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Nuremburg Symphony Orchestra

13-19 November 2024

Conductor: Jonathan Darlington Soloist: Federico Colli (piano)

ABOUT

Artistic quality and stylistic flexibility – these features represent the trademark of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. Since its foundation in 1946 the orchestra has been active in all kinds of musical fields: opera, operetta, oratorio, film, jazz, pop and cross-over and in particular the symphonic concert. No matter which genre – it makes music an adventure. 

Jonathan Darlington, conductor

Jonathan Darlington is currently Music Director Emeritus at Vancouver Opera since 2018 and has recently completed a highly successful term of almost 20 years as a Music Director. He has led the innovative company in a repertoire ranging from Mozart through Verdi, Puccini and Strauss to Tan Dun and Jake Heggie. Fluent in several languages, he was born and educated in England and now resides in Paris. Whether on the concert platform or in the opera house, the list of world-class ensembles that Jonathan Darlington has conducted is impressive. Recent additons include the Vienna Philhamonic at the Staatsoper, the Staatskapelle Dresden at the Semperoper, the Orchestre National de France, the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Paris Opera Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, L’Orchestre de Paris. Jonathan has recently conducted at the Wiener Staatsoper (Don Carlo, L’Elisir d’Amore, Madame Butterfly), the Semperoper Dresden (Iphigénie en Tauride and La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein), the Paris Opera (Le Parc), and Frankfurt Oper (Der Prinz von Homburg). Future engagements see him return to the Vancouver Opera (Cavalleria Rusticana), Paris Opera Ballet (Le Parc), Hamburg Staatsoper (Fledermaus), Leipzig Oper (Don Giovanni), Lake Tahoe Festival, and to the Dresden Semperoper; as well as leading concerts with the Nurnberger Symphoniker, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of the 18th Century appearing at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Jonathan possesses a vast symphonic and operatic repertoire from the Baroque to the Contemporary, and has a reputation for structuring concert programs that take the listener on a fascinating musical journey owing to their strong inner dramaturgical thread. In his early career, Jonathan worked as Deputy to the Music Director Myung Whun Chung at the Paris Opera from 1991 to 1993 conducting Le Nozze di Figaro, Das Lied von der Erde, Die Zauberflöte. He also led the French experimental opera group ARCAL conducting an incredible set of avantgarde-productions of The Turn of the Screw, L’Ormindo, Orlando, Le Pauvre Matelot, Così fan tutte. In the year, he has worked with some of the most prestigious opera houses and orchestras in the world such as the Paris Opera, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Staatskapelle Dresden, Vienna Philharmonic, Opera Australia, Royal Swedish Opera, English National Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, Frankfurt Opera, Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, Orchestre National de France, Warsaw Philharmonic, exploring an enormous and wide repertoire. In 2014, Jonathan made his début at the Vienna State Opera conducting Madama Butterfly and has returned there annually since (Madama Butterfly, Otello, Don Carlos, L’Elisir d’Amore). More recently he has conducted at Vancouver Opera (L’elisir d’amore, Otello, Dead Man Walking, Eugene Onegin, Faust), and regularly appeared at the Dresden Semperoper (Eugene Onegin, Fidelio, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and recently Grand Duchesse Gerolstein by Offenbach), the Swedish Royal Opera (Jenufa, Le Nozze di Figaro and La Bohéme), Hamburg Staatsoper (Die Fledermaus) and Frankfurt Oper (Falstaff, The Makropulos Case, Vanessa). As Music Director of the Duisburger Philharmoniker from 2002 to 2011 he explored a vast symphonic repertoire which earned him the prestigious “Köhler- Osbar Stiftung” and “Deutsche Musikverleger-Verband” prizes for the quality and creativity of his concert programming. Among his recordings features performances of Shostakovich Symphony Nr.15, Mahler Symphonies 5 and 6, Jolivet piano concerto, Strauss Don Quixote, Poulenc Les Animaux Modèles and the ECHO-Klassik Prize awarded-recording of Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Susanna Yoko-Henkel. After his successful début with the Orchestre de Paris earlier in the 2015-2016 season which was broadcast live on the internet for Mezzo TV, Jonathan was immediately re-engaged. In the summer of 2017, he conducted a 12-city tour of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, including live streaming from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and in the summer of 2018 Jonathan conducted them on tour again, including concerts at the Berlin Konzerthaus and Kassel – and UK at the Edinburgh International Festival. His next highlights include the return to the Nuremberger Symphoniker, a new production of Die Fledermaus at the Hamburg Staatsoper, a new production of Prinz von Homburg by Henze at the Frankfurt Oper, his return to the Paris Opera with a Mats Ek tribute and to Dresden Semperoper with La Boheme and Don Giovanni, as well as a new production of Don Giovanni at the Leipzig Oper. Jonathan is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.
Apollo 13 in Concert poster

