Friday 10 March 2017 at 20:30
CLEOPATRA
Regula Mühlemann, soprano
La Folia Barockorchester (17 musicians)
Together with the acclaimed soprano Regula Mühlemann, La Folia Barockorchester explores the historical figure of Cleopatra through the different interpretations of Baroque composers. Besides famous arias by George Frideric Handel and Johann Adolf Hasse, the program also reveals pieces by Alessandro Scarlatti and Antonio Vivaldi.
Book NowTicket prices: 120 LBP, 90 LBP, 60 LBP, 45 LBPCarl Heinrich Graun (1704 –1759)
CLEOPATRA AND CESARE
Sinfonia – “Tra le porcelle assorto”
Giovanni Legrenzi (1626 –1690)
Se tu sarai felice
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Violin Concerto in D “Il grosso mogul” RV 208 1st and 2nd movement
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725)
MARC’ ANTONIO E CLEOPATRA
Antonio, e qual destino – Vò goder senza contrasto
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Violin Concerto in D “Il grosso mogul” RV 208 3rd movement
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
IL TIGRANE
-Squarciami pure il seno
INTERVAL
Johann Adolph Hasse (1699 –1783)
Serenata MARC’ANTONIO E CLEOPATRA
– Sinfonia – Quel candido armellino
Francesco Geminiani (1687 –1762)
La Follia – from 12 concerti grossi nach Corellis Violin-Sonaten op. 5
George Händel (1685 –1759)
GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO
Che sento, oh Dio! – Se pietà di me non senti
Johann Adolph Hasse (1699 –1783)
Serenata MARC’ANTONIO E CLEOPATRA
Morte col fiero aspetto
Regula Mühlemann, soprano
Regula Mühlemann was born in Lucerne, Switzerland where she currently resides. She completed her studies at the Conservatory of Lucerne in 2010 graduating with distinction. In June 2012 she completed her master studies «Solo Performance» – again with distinction and top marks.
2013 has proved to be a pivotal year for the young artist and Regula is now emerging as a leading soprano of her generation. She began the year with her debut at the Theater an der Wien singing Isolier in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory. Regula then returned to the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in a new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte for their first Easter Festival, led by Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The 2012/13 season began in Berlin with Regula singing Serpetta in Hans Neuenfels’s new production of La finta giardiniera at the Berlin Staatsoper with great success. Further highlights of the 13/14 season were her house debuts with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, singing the role of Waldvogel in Wagner’s Siegfried, under the baton of Ingo Metzmacher, the Opéra de Paris as Papagena, her debut as Elisa in Mozart’s Il Re pastore alongside Rolando Villazón at the Verbier Festival as well as her debut at the Festival Aix-En-Provence (Papagena). She also returned to the Lucerne Festival, singing Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle with the Bayerische Rundfunk.
Regula Mühlemann made her operatic debut at the Theater Luzern. In past seasons, Regula has sung at the Zurich Opera House performing Giannetta in L’ Elisir d’Amore, and as Despina in Così fan tutte at the Teatro la Fenice, Venice. In May 2012 she performed L’Elisir d’amore at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, alongside Rolando Villazón who both sang in and directed a highly acclaimed production. This production was broadcast on TV on December 2012. In summer 2012 she also made her debut at the Salzburg Festival, singing the young Papagena in P. v. Winter’s opera Das Labyrinth.
Regula Mühlemann is also a sought-after concert singer. She has already performed in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. She has also completed a successful concert tour of South America and made her concert debut in Berlin singing Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. In September 2013 she gave a recital at the Lucerne Festival’s series “Debut”. The recital was broadcast by the Swiss Radio. She also sang Mozart’s Requiem and Händel’s Messiah in Lucerne. Regula Mühlemann works with renowned conductors such as Nello Santi, Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Pablo Heras-Casado, Ivor Bolton, and Howard Arman.
Regula made her movie debut singing Ännchen in the feature film ‘Hunter’s Bride’. The critically acclaimed movie was directed by Jens Neubert and featured Daniel Harding conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. She was hailed by the critics; the Neue Züricher Zeitung called her a “first class discovery”. Regula Mühlemann was also one of the young talents featured on the TV show “Stars von morgen”, broadcast on ZDF and Arte in Germany and France. Regula made her next movie appearance starring alongside Bejun Mehta in an exciting new movie production of Gluck’s Orfeo, which was shot on location in Prague.
