9Th Classical Singing Competition DEBUT 2018: September 30, 2018
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Press Release 9th Classical Singing Competition DEBUT 2018: September 30, 2018 Vasilisa Berzhanskaya wins the Golden Victoria – and the hearts of the audience DEBUT, the Classical Singing Victory and audience prize for the Russian mezzo-soprano Competition, supports young opera singers embarking on an international Vasilisa Berzhanskaya is winner of the 9th Classical Singing career. It is open to the following voice types: soprano, mezzo-soprano & alto, Competition DEBUT 2018. The 25 year-old Russian mezzo-soprano, tenor, countertenor, baritone & bass. who has been a member of the ensemble at the German National Held every second year since 2002, DEBUT has earned itself a reputation as Opera House in Berlin since the 2017/18 season, made a particularly a launching pad for talented newcomers convincing impression on both the judging panel and the audience at in the world of opera music. the traditional gala concert and final last Saturday evening. She was awarded not only the “Golden Victoria” and 10,000 euros in prize money donated by WITTENSTEIN SE but also the audience prize, which was presented for the first time this year. The festive musical evening in the Bad Mergentheim Wandelhalle was a wonderful occasion all round, packed with magic moments and surprises. Vasilisa Berzhanskaya is winner of Winners only the 9th Classical Singing Competition DEBUT 2018. Three men and two women qualified for the final of the Classical Singing Competition’s ninth edition. By the end of the evening, they had all been rewarded with at least one of the coveted prizes: the Silver Victoria (donated by Hofmann, a local caterer, and worth 5000 euros) was won by Yajie Zhang from China, who also came away with the Gottlob Frick Society’s performance prize of 1500 euros. German baritone Konstantin Krimmel was awarded the Bronze Victoria plus 2500 donated by Sparkasse Tauberfranken. Krimmel was moreover the recipient of a 5000 euro prize – along with a debut role in a Wagner opera at the Main-Franconia Theater in Würzburg – donated by the Herbert Hillmann and Margot Müller Foundation, which provides support to promising new artists and promotes Würzburg’s cultural life. This latter prize was presented for the first time this year. The audience prize of 1000 euros was donated by Dr. Andreas Marb. Jeongmeen Ahn, the South Korean baritone, can look forward to a grant from Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland and the chance to perform the role Debut Concerts GmbH of Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème” at next year’s “Young Opera Schloss Walter-Wittenstein-Strasse 1 Weikersheim” festival. A special prize of 1000 euros – spontaneously 97999 Igersheim ∙ Germany donated by the judging panel on Saturday evening – went to Stefan Contact: Sabine Maier Press Officer Phone +49 7931 493-10399 Fax +49 7931 493-10301 e-mail [email protected] www.debut.de Page 1 of 4 Press Release Astakhov, an ethnic Russian baritone with German nationality who is just 21 years old. Vasilisa Berzhanskaya additionally carried off the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s special prize, which includes an engagement as a singer during the 2019/20 season. Enrico Calesso, conductor and Music Director, explained that the idea behind this prize is partly to demonstrate his strong affinity with DEBUT, which he and his orchestra accompanied this year for the second time. The aim is also to give the upcoming generation of opera singers an opportunity to perform while seeing to it that the roles they are asked to interpret are actually suited to their young voices. During two rounds, the five talented newcomers each sang two arias accompanied by the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The judging panel chaired by Professor Harald Stamm (Kammersänger) – for whom this was the last time after being involved in DEBUT since 2004 – allowed the young singers a free hand to select which pieces from their own personal repertoire to perform in front of the panel members and the enthusiastic audience. According to soprano Clarry Bartha, Artistic Director and an expert who spent decades performing on the opera stages of the world, the standard of the competitors was even higher than last time. Together with the judging panel members, she spent several days drawing up a shortlist from more than 400 recordings submitted. Thirty candidates were subsequently invited to Weikersheim for the competition week. And out of those taking part in the preliminary rounds, five eventually qualified for the final. Technique and empathy Vasilisa Berzhanskaya showed exceptional virtuosity both with Cenerentola’s aria “Nacqui all‘affanno” from Gioachino Rossini’s opera of the same name and with Giovanna Seymour’s aria “Per questa fiamma indomite” from Gaetano Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena”. The audience hung on her every word – not surprisingly in view of the breathtaking coloraturas which Berzhanskaya negotiated effortlessly and with tremendous verve. The Russian mezzo-soprano