The Vienna State Opera has announced its 2014-15 season which will include a number of the world's leading opera stars.
The season will be headlined by six new productions which begin on Oct. 5 with Mozart's "Idomeneo." The production will be directed by Kasper Holten and is set to star Michael Schade, Margarita Gritskova and Maria Bengtsson.
On Nov. 15 the company will present Mussorgsky's "Khovanshchina" which is set to star Ferruccio Furlanetto, Christopher Ventris, Elizabeth Kulman and Andrzej Dobber. The new production will be directed by Lev Dodin and will be conducted by Semyon Bychkov.
Verdi's "Rigoletto" will return to the company on Dec. 20 in a new production by Pierre Audi. The production is set to star Piotr Beczala as the Duke of Mantua, Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Valentina Nafornita as Gilda. The production will be conducted by Music director Franz Welser-Most.
Uwe Eric Laufenberg's new production of Richard Strauss' "Elektra" will make its premiere on March 29. The opera will star Anna Larrsson, Nina Stemme, Anne Scwanewilms, and Falk Struckmann. Welser-Most will conduct the production.
On April 26 Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" will receive a new production by Irina Brook. Jesus Lopez-Cobos will lead an extraordinary cast which includes Juan Diego Florez, Michele Pertusy and Nafornita.
The final production will be Thomas Ades "The Tempest." The opera which will receive its Vienna Premiere and will be performd in Robert Lepage's acclaimed production recently seen at the Metropolitan Opera. The production will star Adrian Erod, Audrey Luna, and David Daniels.
The company will perform 223 staged opera performances and will include the world's leading stars. Anna Netrebko will return to the house in the title role of Donizetti's "Anna Bolena." The soprano will bring her acclaimed interpretation alongside Luca Pisaroni and Ekaterina Semenchuck.
Angela Gheorghiu will make her role debut as Charlotte in Massanet's "Werther." The production will also star Ramon Vargas and Ludovic Tezier.
Vargas will also star in Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" with Barbara Frittoli, Furlanetto and Leo Nucci. The Mexican tenor will also be seen in Verdi's "Don Carlo" with Anja Harteros, Dimitri Hvorostovsky, Beatrice Uria-Monzon and Eric Halfvarson.
Placido Domingo will reprise his role as "Nabucco" in Verdi's early masterpiece. The baritone/tenor will sing alongside Maria Guleghina.
Aside from his assignments in "Don Pasquale," Florez will bring his acclaimed turns in Rossini's "La Cenerentola," and Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore."
Olga Peretyatko will bring her acclaimed Elvira in Bellini's "I Puritani." The production will also star Carlos Alvarez, and John Tessier.
Kristine Opolais will bring her acclaimed "Rusalka" in Dvorak's masterpiece. The production will also star Polis tenor Beczala.
Aleksandrs Antonenko will star in two operas. He will first be seen in Puccini's "Tosca" and later in Tchaikovsky's "Pique Dame."
Marina Rebeka and Ermonela Jaho will share the role of Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata."
Claus Guth's production of Wagner's "Tannhauser" will return with Myung-Whun Chung conducting Kwangchul Youn, Robert Dean Smith, Christian Gerhaher, Camilla Nylund and Iréne Theorin.
Edita Gruberova will return to the theater in her signature role in Donizetti's "Roberto Deveroux." The legendary soprano will also present a recital.
The opera house will also present 32 livestreams through their new online service which transmits operas live from the theater.