The scene

Amid myriad operas – from Telemann’s Orpheus in new York to Glass’s Kepler in charleston – there’s Voigt in Montreal, a tuba concerto in chicago and a Magnus Lindberg world premiere

Billy Budd was last seen at the met in 1997, with Claggart sung by James morris – as in this season’s revival

New York The Metropolitan Opera The Makropulos Case (April 27, May 1, 5, 8 & 11) Billy Budd (May 4, 10 & 12) Karita Mattila and Nathan Gunn bring two relative rarities for US audiences to the Met stage. The former sings Janáček’s Faustian femme fatale in The Makropulos Case, headlining a production that infamously featured the accidental on-stage death of tenor Richard Versalle at its opening in 1996. She stars opposite Kurt Streit, Johan Reuter and Tom Fox under conductor Jirí Bělohlávek. Elijah Moshinsky, who originally created this production, personally returns to direct the revival. Meanwhile, Nathan Gunn stars in Britten’s seafaring opera, not seen at the Met since 1997, opposite James Morris as his adversary Claggart and John Daszak as Captain Vere. David Robertson conducts. metoperafamily.org washiNgtoN DC Washington National Opera Nabucco (April 28, May 2, 5, 10, 13, 15, 18 & 21) Verdi’s Babylonian epic is seen at the Washington National Opera for the first time,

in firebrand director Thaddeus Strassberger's new production – a co-production with Minnesota Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia, where it will also be seen in future seasons. WNO’s music director Philippe Auguin leads a cast that stars Franco Vassallo as Nabucco and Csilla Boross as Abigaille. Also featured are Burak Bilgili as Zaccaria, Sean Panikkar as Ismaele and Géraldine Chauvet as Fenena. kennedy-center.org

New York Lincoln Center Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (May 1) The 2011 Gramophone Award laureates for the best Baroque Instrumental performance (heard on a recording of CPE Bach concertos for Harmonia Mundi) visit New York for a performance of JS Bach. Violinist and director Gottfried von der Goltz leads Freiburg’s period-instrument specialists in the complete orchestral suites, Nos 1–4, as part of the season’s final instalment of Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series. The performance takes place at Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater. lcgreatperformers.org

New York New York Philharmonic Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4; Lindberg: Piano Concerto No 2 (May 3–5) Carmina Burana (May 31–June 2) Conductor Alan Gilbert furthers the orchestra's relationship with former composer-in-residence Magnus Lindberg with the world premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto No 2, a New York Philharmonic commission, played by soloist Yefim Bronfman. Preceding it is Dvořák’s overture Carnival and following it is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4. At the end of the month, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos wraps up a whirlwind tour of North America by leading the same orchestra in Orff’s Carmina Burana with soprano Erin Morley, tenor Nicholas Phan and baritone Jacques Imbrailo. In place of the usual New York-based choirs, the main chorus is supplied by Orfeón Pamplonés from Spain, who are joined by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Frühbeck also conducts selections from Falla’s scenic cantata Atlàntida. nyphil.org

Los aNgeLes Los Angeles Philharmonic Rattle conducts Bruckner (May 3–6) Mozart/Da Ponte Trilogy: Don Giovanni (May 18, 20, 24 & 26) Mezzo Magdalena Kožená appears with her husband, Sir Simon Rattle, to sing Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. The concert also features Ligeti’s Atmosphères, the Prelude to Act 1 of Wagner’s Lohengrin and Bruckner’s Symphony No 9. Later in the month, music director Gustavo Dudamel gives LA Opera a run for its money with a staged Don Giovanni directed by Christopher Alden and starring Mariusz Kwiecien in the title-role. Kevin Burdette is his manservant Leporello. In the three female roles are Carmela Remigio as Donna Anna, Aga Mikolaj as Donna Elvira and Anna Prohaska as Zerlina. Pavol Breslik sings Don Ottavio, Ryan Kuster is Masetto and Stefan Kocan plays the Commendatore. laphil.com seattLe Seattle Opera Madama Butterfly (May 5, 9, 11–13, 16, 19 & 20) Described as the next Scotto by no less than Renata herself, Patricia Racette makes her Seattle Opera debut in her signature role of

IV GRAMOPHONE may 2012

gramophone.co.uk