G. F. Handel. "Ottone"

Winner of The International Opera Awards 2015, for the project Semiramide – La Signora regale, the consecrated first Queen of Mesopotamia who’s seductive story inspired the music, Anna Bonitatibus devotes her attention and her studies to the research and re-evaluation of a rare and exquisite repertoire. She includes in her performed titles over fifty operas, from L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria by Claudio Monteverdi and La Didone, Ercole amante and La Calisto by Francesco Cavalli, crossing Händel’s “teatro musicale” (Agrippina, Deidamia, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, Tamerlano, Tolomeo, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) and composers from the Neapolitan school, from Pergolesi to Cimarosa, until her beloved Gioachino Rossini: La Cenerentola, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, L’Italiana in Algeri, Le Comte Ory, Il Viaggio à Reims and Tancredi, debuted during the current season. Cantates, Messes and the Péchés de Vieillesse by Rossini have, furthermore, in Anna Bonitatibus a distinctive interpreter on the most remarkable international scenes. As the embodiment of Cherubino from Le Nozze di Figaro, she has become one of the most acclaimed performers of Mozart. Then follows Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Mitridate Re di Ponto, La Clemenza di Tito, as well as sacred and profane repertoire by the Salzburgian composer.

The Messa di Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi and Ginevra di Scozia by Simon Mayr appear among the recent debuts of the Italian Mezzosoprano who dedicates a special affinity for the French repertoire with Werther by Massenet, L’Enfant et les sortilèges by Ravel, Roméo et Juliette by Berlioz and Gounod as well as Les contes d’Hoffmann by Offenbach.

From the Royal Opera House in London to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, passing through the Teatro alla Scala, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Teatro Real in Madrid, La Monnaie in Bruxelles, the Staatsoper in Vienna, and to the most renowned international concert halls (from Russia to United States), Anna Bonitatibus has collaborate with the most acclaimed conductors and directors: Sir Charles Mackerras, Riccardo Muti, Sir Antonio Pappano, René Jacobs, William Christie, Ivor Bolton, Myung Whun Chung and Luca Ronconi, Jerome Savary, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Dario Fo, David Alden, Sir Jonathan Miller, and Kasper Holten.

Among the recent recordings in CD as well as DVD: L’Infedeltà costante dedicated to Haydn; Un Rendezvous : Ariette e Canzoni, a portrait of Gioachino Rossini’s chamber music repertoire; Semiramide – La Signora regale, a musical itinerary from Nicola Porpora to Manuel Garcia; La Tempesta: Cantate by the composer Marianna Martines, released for DHM/RCA/SONY; La Didone and Ercole amante by Cavalli (OpusArte) and Così fan tutte by Mozart (Arthaus).

In streaming, Anna Bonitatibus recently appeared live on stage from Teatro La Monnaie in Bruxelles in a new production of La Clemenza di Tito directed by Ivo van Hove and L’Italiana in Algeri from Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna, in April 2015.

Marianne Beate Kielland is established as one of the foremost singers of Europe, and is the only Norwegian singer to have received a US Grammy nomination in the category Best Vocal Classical Album. The versatile mezzo-soprano started her international career as an ensemble member of the Staatsoper Hannover, and since then she has been working frequently with leading orchestras and ensembles and enjoying a vast concert repertoire spanning from early 17th century works through to Classical, Romantic and the contemporary eras.

Highlights in 19/20 season included Rossini Stabat Mater with Rinaldo Alessandrini and Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Bach B minor Mass with Leonardo Alarcon and Orchestra of Radio France, Bach Christmas Oratorio with Gulbenkian Orchestra and Michel Corboz, Beethoven Missa Solemnis with Liverpool Philharmonic and Andrew Manze, and Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at Bolshoi theatre in Moscow with Christopher Moulds. 

She has appeared with major orchestras and ensembles including Wiener Symphoniker, Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Dutch Radio Orchestra, Orchestra of the 18th century, Iceland Symphony, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Flemish Orchestra, Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Köln, Europa Galante, Les Talens Lyriques, RIAS Kammerchor, Anima Eterna, Le Concert des Nations, Collegium Vocale Gent and Bach Collegium Japan; and has worked with such distinguished conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Leonardo Alarcon, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Fabio Biondi, Thomas Dausgaard, Fabio Luisi, Michel Corboz, Juanjo Mena, John Fiore, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, René Jacobs, Andrew Manze, Marc Minkowski, Vasily Petrenko, Daniel Reuss, André de Ridder, Helmut Rilling, Christophe Rousset, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, Thomas Søndergård and Robin Ticciati.

Kielland is also in great demand for Baroque operatic roles including Dido in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Merope in Vivaldi's Oracolo in Messenia (an extensive tour with Europa Galante), Messaggiera and Proserpina in Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Fernando in Attilio Ariosti’s La Fede nei tradimenti, Apollo in Handel's Terpsichore, Ercole in Caldara’s Il piu bel nome, Monteverdi's Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Aronne in Francesco Nicolò Fago’s Il Faraone Sommerso. She has also appeared as Fricka in Wagner’s Das Rheingold. 

Kielland has made more than 50 CD recordings of oratorios, operas, cantatas and songs by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Caldara, Scarlatti, Beethoven, Schumann, Mahler, Mussorgsky, Martin, Chausson, Korngold, von Suppé, Schönberg, Webern, Berg and Sigurd Islandsmoen. In 2012 she was nominated to a Grammy Award in the category Best Classical Vocal Solo for the album Veslemøy Synsk, which features works by composers Edvard Grieg and Olav Anton Thommesen. She performs regularly with pianist Nils Anders Mortensen and the duo has appeared in Norway, Germany Estonia, Russia and Finland. She has also appeared with pianists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Pascal Roge, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Lise de la Salle and Jos van Immerseel.

Joanne Lunn studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal. She is an internationally established artist, known and respected for her warm sound, impressive coloratura and attention to the words.

Joanne has worked with many distinguished conductors and groups principally in the early music field including Masaaki Suzuki (Bach Collegium Japan); Lars Ulrik Mortensen (Concerto Copenhagen); Sir John Eliot Gardiner (Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists); John Butt (Dunedin Consort); Laurence Cummings (London Handel Festival); Matt Halls (Oregon Bach Festival); Daniel Reuss (Cappella Amsterdam); Sir Roger Norrington (OAE); Raphaël Pichon (Pygmalion Ensemble); Christian Curnyn (Hallé Orchestra); Marc Minkowski (Les Musiciens du Louvre); Rudolph Lutz (J.C.Bach Stiftung); Frieder Bernius (Stuttgart Kammerchor); Gustav Leonhardt (AAM); Tafelmusik, Toronto; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra; Concerto Köln; London Symphony Orchestra; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; and John Rutter.

Her busy concert schedule has taken her to prestigious concert halls, venues and festivals throughout the world: Carnegie Hall, New York; The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles; Washington Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; The Chan Centre for Performing Arts, Vancouver B.C.; Koerner Hall, Toronto; Suntory Hall, Tokyo; Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo; Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow; Mariinsky Concert Hall St. Petersburg; Philharmonie de Paris, Paris; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Palau de la Música, Barcelona; St. Mark's Basilica, Venice; Schloss Elmau, Germany; Tonhalle, Zürich; Thomaskirche & Gewandhaus, Leipzig; Musikverein, Vienna; Mozarteum, Salzburg; DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen; The Sage, Gateshead, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Hall, Cadogan Hall, London.

​Joanne features as a soloist on many recordings. Her discography includes Vivaldi's Laudate Pueri with the King's Consort (Hyperion); Haydn Masses with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir (Philips); John Rutter's Mass of the Children with the City of London Sinfonia conducted by the composer (Collegium); Sir John Eliot Gardiner's Bach Cantatas cycle recorded during the Bach Pilgrimage in 2000 (Deutsche Grammophon/Soli Deo Gloria); Bach's Easter Oratorio with Frieder Bernius and the Stuttgart Kammerchor (Carus); Handel's Messiah with the RPO and John Rutter; Bach's Wedding Cantata BWV202 with Bach Collegium Japan (BIS); and Mozart's Requiemwith the Dunedin Consort (Linn), which won a Gramophone award.

