Christmas Oratorio
Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir
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Date
- / Cancelled / Sold out
Location
Grand Auditorium Calouste Gulbenkian FoundationPricing
- 26,00 € – 58,00 €
25% – Under 30
10% – Over 65
Cartão Gulbenkian:
50% – Under 30
15% – Over 65
- Conductor
- Soprano
- Mezzo-soprano
- Tenor
- Bass
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Gulbenkian Choir
Coro Gulbenkian was founded in 1964 by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as a full symphonic body of around 100 singers. The choir joins the Orquestra Gulbenkian and other orchestras to perform Classical, Romantic and Contemporary choral-symphonic repertoire, but can also perform a cappella. It has performed – and often premiered – many 20th century works by Portuguese and international composers.
Coro Gulbenkian has been invited to collaborate with major international orchestras, under the direction of conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Colin Davis, John Nelson, Emmanuel Krivine, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Frans Brüggen, Franz Welser-Möst, Gerd Albrecht, Michael Gielen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, René Jacobs and Leonard Slatkin, among others.
Besides its regular season of concerts in Lisbon and frequent national tours, Coro Gulbenkian has repeatedly toured Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Macao, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.
Coro Gulbenkian has recorded extensively for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Erato, Cascavelle, Musifrance, as well as FNAC-Music, performing a wide range of repertoire, from Early-Renaissance polyphony to Xenakis. Several of these albums received international awards.
Michel Corboz was the Principal Conductor between 1969 and 2019. Jorge Matta and Inês Tavares Lopes are currently the Associate and Assistant conductors, respectively.
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Gulbenkian Orchestra
In 1962, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation decided to establish a permanent orchestral ensemble. Originally with only twelve musicians (strings and continuo) it was named “Orquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian”. This collective was successively enlarged and today the “Orquestra Gulbenkian” (the name it has adopted since 1971) has a permanent body of sixty instrumentalists, a number that can be expanded depending on the repertoire.
This structure allows the Gulbenkian Orchestra to interpret works from the Baroque and Classical periods, a significant part of 19th century orchestral literature and much of the music of the 20th century, including works belonging to the current repertoire of the traditional symphonic orchestras. In each season, the orchestra performs on a regular series of concerts at the Gulbenkian Grand Auditorium in Lisbon, where it has had the opportunity of working together with some of leading names of the world of music (conductors and soloists). It has also performed on numerous locations all over Portugal, in an effort to decentralize music and culture.
The orchestra has been constantly expanding its activities in the international level, performing in Europe, Asia Africa, and the Americas. In the recording field, Orquestra Gulbenkian is associated to labels as Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Teldec, Erato, Adès, Nimbus, Lyrinx, Naïve and Pentatone, among others, and this activity was recognized with several international prizes.
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Martina Batič
Principal Conductor
Martina Batič is one of the leading choir directors of her generation. As the winner of the renowned Eric Ericson Competition 2006, she is celebrated for her particular versatility in conducting a broad choral repertoire from chamber music to symphony.
Martina Batič has been Principal Conductor of the Chœur de Radio France from 2018-2022. Before that, she held the position of Artistic Director of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. From 2004-2009, Martina Batič was Artistic Director of the Choir of the Slovenian National Opera in Ljubljana. In season 2023/24 she is taking the Chief Conductor position of Danish National Vocal Ensemble in Copenhagen.
The Slovenian is a sought-after guest conductor and has been on podium of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, MDR Rundfunkchor, SWR Vokalensemble, Chorwerk Ruhr, as well as the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Swedish Radio Choir, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, The Norwegian Soloists' Choir, Suomen Laulu Choir & Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nederlands Kamerkoor, Netherlands Radio Choir, Flemish Radio Choir, Gulbenkian Choir and others.Future highlights include her return visits to Nederlands Kamerkoor, Netherlands Radio Choir, Gulbenkian Orchestra & Choir and engagements with Flemish Radio Choir, SWR Vokalensemble, Coro Casa da Musica Porto, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Zürcher Sing-Akademie, Helsinki Chamber Choir, Bachchor Salzburg among others.
Martina Batič has conducted A cappella concerts at festivals such as Baltic Sea Stockholm, Ultima Oslo, Choregies d’Orange, Montpellier, Saint-Denis and Présences Paris. In 2018 she conducted the Swedish Radio Choir & Eric Ericson Chamber Choir in a gala concert on the occasion of Eric Ericson's 100th birthday.
Martina Batič obtained her Bachelor of Music from the Music Academy of the University of Ljubljana in 2002. She continued her studies at the University of Music and Theater in Munich in the class of Prof. Michael Gläser, where she completed her master's degree in choral conducting with distinction in 2004. She attended master classes across Europe and worked with renowned choral conductors such as Eric Ericson.
In 2019 Martina Batič received the Slovenian national prize “Prešeren Fund Awards” for her artistic achievements in the field of choral conducting. -
Melody Louledjian
Soprano
French lyric soprano Melody Louledjian graduated in piano and voice from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon and the Vienna Hochschule.
