The Teatro Colón announces its 2024 season: austere, but with premieres and the return of Martha Argerich

Jorge Telermanndirector of the Teatro Colón, accompanied by the Minister of Culture of Buenos Aires Gabriela Ricardohas finally announced the 2024 season, an austere schedule, which essentially consists of seven lyrical titles (four revivals and three premieres), five ballets AND twenty concerts of the subscription cycle of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, and more five concerts by the Orchestra Stabile del Teatro Colónwith a few brilliant names.

Ricardo pointed out the place of culture in critical times and commented on the Ministry’s content integration program, through which the Stabile Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Ballet will perform in the Parque Centenario amphitheater, and the Teatro Colón will host tango and jazz festivals. Next Saturday the Philharmonic Orchestra will play works by Stravinsky, as a pre-season, in the Parque Centenario.

The season will open on March 12 with the ballet Carmina Burana in the version and direction by Mauricio Wainrot. The remaining four titles that make up the programming will be directed Mario Galizzidirector of the Stabile Ballet of the Teatro Colón.

In June, Marianela Nuñez, prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet in London, will star Sleeping Beauty of the Forest. It will be presented at the end of August Mixed programme, composed of Suite en Blanc, Adagietto and Bolero. The romantic ballet Gisella complete the programming that will end with La Bayadere.

The opera season will begin Arianna in Naxos, April 12. Strauss’ opera will have six performances, directed by Günter Neuhold and directed by Marcelo Lombardero, and brings together local and foreign artists led by Carla Filipcic Holm, Sergio Escobar, Ekaterina Lekina.

TurandotPuccini’s masterpiece will be staged on May 17th (nine performances) with the historic staging of Roberto Osvaldo and the musical direction alternated between Carlos Vieu and Beatrice Venezi. The Austrian soprano Martina Serafin will lead the cast together with Marcelo Puente, Jaqulina Livieri and Lucas Debeven Mayer.

The consulby Gian Carlo Menotti, will also have its revival in the theatrical version of Ruben Szuchmacher with the musical direction of Marcelo Ayub (August). Except for the lead role, which this time will be played by the Argentine baritone Sebastián Angulegui, the rest of the cast is practically the same as the 2022 premiere, with Carla Filipcic Holm, Adriana Maestrángelo and Virginia Correa Dupuy, in the main roles.

The news is the most resounding

Carmen From Georges Bizet, directed by Calixo Bieito, is the most resonant of the opera season. Regard a co-production between the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatro Regio in Turin. It will be staged on July 12 (eight performances) with the musical direction of Kakhi Solomnishvili, and the Argentine mezzo-soprano Francesa di Sauro together with Gustavo López Manzitti in the main roles.

Orpheus in hell It is the second of three new productions. Jacques Offenbach’s operetta will have a scene by the ingenious Pablo Maritano and musical direction by Christian Baldini, with the participation of a talented local cast (November).

The third novelty –perhaps the most unique thing of the season– is the new production of Sunriseby Héctor Panizza, with the directed by Betty Gambartes (September and October). After 25 years she returns to the stage of the Teatro Colón, Daniela Tabernig will star together with Fermín Prieto, Hernán Iturralde and Alejandor Spies.

A masked ball, by Giuseppe Verdi, will close the season between November and December, with scenes by Rita Cosentino and scenes by Enrique Bordolini. The main male role has not yet been confirmed, Alessandra di Giorgio, Fabián Veloz, Oriana Favaro and Guadalupe Barrientos will play.

Let’s not lose Marta

The Martha Argerich Festival will return in August with Charles Dutoit, Annie Dutoit-Argerich, among other guests (schedules unconfirmed). And of course the famous hostess and pianist Martha Argerich.

Between international visits, the Chinese pianist Yuja Wang and the soprano Hera Hyesang Park stand out. Both will be presented in the cycle of Extraordinary Concerts, which will also see the presence of the Camerata Antiqua of Curitiba under the direction of Ricardo Kangi, of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia under the direction of Yeruham Scharovsky, and of the conductors Sylvain Gasançony and Isaac Karabtchevsky, the first by the Orchestra Stabile del Teatro Colón and the second by the Petrobras Symphony.

The two Colón orchestras will also each have their own season (20 concerts for the Philharmonic, and 5 for the Scuderia) plus guest conductors and performers.

The Teatro Colón Academic Orchestra will also have its subscription for six concerts and will work with conductors specialized in different repertoires.

They stand out Concerto for piano, string orchestra and timpaniby Galina Ustvolskaya (April 13) and the Concerto for two harpsichords in C minor by Bach, in homage to Mario Videla who passed away last year (July 19). And in the semi-staged version it will premiere The voice that never remains silentchamber opera in one act, by Marcelo Delgado with libretto by Ignacio Apolo (9 November).

An expected replacement

The Contemporary Cycle fills the acclaimed Einstein on the beachin a version by Martín Bauer and Rodrigo de Caso of the opera by Robert Wilson and Philip Glasspublished last year.

The concert will be previewed in the same cycle Harmonyby John Adams and Thomas Adès, with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra under the musical direction of Pablo Druker, who will also conduct the ArtHaus Ensemble in its debut on the Colón stage, with works by Unsuk Chin, György Ligeti, Conlon Nancarrow and Pablo Rubino.

For We are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schöenberg’s birth the oratory was planned Gurrelieder for large orchestra, multiple choirs, vocal soloists and narrator with the musical direction of Alejo Pérez of the Orquesta Estable.

The Experimentation Center has begun to regain vitality. It presents a variety of titles ranging from dance, opera, cinema and some homages to groups of performers from the contemporary music scene.

The work Cassandra(x) with the aesthetics of Uruguayan playwright Sergio Blanco and the music of composer Pablo Ortiz, is a joint commission of the Teatro Colón and the Alternative Stage of the National Opera of Greece and will have its premiere on August 23.

Axel Krygier will present Chez la grande-mère Bzloch Rehearsals for a musical biodramafor chamber ensemble plus piano and sampler, the participation of three actors/dancers/singers and a production that includes original family objects (October).

Luciana Croatto will dance to original lyrics and music by Billy Cowie Extreme solosa series of works by Scottish choreographer Billy Cowie (September).

Mirlitons, by François Chaignaud and Aymeric Hainaux, integrates the dance and music program (May).

Music and cinema

The meeting between cinema and live music will begin with the film The big parade by King Vidor (1925) and the sound of the composer, pianist and performer Carmen Baliero (April).

Beautiful VampFrom Alfredo Ariaswill be seen on June 22.

Thirst, ritual of sound and silence, by Alex Nante, completes the program (May).

The Center will celebrate the 15 years of the Contemporary Music Ensemble of the Department of Musical and Sound Arts of the National University of the Arts (EMC Damus) with a program of short works by more than twenty Argentine composers (March), and the 20 years of uninterrupted work of the Compañía Oblicua ensemble under the direction of its creator, the composer Marcelo Delgado with two programs featuring works by Juan Carlos Tolosa, Agustina Crespo and Jorge Chikiar, among others (September).

The CETC will also be present Materials under construction, universes to be exploited by the Dance Company of the National University of the Arts (November) and Kenta contemporary music program created by participants in the Children’s and Youth Orchestras Program of the City of Buenos Aires, which will close the program in December.

Music and Cinema with the choice of Italian cinema and the musical direction of Nicola Piovanni it is one of the novelties of the season. Also a series of recitals in the Golden Hall called Liederabend, choral concertsfor piano, string quartet, and a selection of musicians from the Orchestra Stabile del Teatro Colón.

Colombo for kids continue to add proposals for winter holidays with Colin and Colette, World of dance AND Moliere grinding.