michael Papadopoulos – Piano
George Shishkovsky – Presenter