Festklänge (Festive Sounds)

Featuring

Pietari Inkinen
Elsa Benoit
Sarah Romberger
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
Engelbert Humperdinck
Richard Strauss

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Max Reger
Victor Hely-Hutchinson

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Interpretation

The album features a mix of music specifically written for Christmas and other pieces that are simply associated with the festive season, such as Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel."

Performer Biography

Pietari Inkinen, the Finnish chief conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie since 2017, will conduct Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" at the Bayreuth Festival in 2023.

Recording & Production

This album is a live recording of a Christmas concert performed by the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie on December 22, 2022, in Saarbrücken.

Performer Biography

Soprano Elsa Benoit made her first steps on stage as a member of opera choirs while studying musicology, before earning her Master's degree in opera with distinction.

Composition History

Victor Hely-Hutchinson's "A Carol Symphony" from 1927 is likely the first Christmas medley in music history, using Christmas carols as themes in each movement.

Performer Biography

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Romberger is described by the press as a "discovery" or "rising star" due to her vocal range, allowing her to perform as an alto in oratorios and as a lyric or coloratura mezzo-soprano in opera.