​Recent concert highlights include Bach's Hunt Cantata with Bach Collegium Japan in Tokyo; Mozart Requiem with Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Mozart Mass in C Minor with Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Handel's Messiah with Early Music Vancouver; Handel's Israel in Egypt in Hannover; and Haydn's Creation in Hereford Cathedral.

​Future planned engagements include Bach Cantatas with J.S.Bach-Stiftung in Switzerland; 30th anniversary concerts with Bach Collegium Japan; St. Matthew Passion recording in London; Missa Brevis with Concerto Copenhagen in Stuttgart; Handel's Saeviat Tellus and Dixit Dominus in Moscow.

Yuriy Mynenko was born in Radomyshl in the Ukraine and studied singing with Yuriy Teterya at the Antonina Nezhdanova National Academy of Music in Odessa, initially as a baritone, later as a countertenor. Even as a student, he was already winning major singing competitions. He was the first Ukrainian singer and the first countertenor to reach the final of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Since then his career has taken him to leading opera houses and concert halls in Europe and the USA. Among the venues where he has sung are the Moscow Bolshoi, the Mannheim National Theatre, the Cologne Opera, the Kassel State Theatre, the Chemnitz Theatre, the Theater an der Wien, the Opéra de Lausanne, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Opéra Royal in Versailles, the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Kennedy Center in Washington and the Santa Fe Opera.

Among the eminent conductors with whom he has worked are Kazem Abdullah, Teodor Currentzis, Alan Curtis, Marc-André Dalbavie, Paul Daniel, Dan Ettinger, Diego Fasolis, Grant Gershon, Reinhard Goebel, Simon Halsey, Michail Jurowski, Vladimir Jurowski, Roman Kofman, Andris Nelsons, Vasily Petrenko and George Petrou. His repertoire includes numerous Baroque operas as well as Classical and Romantic works. Notable roles are Xbalanque in Purcell’s The Indian Queen, Corrado in Vivaldi’s Griselda, Handel’s David (Saul), Rinaldo and Scipione, both the title role and Megabise in Vinci’s Artaserse, the title role in Pergolesi’s Adriano in Siria, Annio in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Ratmir in Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila. 

Yuriy Mynenko made his Paris Opéra debut in 2017 as Lel in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden. In 2018 he took over at short notice as Romeo in Zingarelli’s Giulietta e Romeo at the Theater an der Wien and made his acclaimed role debut as Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) in Lausanne, followed by his debut at the Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as the Angel in Rubinstein’s The Demon. He also appeared as Adelberto in Handel’s Ottone in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow and made his Stuttgart State Opera debut as Polinesso in Ariodante. 

Recent engagements include the new production of Nico Muhly’s Death in Venice at the Carre Theater in Amsterdam, Polinesso in Ariodante at the Stuttgart Opera, Disinganno in Il Trionfo del Tempo and Delinganno at the Teatro Manoel, the role of Ottone in Vinci's Gismondo re di Polonia in Vienna, Gliwice, Moscow, Warsaw and Dortmund, and on CD, his Salzburg Whitsun Festival debut as Aci in Porpora's Polifemo, Nezhata in a new production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sadko at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and at the Opera de Lyon, the title role in Handel's Publio Cornelio Scipione at the Festival Göttingen, Lel in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurotchka at the Opera de Bastille in Paris, and the Nerone in Handel's Agrippina at Royal Opera house Covent Garden. 

Season 2021/22 includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sadko at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Ariodante at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, Porpora’s Polifemo in Bayreuth in Moscow, as well as Gismondo in Dortmund. Yuriy Mynenko was one of five countertenors in the acclaimed production of Vinci’s Artaserse, DVD and CD recordings of which won several international prizes.

