Helene dazzles Brasília’s audience with Strauss’ “4 last songs”

The fourth edition of the Brasília Opera Festival, artistically created and directed by Maestro Claudio Cohen, payed Tribute, last weekend, to the composer Richard Strauss for his 150th anniversary. Helene, who was originally casted to perform the princess Salome in this festival (which would be her 3rd consecutive production of this opera – Belém in 2012 and Switzerland Tour in 2013), with the transference of the event to the Pedro Calmon Theater, sang instead the prestigious cycle “4 Last Songs” by the German composer, his last completed work, known as one of the most difficult works from the symphonic repertoire for soprano solo

Live recording for DF TV – Rede Globo before the concert – Helene and Nardoto singing “Brindisi” from the opera “La Traviata”

The songs’s poems are from Hermann Hesse (1 – Frühling, 2 – September, 3 – Beim Schlafengehen) and from Joseph von Eichendorff (4 – Im Abendort) and reflect on the transition of death as smooth and peaceful (More about the songs and read the translation of the poems here).

The national press covered intensively the concerts, who had a full house (click here to access parts of the coverage from DF TV/Rede Globo about the first performance with some excerpts of Helene’s participation) and left the audience amazed.

Click here to listen the first song recorded live in the concert on 19 July and to see more photos visit the gallery.

The critics were also present and were enthusiastic about the quality of the sopranos’s work. “She masters vocal technique and is able to remain expressive through the demanding parts yet lyrical and poetic though the softer lines.” wrote Ali Hassan and “Helene is, from the younger generation, not only one of our most promising singers, but already a reality.” Highlighted Leonardo Marques.

Besides the Strauss’s works a varied operatic repertoire was presented with the soloists Vedrana Simic, Janette Dornellas Angela Diel, Jean Nardoto and Marcelo Ferreira was presented. Helene returned to the stage for the bis, singing the ‘Brindisi’ from the opera “La Traviata” by Verdi.