She made her debut at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux in 2009 in Le Balcon by Peter Eötvös and has become a regular guest in this theatre (Bohème, L’Italiana in Algeri, Orphée aux Enfers, Alcina and Ariadne auf Naxos).At the Paris Opera, she sang L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and Der Zwerg, the former also at the Bayerisches Staatsoper in Munich; Hahn’s Ciboulette at the Opéra Comique in Paris, Die Fledermaus in Nice, La Vie parisienne in Lausanne, Der Kaiser von Atlantis in Tenerife, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana and Nozze di Figaro in Geneva…
Recent performances include Der Kaiser von Atlantis in Verona, Musetta / Bohème in Nice, Les Noces by Stravinsky at Radio France, Contessa / Le Nozze di Figaro in Lyon, Lucia di Lammermoor in Manilla, Traviata and La Casa de Bernarda Alba in Tenerife, Don Pasquale in Fribourg and Dijon, Spontini’s La Conquête du Mexique in Dortmund, Grétry’s Richard Coeur de Lion at Versailles Royal Opera, Pesson’s Trois Contes at Rennes Opera.
Equally at ease in contemporary repertoire and is a regular guest of prestigious ensembles such as Intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern and Klangforum appearing in Paris, Berlin, Zürich, Düsseldorf, Köln, IRCAM… In concert she sang Carmina Burana in Saint-Etienne, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Bordeaux, Debussy’s La Damoiselle Elue in Paris, Britten’s Illuminations in Lausanne, Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem in Liège and Brussels, Mahler’s 4th Symphony in Paris, Israel in Egypt at la Cote St André’s Festival.
Among her discography : Halevy ‘s Les Dilettantes (Klarthe), Lemoyne’s Phèdre (Bru Zane), La Damoiselle Elue with Mikko Franck, Grétry’s Richard Coeur de Lion, “Fleurs” a collection of French songs (Aparté), “Chants de l’Aube et du Soir” with guitarist and composer Cyril Achard (Klarthe).
Future projects include the title roles of Lehar’s Giuditta in Strasbourg, and Traviata in Dijon, Mahler’s 4th Symphony with Mikko Franck at Festival de Montpellier Radio-France, Poulenc’s Gloria with Orchestre des Pays de la Loire, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Gulbenkian Orchestra, the world premiere of Soulèvement(s) by Philippe Hurel in St Etienne.
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Marie-George Monet
Mezzo
After she completed a Bachelor in Musicology at the University François Rabelais in Tours (France), Marie George Monet was admitted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in David Pollard’s singing class. Her interest for chamber music led her to sing on regular basis with chamber ensembles such as Accentus, Musicatreize, Les Jeunes Solistes, De Caelis. As a soloist, she regularly performs in baroque oratorio repertoire. Lately she regularly collaborates with Les Traversées Baroques conducted by Etienne Meyer at the Opera de Dijon.
She also sings under the baton of conductors such as Christian Curnyn, Sylvain Cambreling, Christian Zacharias, Laurence Equilbey, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Barbara Hannigan…
Her repertoire includes stage performances such as Messaggiera in Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Arnalta in Monterverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, The Witch in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, The Divine Justice in Falvetti’s Il Diluvio Universale.Her interest in contemporary music led her to perform world premieres as alto solo in Yvonne, Princesse de Bourgogne by Philippe Boesmans (Opéra de Paris and Vienna), The Fairy in Slutchaï by Oscar Strasnoy (Opéra de Bordeaux), Atuat in Babel after the war by Xavier Dayer (Vevey’s Theater), The Lawyer in La Digitale by Juan-Pablo Carreño (Teatro Colon de Bogota).
She recorded several songs cycles by Frédéric Pattar, Félix Ibbarrondo and François-Bernard Mâche.She sings in many festivals such as Présences (Paris), Aix en Provence, La Chaise Dieu, Agape (Switzerland), Cuenca (Spain), Varazdin (Croatia), Tenso (Oslo), Mid Europe Early Music Festival (Poland), French May (Hong Kong), Salzburg Festspiele (Austria)…
Her recent performances include her in Grisey Chants de l’amour (Bibliothèque Nationale de France), Mozart Requiem (tour with Orchestre Les Siècles), Stravinsky Les Noces (Lionel Sow, Radio France).
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Zachary Wilder
Tenor
With a commanding vocal presence and a captivating musical finesse, American tenor Zachary Wilder emerges as an exemplary interpreter of 17th and 18th-century repertoires, spanning from Monteverdi to Mozart. His artistry has garnered demand from esteemed conductors and ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic, perfectly embodying the fervor of grand sacred masterworks and the opulence of operatic performances, with a widely acclaimed stage presence.
He now collaborates with a constellation of well known ensembles such as Pygmalion, Les Arts Florissants, L'Arpeggiata, Les Talens Lyriques, Le Concert d'Astrée, the Boston Early Music Festival, Bach Collegium Japan, the Handel & Haydn Society, Nederlandse Bach Vereniging, and Nederlands Kamerkoor. His associations with the latter two formations frequently culminate in extensive tours, notably as the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio under the baton of Christophe Rousset in 2022.