The orchestra was founded by Rudolf Barshai, a world-class violist and founding member of Borodin Quartet. Barshai engaged young music talents from Moscow and formed the first chamber orchestra in the USSR that fashioned the European tradition (specifically, Wilhelm Stross Chamber Orchestra from West Germany that had performed in Moscow in September 1955). Moscow Chamber Orchestra made its orchestral debut on 5 March, 1956 at Small Hall of Moscow Conservatory. The orchestra immediately won recognition from the public in Russia and abroad. Soon after this the Orchestra becomes integrated as part of Moscow Philharmonic Society.

“The chamber orchestra presents an amazing perfection of music and performance. Unity of history and contemporaneity is distinctive for musicians of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra: without distorting the text and spirit of early music, musicians make it modern and full of youth for our patrons,” – wrote Dmitri Shostakovich, who called the orchestra “the best chamber orchestra in the world.”

In 1950–1960 the Orchestra featured such famous violin players as Boris Shulgin (MCO first violinist ), Lev Markiz, Vladimir Rabei, Andrei Abramenkov (violin), Heinrich Talalyan (viola), Alla Vasilieva and Boris Dobrohotov (cello), Leopold Andreyev (bass), Alexandr Korneyev and Naum Zaidel (flute), Albert Zajonc (oboe), Boris Afanasiev (French horn), Sergei Dijur (organ and harpsichord) who performed in the orchestra under the baton of Rudolf Barshai.

Aside from performing and recording numerous pieces of European Baroque music, Russian and Western classical music, works by international composers of the 20th century (some of compositions were first performed in the USSR), the Orchestra actively promoted music of contemporary Soviet composers: Nikolai Rakov, Yuri Levitin, Georgi Sviridov, Kara Karaev, Mieczysław Weinberg, Alexandr Lokshin, German Galynin, Revol Bunin, Boris Tchaikovsky, Edison Denisov, Vytautas Barkauskas, Jaan Rääts, Alfred Schnittke and others. Many of them composed music specifically for Moscow Chamber Orchestra. For example, Dmitri Shostakovich dedicated his 14th Symphony to MCO, its kickoff performed by the Orchestra lead by Rudolf Barshai on 29 September, 1969 in Leningrad.

Following Barshai's emigration in 1976 the Orchestra was successively lead and conducted by Igor Bezrodny (1977–1981), Eugeny Nepalo (1981–1983), Viktor Tretyakov (1983–1990), Andrey Korsakov (1990–1991) and Konstantin Orbelyan (1991– 2009). In 1983 MCO was rebranded as State Chamber Orchestra of the USSR; and since 1994 the ensemble has boasted the title of an “academic orchestra”.

Today SCO is one of the top chamber orchestras in Russia. Its extensive repertoire features pieces from all music periods and styles. The orchestra has performed in Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Japan, Republic of South Africa, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia. MCO performed on prestigious stages such as Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Queen Elisabeth Hall in London, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Carnegie Hall in NYC, Davis Hall in San Francisco, and Suntori Hall in Tokyo. Musicians represented Russia at the landmark United Nations 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert in 1995 and at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1998.

For over 60 years the Orchestra has performed with spectacular guest artists such as: Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Lev Oborin, Maria Grinberg, Nikolai Petrov, Vladimir Krainev, Vladimir Viardo, Eliso Virsaladze, Mikhail Pletnev, Boris Berezovsky, Freddy Kempf, John Lill, Stefan Vladar, Christian Zacharias, Igor Chetuev, Lucas Debargue (piano); David Oistrakh, Igor Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Leonid Kogan, Oleg Kagan, Vladimir Spivakov, Viktor Tretyakov, Igor Gringoltz, Boris Garlitsky, Andres Mustonen and Jean-Christophe Spinosi (violin); Yuri Bashmet (viola); Mstislav Rostropovitch, Natalia Gutman, Boris Pergamenschikow, Gaspar Cassado, Antonio Meneses and Alexandr Kniazev (cello); Weites Land Olga Erdeli (harp); Nina Dorliak, Zara Dolukhanova, Irina Arkhipova, Eugeny Nesterenko, Galina Pisarenko, Alexandr Vedernikov, Makvala Kasrashvili, Nikolai Gedda, Renee Fleming, Inga Kalna, Sandrin Piau, Vivica Genaux, Roberto Alagna and Dmitri Hvorostovski (vocals); Jean-Pierre Rampal, Patrick Gallois and Sir James Galway (flute); Federico Mondelci (saxophone); Timofei Dokschitzer (trumpet) and numerous other top-notch soloists and conductors.

