La Speranza

With “La Speranza!” mandolinist Alon Sariel joins soprano Lore Binon and Die Kölner Akademie under the direction of Michael Alexander Willens to explore the native country of the opera in the first half of the 18th cenutry, bringing to light forgotten opera arias featuring the mandolin. The charming plucked instrument was reserved to the rare and unique of moments in the 18th century theater - with the most famous example being Don Giovanni's Canzonetta - which all bestow with a richness of melody and refinement. The instrument is also featured here as a solistic virtuoso instrument, with seldom heard mandolin concertos by Barbella and Hasse. The latter, influential composer and singer, who with his wife, famous soprano Faustina Bordoni, belonged to the major attractions of the Dresden court, alongside Tomaso Albinoni, who worked in the “Serenissima”, are just two of the brilliant composers that fill this programme with life. With selected arias from Albinoni’s Ciro, Lotti's Teofane, Leo’s L’Olimpiade and Steffani’s Tassilone, Lore Binon moves effortlessly through the sentiments and coloraturas of the baroque heroines. Join her with The Kölner Akademie, for a magical night in the world of Baroque Theater, where costly stage productions and competitions between star singers with maximum fees drew the European high society to the theaters, identifying themselves in the opera's mythologically inspired themes. Let yourself be enchanted by the mandolin spell of Alon Sariel and by the light and lyrical soprano of Lore Binon, together with the Kölner Akademie and conductor Michael Alexander Willens, bringing together some of today's elite Baroque interprets.

Lore Binon started her musical education at the age of five, studying the violin. She was a laureate of several competitions and obtained her Masters in violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she studied with Yuzuku Horigome. Whilst studying the violin she discovered a new passion, the voice. She began her vocal training at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, obtaining her Bachelor degree with Beatrijs Devos. Lore continued her vocal studies in Barcelona at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya, with Margarida de Natividade. In 2011 she obtained her Masters degree at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Valérie Guillorit. During her studies she was awarded the Cardon prize for exceptional results by the Royal Conservatory of Music, Brussels and in 2019 she was awarded the Klara for young talent of the year. She currently receives coaching from Margreet Honig.

Lore performed in several music theatre productions. She participated in the production Children of nowhere in collaboration with Lod, Berberio by Zonzo Compagnie for which they achieved a YA M a w a rd , Revelations and The Valley, both Tr a n s p a r a n t productions, In my end is my beginning by Imago Mundi and Loopstation, produced by Ontroerend Goed. She made her operatic debut as Barbarina (Nozze di Figaro) with the Freiburger Barockorchester under the baton of René Jacobs. During the season 2017 she sang the role of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Flemish Opera and she was voice in residence for the Festival of Flanders Mechelen.

In 2019 Lore participated in Love, you son of a bitch at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin. Lore is equally active in the contemporary music field and has performed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire at several festivals and participated in Sirènes by Luca Francesconi (Festival Musica, Strasbourg) as well as an international tour of Drumming (Steve Reich) enjoying regular collaborations with Ictus and Rosas. She also has a keen interest in the performance of lieder, performing at the Muziekgebouw aan 't Ij (Amsterdam) and in England, where she gave recitals at the prestigious Oxford Lieder Festival, Chipping Campden and Wesley Chapel Harrogate.

Lore’s rich and sensitive musical personality makes her much sought after as a soloist in symphonical repertoire as well as ancient music. She enjoys multiple collaborations with ensembles such as Brussels Philharmonic, Freiburger Barockorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, B’rock Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse performing e.g. Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen (Bach), Magnificat (Bach), Dixit Dominus (Händel), Lobgesang (Mendelssohn), Fourth Symphony (Mahler), Ein Deutches Requiem (Brahms) with conductors such as René Jacobs, Hervé Niquet, Philippe Herreweghe, Christian Arming, Lothar Koenigs and Michel Tabachnik. Lore performed in venues such as Bozar (BE), Salle Pleyel (FR), Opera de Lyon (FR), Palau de la musica (ESP), De Doelen (NL) and Tchaikovsky Hall (RS).

Chamber music is another of Lore’s passions bringing her to perform at the festival Schiermonnikoog (NL), MAfestival (BE), Yaroslav Festival (RU), Operadagen Rotterdam (NL) and Valletta Baroque Festival (M) collaborating with ensembles such as Oxalys, Zefiro Torna, Il Gardellino and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging.

She is a founding member of the ensemble Revue blanche; a quartet consisting of the rather unusual combination of harp, flute, viola and voice. The ensemble was awarded the Klara for young talent 2013 and has followed an impressive traject ever since. They perform in major concert halls like Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Muziekgebouw aan t’IJ, Centro Cultural de Belem and Opéra de Lille. Lores discography consists of two albums under the Outhere Music label; Les poètes maudits and Impressions de Pelléas ( Mélisande), Ein Deutches Requiem (Evil Penguin) and Shelter (Warner Music). Upcoming projects are Faust Szenen (Schumann), A symphony of expectations (Berio) and Mahler 4 with conductor Alejo Perez at the Flemish Opera. Furthermore two new CD recordings for Motor Music 

Michael Alexander Willens, music director of Die Kölner Akademie, studied conducting with John Nelson at the Juilliard School in New York, where he received B.M. and M.M. degrees. He has also studied with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, as well as choral conducting with Paul Vorwerk. Willens’ broad experience has given him an unusual depth of background and familiarity with performance practice styles ranging from baroque, classical and romantic through to contemporary as well as jazz and pop music.

Mr. Willens has conducted concerts at major concert halls and festivals in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Scandinavia, Russia, Asia, Iceland, Turkey, Azerbaijan and  Israel, receiving the highest critical praise: “The success of the whole owed in large measure to the uncommonly precise, yet never affected gestures of Michael Alexander Willens".

In addition to the standard repertoire, Michael Alexander Willens is dedicated to performing works by lesser-known contemporary American composers and has conducted several world premières, many of which have been broadcast live or filmed for television. He is also keenly interested in re-discovering music from the past and has released over 60 CDs for CPO, ARS Produktion, Capriccio and Hänssler Classic featuring this repertoire. Several of these recordings have been nominated and given awards. They have all received outstanding international reviews : “Willens achieves an impeccably stylish and enjoyable performance.” (Gramophone) ,,...conductor Michael Alexander Willens exploits every bar of the score to fullest expressive effect.  (Fanfare) He has also recorded full cycles of Mozart, Beethoven and Weber piano concertos as well the complete works for piano and orchestra by Mendelssohn- Bartholdy with Ronald Brautigam for BIS. For the Deutsche Grammophon label he recorded a set of Bach chorales for their Bach 333 box set.

Aside from Die Kölner Akademie, he has guest conducted orchestras in Germany, Poland, France , the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada and  Israel.

Credits
www.koelnerakademie.de
www.alon-sariel.com
www.lorebinon.com