Alexander Joel

Alexander Joel returns to the Royal Opera House on 27 May 2019 to conduct Puccini's great political opera Tosca. A revival of Jonathan Kent’s original production, Joel conducts an outstanding cast led by Kristine Opolais, Vittorio Grigòlo and Bryn Terfel.

Joel is a regular guest at Covent Garden, previously conducting productions of Rigoletto, Carmen, La bohème and La traviata. In January 2018, he conducted a performance of Rigoletto that was broadcast live to more than 1500 cinemas in over 40 countries.

Highlights for Joel this season have included his house debut at English National Opera conducting La bohème and his symphonic debut with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Tosca runs at Covent Garden until 20 June. Ahead of the run, Joel also conducts a School’s Matinee performance on 24 May.

English National Opera announced their 2019/20 season on 3 April, and as ever there is a strong Intermusica presence at the house alongside Music Director Martyn Brabbins.

Alongside three revivals, the season features seven new productions, the most for five years. For the first time, four of the new productions present different versions of the same story as ENO presents four takes on the Orpheus myth. In keeping with the season’s theme of the rise of the feminine, more than half of the new productions are directed by women, with Tatjana Gürbaca, Emma Rice, Barbora Horáková and Netia Jones all helming productions.

> Click here to see full details of ENO's 2019/20 season

Martyn Brabbins conducts two productions. On 18 October he opens Daniel Kramer’s production of Harrison Birtwistle The Mask of Orpheus. The production stars Marta Fontanals-Simmons as Eurydice the Woman and Susan Bickley as Eurydice the Myth and Persephone. Brabbins then returns on 26 February 2020 to conduct a revival of Anthony Minghella’s Olivier Award-winning production of Madam Butterfly, starring Natalya Romaniw in the title role. Brabbins will be assisted for the production by Adam Hickox.

Valentina Peleggi continues her Mackerras Fellowship with her first full production in the main house: a revival of Calixto Bieito’s production of Carmen from 29 January 2020, which features a cast starring David Butt Philip as Don José and Nardus Williams as Micaela. Earlier in the season she conducts three performances of Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld on 1, 26 and 28 November. The new production from Emma Rice features Sir Willard White as Jupiter and Mary Bevan as Diana.

Geoffrey Paterson debuts on 15 November conducting a new production of Phillip Glass Orphée from Netia Jones. The cast features Anthony Gregory, who makes a return to ENO as Cégeste, and Simon Shibambu as the poet.

Alexander Joel returns to conduct Verdi Luisa Miller from 12 February 2020. This new production is directed by Barbora Horáková Joly and stars Elizabeth Llewellyn in the title role.

Susan Bickley appears in a second production when she returns in the role of Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro from 14 March 2020, in a new production directed by Joe Hill-Gibbons.

Antony Hermus makes his debut at ENO on 28 March 2020, conducting the premiere of Tatjana Gürbaca’s new production of Dvorák Rusalka, and taking it to Theatre du Luxembourg for additional performances after the London run. David Butt Philip takes the role of the Prince, while Patricia Bardon appears as Ježibaba.

Natalya Romaniw makes her house and role debut as Mimi in Puccini’s La bohème on 26 November 2018 with English National Opera. The production is directed by Jonathan Miller and conducted by Intermusica’s Alexander Joel, who also makes his house debut with the production.

Highlights this season include her highly anticipated returns to Garsington Opera as Mařenka in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, and to Opera Holland Park to take the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. She gave the world premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s Testament with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra where she received critical acclaim:

“Natalya Romaniw… Last week she was an electrifying soloist in the world premiere of Testament by Mark-Anthony Turnage”
Guardian, November 2018

Other highlights include her European debut as Suzel in L’amico Fritz for Den Jyske Opera, Lisa in Pique Dame with Opera Holland Park and National Theatre Brno, title role in Janacek’s Jenůfa with Grange Park Opera, and Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Hallé orchestra under the baton of Sir Mark Elder.

Performances of La bohème run until 8 December 2018. For further information, please click here.

Alexander Joel’s final performance of Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House will be live-streamed to cinemas around the world on 16 January 2018. Joel conducts a cast led by Dimitri Platanias, Lucy Crowe and Michael Fabiano.

Reviewing the production, Classical Source said:

“The ROH Orchestra was on top from under the assured Alexander Joel.”

In the 2017/18 season, the Royal Opera House is broadcasting 12 titles to more than 1500 cinemas in over 40 countries.

Find your nearest screening on the Royal Opera House website. 

Alexander Joel returns to Covent Garden this month to conduct Verdi Rigoletto from 14 December 2017. The production is a revival of David McVicar's acclaimed production and features an all-star cast of Dimitri Platanias, Michael Fabiano and Intermusica’s Sofia Fomina.

Joel received rave reviews for his previous performances at Covent Garden conducting Carmen:

"...there was sufficient opportunity to experience stunning conducting: Alexander Joel controlled the absolutely brilliant [Royal Opera House] orchestra to absolute perfection, drove the tempi forward, as if he wanted to remind people of the legendary legacy and brilliance of Carlos Kleiber, and at no point did he also miss the necessary elasticity in his conducting to achieve this."
Opernglas

Rigoletto runs until January 16, when it will be live streamed to cinema.

Alexander Joel opens his 2017/18 season at Opera Vlaanderen, where he holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor, on 15 September 2017. Joel conducts Korngold Der Wunder der Heliane, which is directed by David Bösch and stars soprano Ausrine Stundyte as Heliane.

Korngold's rarely-performed opera takes place in a nameless country where a dictatorship has crushed all that brings happiness. Heliane seems to be the only one to possess any individuality, and the faith in happiness and love to resist.

Joel’s other highlights this season include the Richard Jones production of Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and a new production of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

We are delighted to welcome German/British conductor Alexander Joel to the Intermusica roster for general management. 

Alexander Joel is the Principal Guest Conductor of Opera Vlaanderen, and will conduct Korngold’s rarely performed Das Wunder der Heliane there this autumn, after his successful run of Simon Boccanegra in March 2017.

Joel is a regular guest with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (previously conducting Carmen, La bohème and La traviata) and will return at the end of 2017 to conduct David McVicar’s production of Rigoletto.

Other forthcoming events include the next instalment of his acclaimed Ring Cycle with Götterdämmerung, directed by Uwe Laufenberg, at Staatstheater Wiesbaden and a return to Grand Théâtre de Genève with Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci in 2018.

On the concert platform, he will be returning to work with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of Volksoper Wien and Staatsorchester Braunschweig, where he was formerly Generalmusikdirektor of both the Staatsorchester and the Staatstheater.

“What the guest conductor Alexander Joel drew from the Staatsorchester Wiesbaden was of a quality that has not been heard in a long time. The brass section offer a sonorous and rich sound that was never too loud. The woodwind solos blossom, the strings find their rich colour and lightness, and this has great class. Laufenberg's decision to hire the former Music Director of the Staatstheater Braunschweig for his entire Wiesbaden 'Ring' has proven to be 100% spot on…”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung