Barbara Hannigan & Bertrand Chamayou

Shows

JUMALATTARET

Using pieces of texts from the epic Finnish tale the Kalevala, Jumalattaret (2012) is a song cycle in praise of nine Finnish Goddesses out of Sami Shamanism: Päivätär, goddess of summer—Vedenemo, the mother of waters—Akka, goddess of the underworld—Louhi, a powerful witch and shapeshifter—Mielikki, the goddess of the hunt—Kuu, the moon goddess—Tellervo, goddess of forests—Ilmatar the virgin spirit of air—Vellamo, the goddess of water. The music uses a variety of musical techniques and genres, and moves from lyrical folk-like simplicity to more complex atonal and textural pyrotechnics.

Without fear of hyperbole or exaggeration, it is safe to say that soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is one of the great figures on the world music scene today. She is unrivalled in her own way, especially in her interpretation of the so-called modern-contemporary classical repertoire. This became clear when she first starred in György Ligeti's Mysteries of the Macabre (a concert version of a scene from the opera Le Grand Macabre), demonstrating truly extraordinary technical and interpretative skills. Not content with this, she soon took on the same opera as both soprano and conductor. From that moment on, just listing the awards she has received and the orchestras and theaters around the world with which she has worked would be an almost endless exercise. Just a few months ago, at La Scala in Milan, her performance as conductor and soloist in Poulenc's La Voix humaine was a historic success. In Vicenza, she presents, among other things, one of her must-sees: the song cycle Jumalattaret, composed by the brilliant John Zorn specifically for the extraordinary vocal abilities of the Canadian singer and inspired by the Finnish epic poem Kalevala.

She will be accompanied on the piano by Bertrand Chamayou, with whom she will perform Olivier Messiaen's refined Chants de Terre et de Ciel, while Chamayou will perform piano pieces by Alexander Scriabin as the central part of the concert.
Bertrand Chamayou is a pianist of recognized talent and an internationally renowned artist specializing in the French repertoire, particularly that of the 20th century. He regularly performs in the world's most prestigious concert halls, both in solo and chamber recitals and in symphonic contexts, with an incredible variety of repertoire (from Bartók to Liszt, from the Romantics to Ravel and De Falla). In the days immediately preceding the concert in Vicenza, Chamayou will be performing as soloist in Messiaen's Turengalila symphony with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

BIOGRAPHY

Barbara Hannigan
Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is an artist at the forefront of creation. More than thirty years since her professional debut, Hannigan has created magical working relationships with world class musicians, directors and choreographers, for audiences worldwide. Her artistic colleagues include John Zorn, Krszysztof Warlikowski, Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Romeo Castellucci, Vladimir Jurowski, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andris Nelsons, Esa Pekka Salonen, Christoph Marthaler, Antonio Pappano, Katie Mitchell, and Kirill Petrenko. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development.
Winner of the Polar Prize (2025), and numerous other accolades, the Canadian musician has shown a profound commitment to the music of our time and has given the world première performances of nearly 100 new creations, with extensive collaborations with composers including Boulez, Zorn, Dutilleux, Ligeti, Khayam, Benjamin and Abrahamsen.
A passionate musician of unique and courageous choices, Hannigan is renowned for creating innovative orchestral programs, combining new and older repertoire in a highly dramatic and authentic manner. Having begun her career as a soprano, tackling some of the most difficult and virtuoso roles in the repertoire, she then turned her hand to conducting, with her debut in 2011 at age forty at the Chatelet in Paris, and now balances her engagements as singer or conductor on a free and original path. She has held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony orchestra since 2019, and in 2026 she will begin her tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
In recent years she has been conducting world class orchestras including the Concertgebouw and Cleveland Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Filarmonica della Scala Milan, and has had starring soprano roles on opera stages including London's Covent Garden, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Paris Opera's Palais Garnier, and the opera houses of Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.