Omer Meir Welllber

Tonight with a Wagner program with the Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in Rome, conductor Omer Meir Wellber joins the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini at the Verdi Festival in Parma next week. At his house in Vienna, the Volksoper, he premiered Richard Strauss' Salome in September with a recreation of Luc Bondy's timeless 1992 production, staged by Marie-Louise Bischofberger-Bondy. Further performances of the production follow in October.

On 19 and 20 October, Omer Meir Wellber, together with the Gewandhausorchester and Michael Schönheit on the organ, will present the world premiere of Aziza Sadikova's work Strahlen des Feuers for orchestra, accordion and organ. For the work commissioned by the Gewandhaus, Wellber will play the accordion part and pair it with works by Haydn and Bruckner.

This will be followed in November by a new production of Vincenzo Bellini's I Capuleti e I Montecchi in a production by Idan Cohen at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Director and choreographer Idan Cohen describes the production as an "operatic vision of music and dance" brought to life under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber. “The setting of the opera takes place in a dystopian taxidermy museum of infinity mirrors, masterfully designed by Riccardo Massironi. The costumes, crafted by Edoardo Russo, enhance the atmosphere and contribute to the portrayal of the female-young lovers in this unique environment. Throughout the opera, the museum undergoes a mesmerizing transformation, with sand gradually accumulating in sand clocks, glass decaying, ultimately leading to sand overtaking the stage. This progression serves not only as a metaphor for the way we interact with nature and culture, but also to examine the objectification and preservation of young lovers in a society that idealizes and fetishizes youth, particularly for women” is how Idan Cohen describes his production.

In December, Omer Meir Wellber will be conducting the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wiener Symphoniker, among others. Below you will find an overview of upcoming concerts until the end of 2023:

6 October    Rom, Opera
Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Wagner: Die Walküre 1. Akt
Siegmund - Stanislas De Barbeyrac
Sieglinde - Angela Meade
Hunding - Brindley Sherratt

10 October   Parma, Teatro Regio
Verdi Festival Gala
Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini

19, 20 October  Leipzig, Gewandhaus
Gewandhausorchester
Haydn: Sinfonie d-Moll Hob
Aziza Sadikova: Strahlen des Feuers für Orgel, Akkordeon und Orchester (world premiere)
Bruckner: Sinfonie d-Moll ("Die Nullte")
Michael Schönheit - Organ

23, 26, 29 October  Vienna, Volksoper     
Strauss: Salome
Recreation of the 1992 Salzburg Festival production by Luc Bondy

28 October   Vienna, Konzerthaus
Orchester der Volksoper Wien
Chor der Volksoper
Singakademie Wien
Verdi: Messa da Requiem

7 November   Como, Teatro Sociale
8 November  Parma, Teatro Regio
11 November  Mailand, Sala Verdi
Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini
Mahler: Symphonie No. 10, Adagio
Mahler: Rückert-Lieder für Singstimme und Orchester
Schumann: Symphonie No. 4, op. 120 (arr. Mahler)

15 November   Palermo, Teatro Massimo
Omer Meir Wellber – Piano and Accordion
Meret Süngü – Voice
Works by Handel, Gluck, Verdi and from the Turkish, Sephardic and Sicilian traditions.

22 November   Palermo, Teatro Massimo
Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Idan Cohen – Production
Further performances: 23, 24, 25, 26, 28 November         

11 December   Prag, Rudolfinum
Prag Radio Symphony Orchestra
Bohuslav Martinu: Thunderbolt P-47 H 309
Philip Glass: Double Concerto for violin and violoncello
Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 7
Gidon Kremer - Violin

19, 21, 22, 23 December  Tel Aviv, Charles Bronfman Auditorium
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Aziza Sadikova: Marionettes
Prokofiew: Violin Concerto Nr. 1
Schostakowitsch: Symphonie Nr. 6

30 December    Vienna, Konzerthaus
Wiener Symphoniker
Ella Milch-Sheriff: Der ewige Fremde. Monodram für einen Schauspieler und Orchester
Beethoven: Sinfonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125

31 December, 1 January  Vienna, Konzerthaus           
Wiener Symphoniker
Beethoven: Sinfonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125