Symphony Concert N° 9

Daniele Gatti

Daniele Gatti has been Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden since the 2024/2025 season. He made his debut with the orchestra in February 2000 at the invitation of the then Principal Conductor, Giuseppe Sinopoli, with a programme featuring works by Mendelssohn, Hindemith and Brahms. Over the following years, the Italian maestro returned several times to Dresden. Gatti’s mastery of the Staatskapelle’s core repertoire, his visionary interpretations and keen sense of the sound and unique traditions of this historic ensemble are an assurance of outstanding concert experiences. In his second season, he continues the Staatskapelle’s first complete Mahler cycle with the »Vienna Years«. 

In addition to his post in Dresden, Daniele Gatti is also Chief Conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Music Director of the Orchestra Mozart and, since 2016, Artistic Advisor to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. In the same year, he took up a teaching post at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.

Born in Milan in 1961, Gatti studied composition and orchestra conducting at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in his home city. He made his debut at La Scala at the age of 27. This was followed by permanent engagements with leading music institutions such as the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, London’s Royal Opera House, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He was subsequently Principal Conductor of the Orchestre National de France (2008-2016), the Zurich Opera House (2009-2012) and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam (2016-2018), as well as Music Director of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma until 2022. Gatti is also a popular guest conductor, appearing for example with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala.

Equally in demand in the field of opera, Daniele Gatti has conducted major new productions such as Robert Carsen’s staging of »Falstaff« in London, Milan and Amsterdam, »Parsifal«, staged by Stefan Herheim, which opened the Bayreuth Festival in 2008, as well as a production of the same opera by François Girard at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and four operas at the Salzburg Festival: Richard Strauss’s »Elektra«, Puccini’s »La bohème«, Wagner’s »Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg« and Verdi’s »Il trovatore«. 

In 2008, he conducted »Don Carlo« to open the new season at Milan’s La Scala as well as »Lohengrin«, »Lulu«, »Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg«, »Falstaff« and »Wozzeck«. As part of Verdi’s birthday celebrations in 2013, he conducted »La traviata«, again launching the new season at La Scala.

He has opened several seasons of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma with works such as Wagner’s »Tristan und Isolde«, Berlioz’s »La damnation de Faust«, Verdi’s »Rigoletto« and »Les vêpres siciliennes«, Rossini’s »Il barbiere di Siviglia« and the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s »Julius Caesar«. In 2023, he conducted Verdi’s »Falstaff« and all of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies as part of the 85th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival. 

In 2024, he conducted the opening concerts of the new seasons of both the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Vienna Philharmonic before going on tour with both ensembles through Europe’s music capitals. In summer 2025, he will return to the Bayreuth Festival for the new production of »Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg«.

Daniele Gatti’s extensive discography testifies to his broad repertoire. For Sony Classical, he has recorded works by Debussy and Stravinsky with the Orchestre National de France as well as a DVD of Wagner’s »Parsifal«, performed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. As part of the »RCO Live« series, he conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in recordings of Berlioz’s »Symphonie fantastique«, several Mahler symphonies, a DVD of Stravinsky’s »Le sacre du printemps« also featuring Debussy’s »Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune« and »La mer«, a DVD of Strauss’s »Salome« at the Dutch National Opera and a CD of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 paired with the Prelude and »Karfreitagszauber« from Wagner’s »Parsifal«. In 2019, C-Major released a DVD of Wagner’s »Tristan und Isolde« under the baton of Daniele Gatti, staged at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

Daniele Gatti is a three-time winner of the »Franco Abbiati« Prize as Best Conductor, chosen by Italy’s music critics, and in 2016 was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Republic for his work as Music Director of the Orchestre National de France. He also holds the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Rosalia Cid

Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1996, she began her musical journey as a child in the "Compostelan Chapel" of early music of her city's cathedral and the OSG children's choir, and then graduated in Singing with top honors.

In 2018 she moved to Florence to study and in January 2019 she made her debut as Lauretta in “Gianni Schicchi” ; she then joined the Accademia of Maggio Musicale, where she sang in "L'elisir d'amore", "Rigoletto", “Così fan tutte”, "Turandot".

She also sang in Haydn's "La Creazione" in Festival della Valle d'Itria conducted by Fabio Luisi, and performed Norina in "Don Pasquale" at the Mario del Monaco Theater in Treviso and the Teatro Verdi in Padua.

