On August 15, Benjamin Bernheim and pianist Mathieu Pordoy will give a recital at the Salzburg Festival. Their program on the Haus für Mozart stage showcases Bernheim’s detailed interpretation of lieder by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, Ernest Chausson’s song cycle Poème de l’amour et de la mer, and English songs of Benjamin Britten and Frank Bridge. This marks Bernheim’s third recital since his debut at the festival in 2012.

This marquee event of the 2021 Salzburg Festival will also be broadcast on medici.tv beginning August 17.

For tickets, visit salburgerfestpiele.at.

To watch this recital online, visit medici.tv.

Benjamin Bernheim sings in three concerts during the summer of 2021 in three different countries. On July 17th, he performs in a gala concert in Toulouse at the Théâtre du Capitole. Joined by young artists Anaïs Constans and Lila Dufy, and Mikhail Timoshenko, he performs a program of arias and duets. The Orchestre national du Capitole is conducted by Marc Leroy-Calatayud, and pieces by Gounod, Massenet, Thomas, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini will be included in the program. Tickets and additional information are available here.

The following week, Benjamin travels to Spain to perform in recital at the Peralada Festival. For this July 24th concert, he is joined by pianist David Zobel for an evening of songs and arias. The full program can be found here, but tickets are no longer available for this sold-out performance.

Benjamin concludes his summer at the Salzburger Festspiele, where he returns to perform in recital with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson on August 15th. A song recital has been carefully prepared which features pieces by Chausson, Britten, Clara Schumann, Brahms and Bridge. Additional information and tickets can be found here.

Mr. Bernheim has announced his 2021/22 season, which brings him to such prestigious venues as the Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu among others. He makes three exciting role debuts including Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at the Wiener Staatsoper and in the title roles of both Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann at the Staatsoper Hamburg and Massenet’s Werther at the Opéra national de Bordeaux, adding to his French repertoire. While Mr. Bernheim makes these highly anticipated role debuts, he returns to his celebrated roles of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème at the Wiener Staatsoper and the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Mr. Bernheim continues his season with the role of Edgardo in Opernhaus Zürich’s Lucia di Lammermoor with performances running in May and June 2022. His season concludes with a reprisal of the title role in Gounod’s Faust with performances in June and July 2022. On the concert stage, Mr. Bernheim looks forward to collaborating again with friend and pianist, Carrie-Ann Matheson at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées as part of the Les Grandes Voix recital series, and at the Wiener Konzerthaus, where he makes his Viennese recital debut. Mr. Bernheim’s schedule, including additional details, is available here.

This May, Benjamin Bernheim makes his debut in Lisbon with the Gulbenkian Orchestra for their season finale. The program, conducted by Lorenzo Viotti, features the Prelude and Liebestod from Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Aus Italien, and the orchestral song cycle Poème de l’Amour et de la Mer by Ernest Chausson. The three performances are sold-out, but Benjamin will present the French song cycle and Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson later this summer in Salzburg.

For more information, visit this link.

The theaters in France are also scheduled to open in May, allowing Mr. Bernheim’s concert on May 19th and 20th at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées with Pretty Yende to be maintained, assuming there are no changes at the last moment. A concert of opera arias and duets, more information can be found here.

This Spring, Mr. Bernheim will return to Opéra National de Paris to perform the title role in Faust. He will be performing alongside soprano Ermonela Jaho, with whom he performed in concert at Prince Felipe Auditorium in Oviedo, Spain in 2019. The cast also includes Christian Van Horn, Florian Sempey, Michèle Losier, Sylvie Brunet, and Christian Helmer, and the performances will be conducted by Lorenzo Viotti.

This will be German director Tobias Kratzer’s debut production at Opéra National de Paris and it is set to be sophisticated, featuring staging and sets that will rotate “between today’s world and the mysterious atmosphere of German romanticism.”

Although theaters remain closed in France, the performance will be recorded for a TV and movie theaters. It will be broadcast on France TV 5 on March 26th at 20:55 CET, and available after on CultureBox. Cinema broadcasts have yet to be announced.

Benjamin recently spoke with France TV 5 regarding the broadcast. Click here to watch the interview.

