Monthly News Updates Jan – Aug 2011
August 2011: CD Release of L’anima del Filosofo:
‘L’anima del Filosofo’ ossia ;Orfeo ed Euridice’ by Haydn and recorded last year in Sydney for Pinchgut Opera will be available – is now available on iTunes and Amazon – as well as online and in good music stores! Official release date Aug 24th!
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Orchestra of the Antipodes conducted by Antony Walker, featuring soloists: Elena Xanthoudakis-Euridice and Genio, Andrew Goodwin-Orfeo and Derek Welton as Creonte with the Cantilation choir.
About the Opera and the CD:
Rarely heard Haydn opera now available for all.
Pinchgut Opera new CD release: L’anima del filosofo: Orpheus + Eurydice
Joseph Haydn’s stunning music in L’anima del filosofo – the Orpheus & Eurydice story – was presented for the first time in Australia last December.
Pinchgut makes a practice of producing unfairly neglected operas of great beauty, and with only a couple of recordings available of this beautiful music, this edition promises to be an excellent addition for lovers of opera.
The story of Orpheus has fascinated composers and librettists over the centuries. Haydn’s version is the last opera he ever wrote and he never heard it performed in his lifetime. The cast includes soprano Elena Xanthoudakis, tenor Andrew Goodwin and baritone Derek Welton. Antony Walker conducts Orchestra of the Antipodes on classical instruments with superb choral singing by Cantillation.
Composed in 1791, Haydn’s Orpheus is a jewel of its time; with gorgeous music and dramatic purpose, unfairly forgotten. Its first performance, amazingly, was in 1951 in Florence with a cast including Maria Callas and Boris Christoff, conducted by Erich Kleiber
Renowned Australian conductor and co-artistic director, Antony Walker (fresh from his Metropolitan Opera debut) says, “The Orpheus story has fascinated composers, writers and philosophers for centuries. For me, it’s a bit of a leitmotif and it was wonderful to explore further this amazing work – I’m extremely proud of Pinchgut’s production by the extraordinary musical genius that is Josef Haydn”.
Pinchgut specialises in presenting unfairly neglected operas, mostly from the baroque and early classical periods. Pinchgut LIVE is the company new recording label. This is their first release.
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Pinchgut LIVE first release. 
L’anima del filosofo: Orpheus + Eurydice
Music by Joseph Haydn 1732-1809
Libretto by Carlo Francesco Badini
Elena Xanthoudakis Euridice / Genio
Andrew Goodwin Orfeo
Derek Welton Creonte
Craig Everingham Pluto
Cantillation Choir
Orchestra of the Antipodes
Antony Walker conductor
Erin Helyard assistant conductor
Recorded live in City Recital Hall Angel Place on 2, 4, 5 & 7 December 2010.
Media Enquiries: Telephone 02 9389 8117
For more information: Pinchgut Opera www.pinchgutopera.com.au
“Pinchgut here has taken a footnote of Haydn’s great career – and lovingly turned it into another Christmas delight.” (SMH 4 December 2010)
July 2011:
Spending some time in Italy between Italian engagements; visiting Milan, Taino, Varese, Florence before commencing rehearsals in Rome for Guillaume Tell with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Antonio Pappano! Then, of course the EMI release of William Tell and the BBC Proms concert on 16th July. Elena heads down-under for a few concerts in Melbourne – starting on Sunday 24th July at the Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank.
CD Releases:
Keep your eyes peeled for recent CD releases featuring soprano Elena Xanthoudakis – such as Guillaume Tell with conductor Antonio Pappano and soloists including Gerald Finley, John Osborn and Malin Bystrom – released July 11th by EMI.
Guillaume Tell – Antonio Pappano
Also, to be released this August on Pinchgut Opera’s own label is L’anima del Filosofo by Haydn, featuring Andrew Goodwin as Orfeo, Derek Welton as Creon and Elena Xanthoudakis as both Euridice and Genio
June 2011:
June held some exciting news about a booking for the English National Opera in 2012 as well as an early summer vacation to Greece to visit family before returning to the UK for an Opera Gala at Herstmonceaux castle, and then off to Italy for a solo recital with Pianist Ian Ryan for FAI’s ‘Concerti Sotto le Stelle’ (review to follow). Preparations for William Tell at the BBC Proms and anticipation of EMI’s CD release.
May 2011:
Beethoven’s Fidelio, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at this year’s Brighton Festival, conducted by Adam Fisher, was the second featured evening concert in this year’s Brighton Festival and received an outstanding reception following en evening of brilliant music –
Beethoven’s Fidelio, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at this year’s Brighton Festival, conducted by Adam Fisher, was the second featured evening concert in this year’s Brighton Festival and received an outstanding reception following en evening of brilliant music –
“The audience was left to sit back and make the most of the joyous music-making of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment“
In an excellent cast including Janice Watson and Brindley Sherratt, Elena (Marzelline) received an excellent review in the Telegraph –
“…the perfectly gauged exchanges between Elena Xanthoudakis’s feisty Marzelline and Andrew Staples’s lovelorn Jaquino were an absolute delight.” 9th May 2011
At the Brighton Fringe the following weekend, Richard Strauss’s 4 Last Songs with the BYO were extremely well received by an enthusiastic audience of BYO fans.
Some very exciting projects are in the pipeline – please keep a-breasted here for updates!
April 2011: Received 2nd place in the Gerda Lissner Competition NYC.
Updated website – so check out new engagements and recording page!
March 2011: Finalist in the Gerda Lissner Competition NYC. Rehearsing at the Met.
February 2011: Currently, Elena is in New York City where she is covering Diana Damrau as Countess Adele in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory for The New York Metropolitan Opera
Links: NY Met: <ahref=”http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/”>http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/
BORLETTI BUITONI TRUST: (announced Feb 17th)
Elena is very proud to announce she is a recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust award for 2011. This award offers funding, guidance and support to create a new recording, and most importantly, the freedom for the winning artist to use their own instincts. The Borletti-Buitoni Trust awards are given annually to artists or ensembles judged by the London-based trust’s artistic committee as being performers of great quality and musicianship. Borletti-Buitoni then work to create a family atmosphere for its artists, where individuals are nurtured and encouraged to grow.
BBT: www.bbtrust.com
Media Links: http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/248447,xanthoudakis-wins-bbt-award.aspx
REALD – CARMEN in 3D Premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Santa Barbara, California, USA. (Premiere – Feb 6th)
Elena graced the silver screen with a supporting role in the world’s first ever 3D Opera film, Carmen.
Taking Francesca Zambello’s iconic Royal Opera House production to the widest audience Opera may ever have seen – Elena was pleased to be in attendance at the remarkable red carpet event for REAL3D. Playing her ‘charming’ Frasquita, a role she created in the 2006 original production for the ROH, she is pleased it has been receiving great interest in the media and looks forward to its international release from March 5th in 1500 cinemas worldwide.
http://www.carmen3d.com/
January 2011:
Elena skipped across the globe to perform at a New Year’s Eve Gala Concert with the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra a programme of arias and duets from Opera, Operetta and Musical Theatre with tenor Paul Featherstone.
Medialinks:
http://www.teatrwielki.pl/en/current_listings/concert/kalendarium/new_years_eve_night-3.html
Only a day later it 
was Messiah all over again, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus, this time under the baton of Nicholas McGegan. Part of the RSNO’s annual New Year performance of Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, was performed at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall. Elena was joined by the up and coming countertenor William Towers and Paul Agnew (tenor) and Peter Harvey (bass).