She participates in the Bottega Donizettiana 2021 curated by Alex Esposito and Francesco Micheli and in the Opening Gala of the Donizetti Festival (November 2021) in Bergamo, in the same month she debuts the role of Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte” at Teatro Goldoni in Florence, then Haydn's “La Creazione” at the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia, “La vedova allegra” in Treviso and Padua, Mozart's “Requiem” with the orchestra La Toscanini in Parma and Pavia, Barbarina in “Le nozze di Figaro” at the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino, conducted by Theodor Guschlbauer, a new “Rigoletto” at the Teatro alla Scala, and “La finta semplice” at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. She made her debut at Semperoper Dresden in a new “Sonnambula”, directed by Rolando Villazon, Rigoletto” in Santiago do Chile, and opened La Scala 23/24 Season in “Don Carlo”.

Among her next engagements, “La rondine” and “Falstaff” at La Scala, “Die zauberflote” in Santiago. She will join Dresden Semperoper’s ensemble in 2024/25, singing primary roles.

Christa Mayer

Christa Mayer studied at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich. She attended the class of Lied interpretation with Helmut Deutsch and the opera course, taking part in performances at the Prinzregententheater Munich, and graduated with 1st class honours.

She was a prize winner in several competitions, such as the ARD International Music Competition 2000. Moreover, she has been awarded the Richard-Strauss-Medal – the Young Talent Prize of the Richard Strauss Society – and the Bavarian State’s Prize for Young Artists.

In 2001/2002 season Christa Mayer joined the ensemble of the Saxon State Opera in Dresden, where she has been performing Erda in »Das Rheingold« and »Siegfried«, Fenena in »Nabucco«, Suzuki in »Madama Butterfly« with Fabio Luisi, Quickly in Verdi’s »Falstaff« with Daniele Gatti, Baba in »The Rake’s progress«, Adelaide in »Arabella« with Peter Schneider.

She was engaged at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Bavarian Staatsoper Munich as well as at the Teatro di Maggio musicale Florence and the Teatro La Fenice Venice.

In 2006 she performed (»Rheingold«) in the »Ring«-Cycle at the Semperoper Dresden under the baton of Fabio Luisi, and she debuted as Waltraute in »Götterdämmerung«. In 2007 she took part in the »Ring«-Cycle in Valencia and Florence (M° Zubin Mehta) as Erda (»Rheingold«).

Christa Mayer is even an internationally acclaimed concert singer: Bach »Weihnachtsoratorium«  – Helmuth Rilling, »Mozart-Requiem« – Barcelona Palau de la Musica, Beethoven »Missa C-Dur« – Lissabon Teatro San Carlo; Beethoven »9th Symphony« – Bamberger Symphoniker, Bach »h-moll-Messe« – Kreuzkirche, Dresden; Händel- »Messiah« – Konzerthaus Berlin and Mahler-»Kindertotenlieder«, September Musical Montreux. Glanert »Requiem for Bosch« with BBC London, »Gurrelieder« with Thielemann in Dresden.

Following her CD Recital Debut with songs of Hermann Zilcher at Orfeo International, the artist performed at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, the Bad Kissingen Summer Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

In Summer 2008 Christa Mayer made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival – as Erda and Waltraute, followed by the re-invitation for 2009 and 2010, even as Mary in »Der fliegende Holländer«. Her interpretation of Brigitta in »Die tote Stadt« at the Venice Fenice turned out to be a much acclaimed success.

In Dresden she sang Cornelia in Handel’s »Giulio Cesare«, Gaea in Dresden’s new production »Daphne«, Didon in »Les Troyens« and Erda/Waltraute in »Ring«. As Cornelia she was even invited to Düsseldorf, at the Hamburg State Opera she sang Quickly (»Falstaff«) and Erda.

Her Brangäne in »Tristan«, new production, at the Bayreuth Festival received high international acclaim. The New National Theatre Tokyo invited Christa Mayer as Erda (»Rheingold«/»Siegfried«). In Salzburg Christa Mayer sang Emilia (»Otello«), the mezzo part in »Missa solemnis« and Fricka (»Walküre«) under Christian Thielemann.

The Saxon State Opera of Dresden honoured Christa Mayer for her artistic achievements and awarded her the prestigious title of »Kammersängerin«. The Bavarian State awarded Christa Mayer the »Bayerischer Kulturpreis«.