On January 29, 2021, Mr. Bernheim will be performing Mendelssohn’s Elias oratorio in German with the Orchestra and Choir of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Antonio Pappano. Mr. Bernheim will be joined by cast members Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Wiebke Lehmkuhl, and Christof Fischesser. The performance, which is part of a digital series, will not be allowing in-person attendance, per Italy’s Covid-19 regulations.

Mendelssohn’s Elias follows the life of the titled prophet (known as Elijah in English) according to the Old Testament books of First and Second Kings. The dramatic plot includes a resurrection of a fallen child, a vision of god, a fiery altar, and a flaming chariot. Mendelssohn composed the music to the German and English texts simultaneously. The English version was instantly declared a masterpiece after its premiere in 1846, and The German premiere was performed in Leipzig nearly two years later, occurring shortly after Mendelssohn’s passing.

The concert will be broadcast on Rai Cultura and on the radio on Rai Radio 3.

A new broadcast has just been added to Mr. Bernheim’s calendar: Oratorio de Noël from the Bayerische Staatsoper. Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1858, the piece was premiered in Paris for Christmas when Saint-Saëns was the organist at La Madeleine. Mr. Bernheim performs as the tenor soloist, and is joined by Ailyn Pérez as the soprano soloist, Tara Erraught as the mezzo soloist, Okka von der Damerau as the alto soloist, and Etienne Dupuis as the Baritone soloist. Antonello Manacorda conducts. The show will be broadcast for free worldwide on December 21st and 23rd at 20:15 CET via www.staatsoper.tv.

{This replaces Mr. Bernheim’s performances as Rodolfo in La Bohème, originally scheduled for this period, but now cancelled due to the Covid-19 regulations put in place by the German government.}

Mr. Bernheim has accumulated two more accolades this year: He has been named the 2020 Best Male Singer of the Year by Oper! Magazin and has been awarded a Diapason d’Or for his debut recording.

In their statement, Oper! Magazine claims that Mr. Bernheim’s voice is “predestined” to sing French repertoire:

“Durch die sensible Sprachbehandlung wie durch ihre metallische Durchschlagskraft und eine technisch feine voix mixte. So singt er gegenwärtig besonders den Gounod-Faust (den er berückend schön für die Aufnahme beim Label der Stiftung Palazzetto Bru Zane in der Urfassung eingespielt hat) und Massenets Des Grieux als stilvolle Offenbarung.”

[With a sensitive voice, combined with a metallic penetrating quality, Bernheim has developed a technically strong voix mixte. You can hear him sing Gounod’s Faust (the original version of which he recorded in a captivatingly beautiful way for the recording on the Palazzetto Bru Zane Foundation label) and Massenet’s Des Grieux as a stylish revelation.]

Listen to the Diapason d’Or-winning CD here.

In addition to these two distinctions, this year Mr. Bernheim has also been named “Artiste Lyrique de l’Année” (Opera Singer of the Year) at the Les Victoires de la Musique Awards in France, and “personnalité musicale de l’année” (Musical Personality of the Year) by Le Syndicat professionnel de la critique de théâtre, musique et danse.

Mr. Bernheim joins an all-star list of opera stars to celebrate the opening of the Teatro alla Scala's 2020/21 season, on December 7th. Although there will not be a live audience, the gala will be broadcast online and on TV, welcoming a digital, international audience. Other soloists include Rosa Feola, Vittorio Grigolo, Francesco Meli, Roberto Alagna, Ildar Abdrazakov, Marina Rebeka, Placido Domingo, Aleksandra Kurzak, Elina Garanca, Sonya Yoncheva, Andreas Schager, Jonas Kaufmann, Carlos Alvarez, Piotr Beczala, Eleonora Buratto, Marianne Crebassa, Ludovic Tezier, George Petean, Camilla Nylund, and Kristine Opolais. The gala is conducted by Riccardo Chailly, and directed by  Davide Livermore.

The show begins at 17:00 CET and can be seen on Rai 1, and listened to on RAI radio 3.

Mr. Bernheim's previous Teatro alla Scala appearance was as Alfredo in La Traviata, opposite Marina Rebeka as Violetta.