The Orchestra has released an impressive collection of radio and CD recordings covering a wide repertoire ranging from early music arias and Baroque music to works by Russian and international composers of the 20th century. The recordings were released under Melodia, Chandos, Philips, Delos and other leading world music labels.

In January 2010 Alexey Utkin, a world's renowned oboist and conductor, was appointed as SCO Art Director and Chief Conductor. Under his guidance and leadership the Orchestra has been significantly revamped and revitalized. Its style and genre range got drastically expanded. SCO poster billboards show a marriage of Bach's St Matthew Passion, masses by Haydn and Vivaldi, symphonies and concertos by Mozart and Boccherini, Led Zeppelin covers, world music hits and movie soundtracks. Orchestra and its leader's insights and creative exploits have metamorphosed into series of music projects in the recent years, which boldly mingle diverse music art periods, styles and trends. In 2011 and 2015 SCO lead by Mr. Utkin backed up the participants of the 2nd round of the International Tchaikovsky Competitions (piano category). In 2021 State Chamber Orchestra, in addition to customary performances and subscription concerts, took part in “George Frederic Handel: Earthly World & Heavenly World” festival with the concert performances of Handel’s Rodelinda, Tamerlano and Giulio Cesare under Christopher Moulds’ baton.

SCO's season performances feature Alexey Utkin, Philipp Chizhevsky, Yekaterina Antonenko, Konstantin Emelyanov, Philipp Kopachevsky, Fyodor Beznosikov, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Alexander Fiseisky, Daniel Kogan, Alexander Ramm, to name a few.

An experienced and versatile conductor, Christopher Moulds is in demand at opera houses throughout Europe. Enjoying strong links with both the Staatsoper Berlin and the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Moulds conducts repertoire ranging from Monteverdi, Handel and Mozart through to Britten’s Turn of the Screw and contemporary works such as Birtwistle’s Punch and Judy.

In the season 2018/19 he made his debut at San Francisco Opera with Orlando, at Oper Stuttgart with Ariodante and Purcell’s King Arthur at Theatre Basel as well as returning to Semperoper Dresden.

Moulds is often seen leading the baroque opera repertoire. In January 2015 he led Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, a co-production between the Royal Opera House and the Roundhouse which received much critical acclaim. Other recent performances include Semele at the Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe, La Calisto at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich and last season he returned to Madrid for Sasha Waltz’s acclaimed production of Dido & Aeneas.

Moulds has appeared in Russia numerous times at the Bolshoi Theatre including the Russian premiere of Rodelinda and also with the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra Moscow. Most recently he joined the Russian State Chamber Orchestra for a concert performance of Handel’s Ottone.

Further afield Moulds has appeared in New York for performances of Semele with the Canadian Opera Company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Following a series of performances in Israel and the Sydney Festival, Sasha Waltz’s production of Handel’s Dido & Aeneas recently received performances at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma under Moulds’ baton.

On the concert platform Moulds has conducted orchestras including Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Köln, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Recent highlights include performances with Concentus Musicus Wien at the Internationale Barocktage Stift Melk and the Kammerakademie Potsdam. His festival appearances include performances of La clemenza di Tito with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, the Bregenz Festival and the Händel Festspiele Halle.

Moulds began his career in 1991 as a member of the music staff at English National Opera. From 1994 to 1998 he was chorus master at Glyndebourne, after which he began his international career.