Robin Peter Mueller, violin
Born in in Dresden in 1982, Robin Peter Mueller started playing Violin at the age of four. He studied in Dresden, Weimar and Lugano with Reinhard Ulbricht, Matthias Wollong and Valerie Gradow. Other valuable artistic impulses he received from Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Colin Davis, Thomas Zehetmair, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Norbert Brainin.
2004-2006 Robin Peter Mueller was a member of the European Union Chamber Orchestra. 2006-2008 he was first Concertmaster with the Theater Orchestra of Pforzheim. Since 2008, he is first Concertmaster with the Mannheim Chamber Orchestra. Here he is working with soloists such as Jens Peter Mainz, Albrecht Mayer, Rebekka Hartmann, Reinhold Friedrich and Rainer Kussmaul. Robin Peter Mueller has toured through Europe’s major concert halls such as the Luxembourg Philharmonie, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Stadtcasino in Basel, the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Salle Pleyel in Paris. In addition, Robin Peter Mueller works regularly as a guest concertmaster of the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra, Southwest German Chamber Orchestra, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Luxembourg.
Through the intensive study of the historically informed performance, Robin Peter Mueller founded the La Folia Baroque Orchestra in 2007, where he is working with soloists such as Simone Kermes, Dorothee Oberlinger, Juliane Banse, Jan Vogler, and Maurice Steger.
Robin Peter Mueller plays on a violin by Angelo de Rub (Viterbo, 1750), and a violin by Jens Peter Schade (Leipzig, 1996).
La Folia Barokorchester
La Folia – this term of the baroque era focusses on adventerousness, fury, jollity and generally on a artistic attitude of liberality and excessive creativity. Since their foundation in 2007 the La Folia Barockorchester on period instruments vitalizes the international music scene with these attributes.
Whether in a chamber music instrumentation or with baroque opulence, whether with instrumental music or together with vocal soloist – the aspiring young orchestra under the direction of the violinist Robin Peter Müller stands for energetic and overwhelming interpretations of the musik from the 17th and 18th century. Historically informed the musicians are looking for opportunities to transfer the emotions and contents of the past centuries into contemporary interpretations.
During only a few years the LFBO has thrilled both – the audience and the critics. With great sucess the orchestra was invited to the Berliner Philharmonie, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Herkulessaal München, the Union Hall in Maribor (SLO), the Stadtcasino Basel or the Musikverein Graz. Also they were guests at the e.g. Intenrationale Händelfestspiele Göttingen, the Mozartfest Würzburg and the Dresdner Musikfestspiele.
Frequently the LFBO collaborates with well-known Solists, e.g. Hille Perl, Simone Kermes and Jan Vogler as well as Juliane Banse, Dorothee Oberlinger, Jens Peter Maintz, Julia Schröder, Maurice Steger, Ramón Ortega Quero, Stefan Temmingh and Reinhold Friedrich.
After several live-recordings the debut-CD with „Concerti furiosi“ by Antonio Vivaldi was published in 2014 (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/SONY) and got lots of exposure.
Together with Jan Vogler the Orchestra produced in May 2014 a second recording with Cello Concerti from Venice by Caldara, Porpora, Vivaldi and Marcello for SONY international. The CD was released in October 2014 in combination with a concert tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In spring 2015 the recent production was released – Vivaldi’s „Quattro stagioni“ in combination with his Violin concerto „Il grosso mogul“ and – as a world premiere recording – a Violin concerto by Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello.
Highlights of 2015 and 2016 are several concerts with Simone Kermes, Stefan Temmingh, Regula Mühlemann and Hille Perl, the debuts at the Wiener Musikverein and the Rheingau Musik Festival and the first collaboration with the Wiener Sängerknaben.
Historical accounts of Cleopatra tell of a beautiful, highly educated woman who was schooled in physics, alchemy, and astronomy, and could speak many languages. Her voice, said the Greek biographer Plutarch, “was like an instrument of many strings, which could pass from one language to another.”
For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one. Being brilliant to look upon and to listen to, with the power to subjugate every one, even a love-sated man already past his prime, she thought that it would be in keeping with her rôle to meet Caesar, and she reposed in her beauty all her claims to the throne. She asked therefore for admission to his presence, and on obtaining permission adorned and beautified herself so as to appear before him in the most majestic and at the same time pity-inspiring guise.
An evening of baroque music dedicated to the Egyptian cat that lured many roman lions to her paws, using only her wits, beauty, charm, and quite a bit of substance abuse.