PROGRAM

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685 – 1759)

Serse (Xerxes) HWV 40

Ouverture
    Ària «Ombra mai fu»
Giulio Cesare, HWV 17
    Ària «Non disperar, chi sa?»
Serse (Xerxes) HWV 40
    Interlude acte III
Alcina, HWV 34
    Ària «Ah mio cor, schernito sei!»

Arcangelo Corelli (1653 – 1713)

Concerto grosso en re major, op. 6, núm. 4

Adagio – Allegro
Adagio
Vivace
Allegro – Allegro

Georg Friedrich Händel

Giulio Cesare, HWV 17
Accompagnement «Che sento»

Ària «Se pietà di me non senti»

Theodora HWV 68

Ària «With darkness deep»

Rinaldo HWV 7

Ouverture

Ària «Lascia ch’io pianga»

Alcina, HWV 34

Ària «Tornami a vagheggiar»

SONYA YONCHEVA

Considered one of her generation’s most acclaimed artists, soprano Sonya Yoncheva has triumphed on the most prestigious stages worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, the Teatro alla Scala and the Paris Opera. Awarded with the Opus Klassik as Singer of the Year 2021, her repertoire ranges from Baroque to Verdi, Puccini and Tchaikovsky, and she stands out for the beauty of her voice and stage presence.

The 2024/25 season will take her to São Paulo, Vienna, Madrid and Paris, in addition to performing Dido and Aeneas at the Opéra Royal in Versailles and the Marie-Antoinette program at the Philharmonie de Paris. She’ll also return to the Liceu de Barcelona as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly to the Metropolitan Opera for her debut as Lisa in The Queen of Spades. Further, she will star in Iolanta, Tosca and Andrea Chénier in Vienna. Her concert schedule includes performances at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Tonhalle in Zurich.

During the 2023/24 season, she made her Japanese debut in Tosca, sang in Berlin, London, Rome and Munich, and gave recitals at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Bordeaux. Her career includes iconic roles in Norma, La traviata, Don Carlos and La bohème with celebrated performances in Salzburg, Baden-Baden and the Berlin Staatsoper.

Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, she attended the Geneva Conservatory and was awarded the 2010 Operalia. In 2024, she was recognised as Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France and bestowed the Doctor Honoris Causa title in her native country. In addition to her career in opera, she has collaborated with artists such as Sting and Elvis Costello and has released albums with Sony Classical, including Rebirth, Handel and The Verdi Album.

In 2020, she created her own production studio, SY11, with which she plans tours and launched her record label. Her first book, Fifteen Mirrors, features portraits of the most iconic opera characters. A UNICEF Ambassador in Bulgaria and a Rolex Ambassador, Sonya Yoncheva keeps establishing herself as one of the most influential sopranos of today’s scene.

ORCHESTRE DE L’OPÉRA ROYAL DE VERSAILLES

The Royal Opera of Versailles performs one hundred performances yearly on its prestigious stage with international artists. Founded in 2019 for John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles performance, the Royal Opera Orchestra performs a repertoire that ranges from Baroque to Classical and Romantic, focusing on music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Personalities such as Gaetán Jarry, Stefan Plewniak and Théotime Langlois de Swarte have conducted it.

Throughout the 2024/25 season, the Orchestra has a strong presence with more than twenty productions, including Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Porpora’s Polifemo, Bizet’s Carmen, and the New Year’s Concert to celebrate Strauss’ bicentenary. They also accompany artists such as Sonya Yoncheva and Marina Viotti and take part in tours through France, Europe and Asia.

The Orchestra has performed in prestigious venues such as the Salle Gaveau in Paris and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona and has toured South Korea, Vietnam, China and Mongolia. Their collaboration with the Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi and the co-production of the Les Saisons ballet in 2023 highlight their international presence. In 2024, they debuted at the Auditorio Nacional de la Música in Madrid and the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse.

The Orchestra is also an active part of the Château de Versailles Spectacles label with renowned recordings such as Stabat Mater by Pergolesi and Vivaldi and Giulietta e Romeo by Zingarelli.

STEFAN PLEWNIAK

Stefan Plewniak is the founder and artistic director of the Il Giardino d’Amore orchestra, Cappella dell’Ospedale della Pietà Venezia and the Feel Harmony Orchestra. Since the 2019/2020 season, he has been a regular conductor of the Royal Opera of Versailles Orchestra. He began collaborating with the Warsaw Chamber Opera in 2018, for which he conducted Gluck’s Orfeo et Eurydice and the 29th Mozart Festival. In 2020/2021, he was music director of the Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense orchestra and conducted Rameau’s Castor et Pollux.

Plewniak has recorded eight albums, including the most critically acclaimed. In 2020, he conducted Zingarelli’s Giulietta e Romeo with the Royal Opera Orchestra, accompanied by artists such as Franco Fagioli and Adèle Charvet. In 2023, he repeated this work at the Royal Opera of Versailles. He has also been a guest conductor and soloist in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall (New York) and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Plewniak graduated from Krakow, Prague, Maastricht, and Paris colleges and has worked with prominent figures such as Jordi Savall, William Christie, and Giuliano Carmignola. During the 2024/2025 season, he conducts Porpora’s Polifem, Sonya Yoncheva’s recital and the Strauss bicentennial program, as well as The Three Countertenors on Tour and Le quattro stagioni in July.