Der Meister kommt!

Weimar, long considered Germany's intellectual capital, boasts a musical patrimony without compare: Bach was organist at the ducal court from 1708 to 1717; Strauss made his home for five years amidst the town's winding streets; and, for three short days in 1849, this small settlement on the edge of the Thuringian Forest harboured Wagner on his flight from Dresden.

It was Franz Liszt (1811-1886) who welcomed the fleeing Wagner, and it was Liszt who, a year later, directed the première of Wagner's Lohengrin at Weimar’s Court Theatre.  Thuringia will fete the bi-centenary of the Hungarian genius in October 2011 with a string of celebratory concerts and historical visits in and around Weimar.

“Der Meister kommt!” - Liszt’s awe-struck students received their privileged tuition in the Hofgärtnerei, the former quarters of the court gardener that served as the composer’s Weimar residence.  The master’s house, now transformed into a museum, will make the perfect setting for a recital on the grand piano donated to Liszt in the final year of his life by Carl Bechstein.  Weimar’s ducal palace will welcome guests to an evening of Liszt and Schubert Lieder, and the festivities will be crowned by an anniversary concert featuring the brilliant young conductor Christian Thielemann alongside Konstantin Scherbakov, the winner of the first Rachmaninov Piano Competition.

Sir Peter Hall, Sir Derek Jacobi, Simon Callow

Sir Peter Hall, Sir Derek Jacobi, Simon Callow - a triumvirate of the greatest names in the world of British theatre as well  as one of the country's brightest young actors, Rory Kinnear...

Culturissima just learned that January 2011 will be a very special month for classical theatre in London, as three of Shakespeare's greatest plays, produced by two of the county’s leading theatre companies, take to the stage at the Donmar Theatre and National Theatre.

Culturissima has been commissioned to write the advance advertising "blurb" for a long weekend in London that will celebrate the achievements of London's Shakespearean traditions.  Michael Grandage will direct King Lear at the Donmar with Sir Derek Jacobi playing the title role; Twelfth Night will be directed at the National by Sir Peter Hall, with his daughter Rebecca as Viola and Simon Callow as Sir Toby Belch; and Hamlet at the Olivier will be directed by Nicholas Hytner and will see Clare Higgins as Gertrude, Patrick Malahide as Claudius, and David Calder as Polonius.

American readers might be interested by this post in the New York Times.

We'll post links to the plays as soon as details are made available to the general public.