Mr. Bernheim has been awarded yet another accolade this year, this time by the French classical music magazine Classica. Each year, the publication selects 15 recordings that they found to be exceptional, and Mr. Bernheim's album was part of their selection of "Chocs de Classica" this year. The magazine lauded:

"On ne sait quoi admirer le plus, d l'élégance contante du phrasé, du charme immédiat de la voix, de la perfection de la diction, des aigus glorieux ou des nuances infinies sans jamais que le timbre ne se décolore. A six extraits italiens répondent six airs d'opéras français, tous plus magnifiques les uns que les autres...une des voix les plus formidables ayant émergé ces dernières années sur la scène lyrique."

[We do not know what to admire the most, the consistent elegance of the phrasing, the obvious charm of the voice, the perfection of the diction, the glorious highs or the infinite nuances without ever loosing the color of the timbre. Six Italian tracks respond to six arias from French operas, each more magnificent than the next ... one of the most formidable voices to have emerged in recent years on the operatic scene.]

A complete listing of the Chocs de Classica 2020, as well as a CD features tracks from each album is available as part of the Classica November issue.

Mr. Bernheim's album on Deutsche Grammophon is available to stream or purchase here.

This October, Benjamin embarks on a three city recital tour to perform French and German songs. The first recital will be held in the Salon Gustav Eiffel in the Eiffel Tower, and opens Le Festival de Paris' 2020/21 season. This recital also has the honor of being the first officially announced Momentum recital in France. An initiative created by Barbara Hannigan, Momentum events create opportunities for younger singers who are suffering due to this pandemic. Benjamin and Carrie-Ann have invited soprano Florie Valiquette to join them for this October 2nd recital. Benjamin and Carrie-Ann perform pieces by Duparc, Hahn, Gounod, Poulenc, Verdi and Donizetti, and Ms. Valiquette will perform three pieces and a duet with Benjamin. The concert will also be filmed for DG/Canal + to be streamed at a later date.

The second concert marks Benjamin's debut in Luxembourg, as he performs at the Philharmonie Luxembourg on October 7th. The duo will perform a similar program with the addition of Strauss songs.

On October 23rd, he performs at the KKL in Luzern, this time with pianist Marie-Ève ​​Scarfone. The program for this lunch time recital can be found below:

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Les Nuits d'été (Sommernächte)

–

Henri Duparc (1848-1933)

«L'Invitation au voyage»

«Phidylé»

«La Vie antérieure»

–

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

«Heimliche Aufforderung» op. 27/3

«Die Nacht» op. 10/3

«Befreit» op. 39/4

«Morgen» op. 27/4

–

Reynaldo Hahn (1874 -1947)

«L'Heure exquise» (Chansons grises N° 5)

–

Charles Gounod (1818-1893)

«L'Absent»

–

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

«Voyage à Paris» (Banalités N° 4)

Benjamin has added yet another award to his collection this year: an Opus Klassik Award. The winners of this prestigious German award have just been announced today, following the Opus Klassik press conference. The French tenor was honored with the “Newcomer of the Year” award for his debut album with Deutsche Grammophon. This is the third awards he has received this year, having been honored as “Artiste Lyrique de l’Année” (Opera Singer of the Year) at the Les Victoires de la Musique Awards in France, and “personnalité musicale de l'année” (Musical Personality of the Year) by Le Syndicat professionnel de la critique de théâtre, musique et danse. In a personal statement on social media, Benjamin thanks conductor Emmanuel Villaume, the PKF — Prague Philharmonia, his management team and Deutsche Grammophon for all of their work on his debut recording.

Listen to Benjamin's award winning debut album here.

After performing the role of Alfredo in La Traviata in Paris and Berlin last season, Benjamin Bernheim will return to one of his favorite roles for the last time at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, alongside soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen – she will make her long-awaited debut in the role of Violetta – in a new production conducted by the music director Paul Daniel and directed by Pierre Rambert. The opera based on La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas tells the story of a love story made impossible by social conventions mixed with the recurring theme of redemption, both spiritually and physically.

Don’t miss Benjamin Bernheim’s last Alfredo on September 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 at Opéra National de Bordeaux. Tickets are available here.

