Monthly Highlights

In the last weekend of August, Stingray Classica pays tribute to Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), in honour of the 150th year of his death. Stingray Classica will premiere two operas by the French composer on the evenings of August 30 and 31: La damnation de Faust (1946) and Béatrice et Bénedict (1862).

Sunday mornings in August, Stingray Classica broadcasts splendid new baroque programs! Violinist Gidon Kremer starts the morning with Bach’s Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001-1006). The week after, enjoy another Bach masterpiece, with a performance of the Mass in B minor by the choir and orchestra of the famous Gewandhaus. During the closing weeks of this special, discover works by Handel and Valls performed by the renowned Vox Mago choir!

Spread over eight Wednesday evenings in August and September, Stingray Classica broadcasts the complete 2017 edition of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition! The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The starting point is the triennial International Liszt Competition, founded in 1986 and held at TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Since its beginning, the competition has built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

On the Friday evenings of August 9th, 16th and 23rd, Stingray Classica presents some never-before seen works by some of the greatest opera composers! Stingray Classica first presents the seldomly performed Guillaume Tell, a comic opera by the Belgian composer Grétry (1741-1813). Not to be confused with the famous Guillaume Tell by Rossini! The Opéra de Monte-Carlo performs the immensely popular Ernani, a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi in a beautiful staging by Jean-Louis Grinda. The following week, the opera special continues with Puccini’s lyrical drama Manon Lescaut, staged at Opera La Monnaie in Brussels.