also sang her way into the hearts of the judging panel and the audience with the strong element of empathy in her melodic arcs. Konstantin Krimmel, who hails from the south German city of Ulm, had the audience spellbound with his interpretation of Wolfram’s aria “Song to the evening star” from Richard Wagner’s “Tannhäuser”, having already revealed his considerable talent as a performer in the first round with his rendering of Figaro’s “Non più andrai” from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”. Both Jeongmeen Ahn and Stefan Astakhov elected to sing Valentin’s aria “Oh sainte médaille / Avant de quitter ces lieux” from Charles Gounod’s Debut Concerts GmbH “Faust”, illustrating how different interpretations can have a dramatically Walter-Wittenstein-Strasse 1 different effect. It was Anh who began the evening with “Largo al factotum 97999 Igersheim ∙ Germany della città” from Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” – a masterly Contact: Sabine Maier Press Officer Phone +49 7931 493-10399 Fax +49 7931 493-10301 e-mail [email protected] www.debut.de Page 2 of 4 Press Release intonation of a truly classic aria – while Astakhov made a stunning impression with Conte’s aria “Hai già vinta la causa / Vedrò mentr'io sospiro” from Mozart’s “Figaro”. Premiere of the competition lieder with orchestra Yajie Zhang demonstrated her vocal variability most powerfully in the brisker sections of Dorabella’s aria “Ah, scostati! / Smanie implacabili” from Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”, whereas Dalila’s aria “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Samson and Delilah” was delivered as an emotional rollercoaster. Zhang, who only two days previously won the lieder prize at the recital in the Deutschordensschloss (Castle of the Teutonic Order) in Bad Mergentheim, subsequently gave the world premiere of the orchestral version of “Über uns beide” (The two of us), the art lieder composed by Konstantin Heuer especially for DEBUT 2018. With its mysteriously meandering harmonies and frequent dissonant interjections, this piece made a welcome contrast to the remainder of the evening’s musical program and left many lasting impressions. Ninety year-old Professor Christa Ludwig, Kammersängerin and guest of honor, who was also one of Germany’s best-known opera singers for more than 50 years and patron of DEBUT 2014, praised the high standard of the singing and explained to the competitors that what they most needed now was luck – the chance to sing before the right people at the right time – in order to launch into a successful career. Dr. Manfred Wittenstein, Chairman of the WITTENSTEIN SE Supervisory Board and the DEBUT’s initiator, thanked the Classical Singing Competition’s numerous sponsors: “The broad support, particularly from local industry, shows how firmly DEBUT has become established in the region since it first came into being back in 2002”. Pictures: 01_The winners of DEBUT 2018 (from left to right): Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Golden Victoria, center), Yajie Zhang (Silver Victoria, right) and Konstantin Krimmel (Bronze Victoria, left). 02_Mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, winner of the Golden Victoria 2018, convinced both the audience and the judging panel. 03_The DEBUT finalists (shown here: Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, overall winner) were accompanied throughout the gala concert by the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Enrico Calesso, which also performed two “solo” pieces: Mozart’s overture to “Idomeneo Re di Debut Concerts GmbH Creta” and Pietro Mascagni’s intermezzo from “Cavalleria Rusticana”. Walter-Wittenstein-Strasse 1 97999 Igersheim ∙ Germany Contact: Sabine Maier Press Officer Phone +49 7931 493-10399 Fax +49 7931 493-10301 e-mail [email protected] www.debut.de Page 3 of 4 Press Release 04_Dr. Manfred Wittenstein, Chairman of the WITTENSTEN SE Supervisory Board (left), and Professor Harald Stamm, Kammersänger and Chairman of the judging panel (right), in conversation with Felix Seibert-Daiker, the host for the evening. A well-known television journalist, he is a native of Bad Mergentheim and presided over the three-hour event in his buoyant, easy- going, charming and entertaining manner. 05_The finale of the festive musical evening in the Bad Mergentheim Wandelhalle was packed with magic moments (from left to right): Dr. Manfred Wittenstein (Chairman of the WITTENSTEIN SE Supervisory Board), Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Golden Victoria 2018), Yajie Zhang (Silver Victoria 2018), Stefan Astakhov, Jeongmeen Ahn, Konstantin Krimmel (Bronze Victoria 2018), host Felix Seibert-Daiker and Enrico Calesso (conductor of the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra). All information about the competition is available at www.debut.de Texts and photographs in printable quality can be downloaded from http://www.debut.de/. Debut Concerts GmbH Walter-Wittenstein-Strasse 1 97999 Igersheim ∙ Germany Contact: Sabine Maier Press Officer Phone +49 7931 493-10399 Fax +49 7931 493-10301 e-mail [email protected] www.debut.de Page 4 of 4 .