Federico Colli, piano

Praised by The Daily Telegraph for “his beautifully light touch and lyrical grace” and called by Gramophone “one of the more original thinkers of his generation”, Federico Colli has been rapidly gaining worldwide recognition for his compelling, unconventional interpretations and clarity of sound. The remarkable originality and highly imaginative, philosophical approach to music-making have distinguished Federico’s performances and recordings as miraculous and multidimensional. Federico’s first release of Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, recorded on Chandos Records for whom he is an exclusive recording artist, was awarded “Recording of the Year” by Presto Classical. The second volume of Scarlatti’s Sonatas was named “Recording of the Month” by both BBC Music Magazine and International Piano Magazine and it has been chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the best classical albums released in 2020. Following his early successes including the Gold Medal at the 2012 Leeds International Piano Competition, the International Piano magazine selected him as one of the ‘30 pianists under 30 who are likely to dominate the world stage in years to come’. In 2023 he was also selected for Fortune Italia’s ’40 under 40’ list of most influential people in Arts and Culture. Federico has performed with renowned orchestras including the Mariinsky Orchestra and St Petersburg Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre national d’Île-de-France. He has also worked with esteemed conductors including Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Temirkanov, Juraj Valčuha, Ion Marin, Thomas Søndergård, Ed Spanjaard, Vasily Petrenko, Sir Mark Elder, Dennis Russel Davies and Sakari Oramo. One of the most prolific and intriguing recitalists, Federico showcased his mastery in some of the world’s most famous halls such as Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Munich Herkulessaal, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, London Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Prague Rudolfinum, Paris Philharmonie, Rome Auditorium Parco della Musica, Tokyo Nikkei Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, Seoul Kumho Art Hall, New York Lincoln Centre and Chicago Bennet Gordon Hall. He has appeared in festivals such as Klavier Festival Ruhr in Dortmund, Dvorak International Festival in Prague, Chopin and his Europe International Festival in Warsaw, Lucerne Festival, and Ravinia Festival in Chicago. Federico’s concerts in 23/24 season include debuts with BBC Scottish Symphony under Sir Mark Elder (Shostakovich Piano Concertos no. 1 and no. 2), Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi on tour in Spain under Riccardo Frizza (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no 2), Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn under Case Scaglione (Schumann Piano Concerto), RTV Slovenian Radio SO under Rossen Milanov (Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5) and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Zoi Tsokanou (Mozart K467). Federico is also returning to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava (Schumann Piano Concerto), Orchestra del Teatro Cominale di Bologna (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 2) and I Pomeriggi Musicale in Milan (Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 1) amongst others. He will also return to London’s Wigmore Hall in a recital, and make debuts with the Vancouver Recital Society, Steinway Society Bay Area Concert Series and at the Dubai Opera. In addition to live performances, Federico maintains busy recording schedule and records exclusively for Chandos Records. Out of his love for the music of Mozart, during the pandemic Federico created an educational series of short videos for his YouTube channel designed to re-discover Mozart’s Fantasy in C minor, K475 and place Mozart’s musical ideas in a historical and cultural context. Inspired by the mystery surrounding the genesis of the piece, Federico created an invigorating story based on his deep-dive research into Mozart’s biographies, letters and XVIII century history and culture. First in a series of Mozart albums is a disc featuring works for solo piano released in May 2022, followed by Mozart’s Piano Quartets released in August 2023 and already gathering positive reviews. The Times wrote: “His [Colli’s] crisp, inquisitive phrasing is promptly displayed in the more turbulent of the two quartets (K478, in G minor). Without being mannered he grabs your attention, while leaving plenty of space, as Mozart does, for the other performers to spread delight.” Federico’s future recording plans for Chandos include Russian project focused on Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Born in Brescia in 1988, he has been studying at the Milan Conservatory, Imola International Piano Academy and Salzburg Mozarteum, under the guidance of Sergio Marengoni, Konstantin Bogino, Boris Petrushansky and Pavel Gililov.
Apollo 13 in Concert poster

CONTACT

MARY HARRISON

HEAD OF UK & EIRE TOURING
+44 (0) 20 7957 5873
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FIONA TODD

UK & EIRE TOUR MANAGER
+44 (0) 20 7957 5800
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JULIA SMITH

UK & EIRE TOUR AND SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER
+44 (0) 7733 113652
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