Apollo-Choir of the State Opera:Christmas concert

Concert

The Apollo Choir of the State Opera celebrates this year's Christmas concert for the first time in silent green with a wish for peace. Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and the Oratorio de Noël by Camille Saint-Saëns will be performed under the direction of Artur Just. Members of the Staatskapelle Berlin will perform on the string instruments, organ and harp. Samuel Mariño (soprano), Annika Schlicht (mezzo-soprano), Natalia Skrycka (alto), Stephan Rügamer (tenor) and Bernhard Hansky (baritone) will perform as soloists.

The unifying element of the programme, which at first glance seems unusual, is the harp, which plays a central role in both compositions. In Saint-Saëns' Oratorio de Noël it is heard together with organ and string quintet, before in Britten's A Ceremony of Carols it becomes the only accompanying instrument in the piece originally written for boys' choir.

Special guest of the evening is the rising Venezuelan singer Samuel Mariño. The young male soprano has recently released his first solo album and has already appeared on stage with Rolando Villazon and the ensemble L'Arpeggiata at the Opéra Garnier Paris, made his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival UK this year as Iris in Handel's "Semele" and toured Australia with the Brandenburg Orchestra conducted by Paul Dyer. In 2017, Mariño won the Audience Award at the International Singing Competition Neue Stimmen and was nominated as Newcomer of the Year by OpernWelt magazine in 2018. The singers of the Apollo Choir, who have already worked with him in 2019 at the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, are all the more delighted that he has been secured as soloist for this year's Christmas concert.

About the Apollo Choir of the State Opera Unter den Linden

The Apollo Choir at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (formerly the Concert Choir) is dedicated to choral literature from the opera and concert repertoire with great verve and joy. While the ensemble was originally founded as an extra choir for the productions of the Staatsoper, it has since also developed an independent concert life. Since the 2018/19 season, the Apollo Choir has been under the musical direction of Artur Just.

Tuesday, December 20
Kuppelhalle
Start: 8 pm
Tickets