Beyond the confines of the beauties of early music, his collaborations with symphony orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, allow him to tackle later repertoires. Notable performances include Vaughan-Williams' On Wenlock Edge and Britten's Nocturne with the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, and the role of Mark in Frank Zappa's 200 Motels, first at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg and later at the Philharmonie in Paris. Maintaining an ever-curious musical spirit, Zachary portrayed the Spirit of Light in The Tale of Genji at Tokyo's legendary Kabukiza Theater, under the direction of Ebizo Ichikawa.
Recent seasons have been punctuated by significant undertakings, including the expansive Monteverdi 450 tour led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Händel's Radamisto with Il Pomo d'Oro conducted by Francesco Corti, with whom a solid collaboration has been established, as evidenced by the August 2023 production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen at the Drottningholm Opera. He triumphantly interpreted the role of Erinda in the revival of Sartorio's L’Orfeo at the Opéra de Montpellier, directed by Philippe Jaroussky and staged by Benjamin Lazar. Noteworthy collaborations also encompass Zachary's portrayal of Basilio in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro alongside Raphaël Pichon as well as of Agenore in Mozart's Il Re Pastore at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, conducted by Christina Pluhar.
The 2024/2025 season highlights a harmonious blend of concerts and stage productions. Among the key performances are Le lacrime di Eros (role of Pastore) with the Pygmalion ensemble and Raphaël Pichon, directed by Romeo Castellucci at the Amsterdam Opera. He will also be featured in two tours dedicated to Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine: first with Pygmalion (Paris, Antwerp, Versailles), followed by I Gemelli (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Seville). Additionally, he will make notable appearances at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, performing with the Foundation’s Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Martina Batič and Peter Dijkstra, for the Christmas Oratorio and Bach's Mass in B minor. Zachary will also revisit the role of Agenore in Il Re Pastore in Salzburg, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the work’s premiere.
His expansive discography encompasses over forty recordings for esteemed labels including Ricercar, CPO, Soli Deo Gloria, Harmonia mundi, Glossa, Atma, La Música and Aparté with the direction of luminaries such as William Christie, John Eliot Gardiner, Masaaki Suzuki, Christophe Rousset, and Raphaël Pichon. Notably, his special partnership with Ensemble I Gemelli has yielded exceptional recordings of Monteverdi's Orfeo and Il Ritorno d'Ulisse, alongside the critically acclaimed A Room of Mirrors, which gathers arias and duets from the Italian Seicento, and elicited enthusiastically rave reviews from the press. His recital album Eternità d'Amore for the label La Música with Josep M. Martí Duran was particularly well critically received.
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Jasper Schweppe
Bass
Jasper Schweppe began his solo singing education at the Zwolle Conservatory. He subsequently obtained his Performing Musician diploma in 1998 at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. From 1996 to 2004 Jasper was employed by the Groot Omroepkoor and since 2004 Jasper has been a core member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor.
Jasper has always combined ensemble singing with solo singing. In this way he has managed to master many musical styles from the 1000 year old Gregorian chant to 21st century contemporary music. Jasper loves to sing music from the Baroque and early Baroque periods. Of course J.S. Bach is frequently featured every season, but he is particularly fond of composers such as Constantijn Huygens and Claudio Monteverdi. The CD Proba Me Deus and the collaboration with Monteverdi XL conducted by Krijn Koetsveld are proof of this.
Jasper has worked on various opera productions. With the Orchestra of the 18th Century conducted by Frans Brüggen he worked on the successful international production Les Indes Galantes by Rameau and with Camerata Trajectina he worked on, among others, The Seven Sins by Jeronimus Bosch, a wonderful collaboration with Dutch author Gerrit Komrij.
Jasper has worked with conductors such as Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Jan Willem de Vriend, Peter Dijkstra, Risto Joost, Richard Egar and Jos van Veldhoven.
Jasper has a special preference for singing lieder repertoire. In Paris in 1999 he won first prize at the Musicora competition. He sang Poulenc and Ravel there. Since then he has sung many recitals at home and abroad. His CD La Bonne Chanson with songs by Fauré on text by Verlaine, and his CDs with Winterreise, Schöne Müllerin and Schwanengesang by Schubert and songs by Francis Poulenc on texts by Paul Éluard have been very well received in the press.
In 2019, Jasper started the complete recording of all songs by Franz Schubert. He does this together with fortepianist Riko Fukuda and on behalf of the Schubertiade Foundation. (www.schubertiade.nl) The songs are only released streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others. Volumes I to VII of the foundation have now been released.
In addition to singing, Jasper is a singing teacher at the Kamper Boys Choir and is the artistic coordinator of the Netherlands Chamber Choir.
Johann Sebastian Bach
The new Principal Conductor of the Gulbenkian Choir, Martina Batič, conducts one of the great choral masterpieces of the Baroque period and one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most monumental creations. Obligatory listening during this festive season, the Christmas Oratorio was written in 1734 and 1735. The German composer adapted and partly worked on pre-existing choruses and arias, giving them a new and noble religious and spiritual dimension. One of the most beautiful and deeply inspirational moments of the whole season.
Sponsor Gulbenkian Music
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