Although the Salzburger Festspiele was forced to perform at a reduced capacity due to the pandemic, Benjamin Bernheim's recital with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson was maintained, although the date was changed. This August 19th, he will be performing a song recital at the Haus für Mozart. Featuring repertoire in both French and German, the program can be found below. Additional information is available here.

HECTOR BERLIOZ

Les Nuits d’été, Op. 7 – Song cycle for voice and piano to poems by Théophile Gautier

HENRI DUPARC

L’Invitation au voyage – Poem by Charles Baudelaire

Phidylé – Poem by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle

La Vie antérieure – Poem by Charles Baudelaire

RICHARD STRAUSS

Heimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27 No. 3 – Poem by John Henry Mackay

Die Nacht, Op. 10 No. 3 – Poem by Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg

Befreit, Op. 39 No. 4 – Poem by Richard Dehmel

Morgen, Op. 27 No. 4 – Poem by John Henry Mackay

REYNALDO HAHN

L’Heure exquise – Poem by Paul Verlaine

CHARLES GOUNOD

L’Absent – Poem by the composer

FRANCIS POULENC

Voyage à Paris – Poem by Guillaume Apollinaire

Benjamin Bernheim has just been nominated in two categories by the Opus Klassik Awards: "SÄNGER DES JAHRES "and "NACHWUCHSKÜNSTLER/IN." Germany's most prestigious Classical Music Awards, past winners include Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato, Diana Damrau, and many other outstanding artists. The Bru Zane Foundation's recording of Faust, on which Benjamin sang the title role, was also nominated in the "OPERNEINSPIELUNG"  category, and Emmanuel Villaume was nominated for "DIRIGENT/IN DES JAHRES " for his work on Mr. Bernheim's debut album with Deutsche Grammophon. After deliberation by the jury, the winner will be announced in October.

Recently invited by Deutsche Grammophon to film an exclusive online concert for their newly launched online concert streaming service, Deutsche Grammophon Stage, Mr. Bernheim, along with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson, crafted a program of French song sure to delight listeners.  The concert will be broadcast this Sunday, at 8:00 pm CET worldwide and will be available for an additional 48 hours.

Program:

Hector Berlioz: “Les nuits d’été”

1. Villanelle

2. Le spectre de la rose

3. Sur les lagunes

4. Absence

5. Au cimetière (clair de lune)

6. L’île inconnue

Henri Duparc:

La vie antérieure

Phidylé

L’invitation au voyage

Reynaldo Hahn:

L’heure exquise (No. 5 from “Chansons grises”)

Henri Duparc:

Extase

Charles Gounod:

L’absent

Tickets can be purchased here.

On July 14th, in celebration of Bastille Day in France, Mr. Bernheim will join his colleagues and L’Orchestre National de France, and the Maîtrise de Radio France conducted by Eun Sun Kim for the eighth annual "Le Concert de Paris." Held under the Eiffel Tower, the event will be broadcast live both on television (France 2) and the radio (France Inter), starting at 21:05. Below is the program, which will be followed by fireworks:

Hector Berlioz - La Damnation de Faust : "Marche Hongroise"

Edith Piaf - L’Hymne à l'amour par Sonya Yoncheva

Georges Bizet - Les Pêcheurs de perles : "Au fond du Temple Saint…" par Ludovic Tézier et Benjamin Bernheim

Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski - Concerto pour piano n°1 (extraits) par Khatia Buniatishvili

Giuseppe Verdi - Nabucco : "Va Pensiero"

Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story : "Tonight", "I feel pretty" (arrangement Bill Elliott) par Lucienne Renaudin Vary à la trompette

Léo Delibes – Les Filles de Cadix par Fatma Said

Ludwig van Beethoven - Egmont : Ouverture

Charles Gounod - Roméo et Juliette : "L'Amour... Ah lève-toi soleil" par Benjamin Bernhein

Charlie Chaplin - City Memories par Lisa Batiashvili au violon

Édouard Lalo - Concerto pour violoncelle n°2 III. Andante-Allegro vivace par Sol Gabetta

Alfredo Catalani - La Wally : "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" par Sonya Yoncheva

Georges Bizet - Carmen : Entracte du IIIe acte

Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata : Chœurs des bohémiennes et des matadors

Charles Aznavour - La Bohème (arrangement Didier Benetti) par Ludovic Tézier

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto pour piano n°23 II. Andante par le Ballet Preljocaj et Khatia Buniatishvili au piano

José Serrano - La Canción del olvido : Marinela par Fatma Said

Maurice Ravel - Boléro (arrangement Didier Benetti)

Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle / Hector Berlioz - Marseillaise Couplets 1 et 7

Angélique Kidjo et Tutti

It has just been announced that Benjamin has been named "Personnalité Musicale de l'Année " by l'Association Professionnelle Française de la Critique de théâtre, musique et danse. This body of French theater critics has recognized artists, groups, and performances in live theater, music and dance since 1963 which they feel have left an outstanding impression on the year. This year, Benjamin shares the honor with conductor LÉO WARYNSKI. Although the ceremony could not take place this year, the organization decided to continue to award the prizes. Benjamin released this press statement in recognition of the honor:

"Thank you, Prix du Syndicat professionnel de la critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse, for the honor of being named “PERSONNALITE MUSICALE DE L’ANNEE.” Given your distinguished jury, and the quality of your work, I am truly humbled by this distinction that I share with conductor LÉO WARYNSKI. As we have seen after this challenging period, live theater is an important part of our society, and I am grateful to the Syndicat professionnel de la critique for the work that your members complete throughout the year to help ensure that theater remains an important part of our cultural landscape, and that important artists and theatrical works are highlighted. I look forward to returning to the stage soon, and continuing to work hard to be worthy of this title."

{French: Merci, Prix du Syndicat professionnel de la critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse, pour l'honneur d'être nommé « PERSONNALITE MUSICALE DE L'ANNEE». Compte tenu de votre jury distingué et de la qualité de votre travail, je suis vraiment touché par cette distinction que je partage avec le chef d'orchestre LÉO WARYNSKI. Comme nous l'avons vu après cette période difficile, le théâtre est une partie importante de notre société, et je suis reconnaissant au Syndicat professionnel de la critique pour le travail que vos membres accomplissent tout au long de l'année pour aider à faire en sorte que le théâtre reste une partie importante de notre paysage culturel, et que les artistes importants et les œuvres théâtrales sont mis en évidence. J'ai hâte de revenir bientôt sur scène et de continuer à travailler dur pour être digne de ce titre.}

Although several engagements have been recently cancelled in Mr. Bernheim's schedule due to the Covid-19 outbreak, two summer recitals were recently announced! The first will be at Opernhaus Zürich on July 6th with French soprano Sabine Devieilhe. A series of both Lieder and operatic repertoire will be performed in the Zürich Opera House with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. To adhere to health and safety guidelines, the audience size will be limited, so only a small number of tickets will be made available on June 16th, and can be purchased online here.

Mr. Bernheim is also thrilled to be participating in the limited, 100 year anniversary season of the Salzburger Festspiele. On August 19th, he will perform Hector Berlioz's Les Nuits d’été, and works by Henri Duparc, Richard Strauss and Clara Schumann, again with pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. General ticket sales will open on July 13th, and tickets can be purchased here.

During the closure of the theaters due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, Mr. Bernheim will be featured in two operas that will be streamed online. On March 25th, at 19:30, the new production of Manon from Opéra national de Paris will be broadcast on Medici TV, and will be available for a limited amount of time following the broadcast to stream online. Starring Pretty Yende in the title role, and Ludovic Tézier as Lescaut, Benjamin makes a triumphant return to the role of Des Grieux in this Vincent Huguet production conducted by Dan Ettinger.

On March 31st, at 19:00, L'elisir d'amore will be broadcast from the Wiener Staatsoper. Recorded in 2018, Aida Garifullina sings Adina, Benjamin Bernheim sings Nemorino, and Orhan Yildiz sings Belcore. The stream is available free here.

Mr. Bernheim looks forward to performing again live as soon as it is safe to do so, and hopes that these recordings will lift the spirits of his followers and friends during this difficult period.

(Photo: Julien Benhamou/OnP)