Bettina Ranch, Essener Philharmoniker & Tomáš Netopil
Biography Bettina Ranch, Essener Philharmoniker & Tomáš Netopil
Bettina Ranch
initially studied violin in her hometown Berlin and subsequently changed to singing. Over the last years, she has given successful guest performances at renowned opera houses such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera, the Aalto-Theater Essen, the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, and the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, where she was engaged amongst others for Mozart and Wagnerian roles as well as major roles in the different baroque operas by Georg Friedrich Handel.
In the concert field, she sang in particular the masses by Mozart, the Bach Passions and Mass in B minor, the Messiah, the Verdi-Requiem and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater but also performed works such as Mahler’s symphonic cantata The Song of Mourning (Das klagende Lied) and his 2nd symphony, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Franz Schmidt’s The Book with Seven Seals, as well as Nono’s Il Canto sospeso at the Salzburg Festival. On these occasions, she worked repeatedly with renowned ensembles and orchestras such as the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart, the Chamber Academy Potsdam, the Dresden Philharmonic,SWR Symphony Orchestra, the Bremen Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the RTVE Orchestra Madrid, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the DSO Berlin, the RIAS Chamber Choir, and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and under prominent conductors such as Hartmut Haenchen, Markus Poschner, Simone Young, Helmuth Rilling, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Paul Goodwin, Peter Rundel, and Ivor Bolton.
Since the season 2016/2017 Bettina Ranch is a member of ensemble at AaltoTheater Essen where she already sang roles such as the title role of Carmen, Fricka and Schwertleite (Die Walküre), Adalgisa (Norma), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Fenena (Nabucco), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), Dorabella (Così fan tutte) and many others.
In the 2019/20 season she was enthusiastically acclaimed by audience and press as Orfeo in the visually stunning premiere of Orfeo / Euridice, and she also shone brilliantly in the role of Cain in the premiere of Scarlatti’s Cain and Abel under the baton of Rubén Dubrovsky. Once again she returned as a guest in the role of Siegrune (Walküre) at the Nationale Opera in Amsterdam, this time under the baton of Marc Albrecht. In the concert area she was heard in Mahler’s 3rd Symphony under Tomáš Netopil at the Philharmonie Essen.
Before she can be heard in the premieres of Mozart’s’ La finta giardiniera, Donizetti’s’ Lucia di Lammermoor, Purcells’ Dido and Aeneas, Puccini’s’ Il Trittico and Strauss’ Arabella, at the Aalto- Theater Essen again, she brings the season to a close with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Milan together with the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi and under the baton of Krzysztof Urbański.
Tomáš Netopil
An inspirational force, particularly in Czech music, Tomáš Netopil celebrates his tenth and final season as General Music Director of the Aalto Musiktheater and Philharmonie Essen in 2022/23. This season features Wagner’s Tannhäuser, Kampe’s Dogville and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. This season also see him lead a production of Janáček Káťa Kabanová at Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Tomáš Netopil is also Principal Guest Conductor with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with whom, in addition to concerts at the Rudolfinum Hall in Prague, he performs on tour including for the Ostrava and Litomyšl Festivals. Guest-conducting performances during 2022/23 include Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre National de Montpellier.
In Summer 2018 Tomáš Netopil created the International Summer Music Academy in Kroměříž offering students both exceptional artistic tuition and the opportunity to meet and work with major international musicians. In Summer 2021, in association with the Dvořák Prague Festival, the Academy established the Dvořákova Praha Youth Philharmonic with musicians from conservatories and music academies, coached by principal players of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Tomáš Netopil has held a close relationship with the Dvořák Prague Festival for some time and was Artist in Residence in 2017, opening the Festival with Essen Philharmoniker and closing the Festival with Dvořák’s Te Deum and Wiener Symphoniker.
Operatic highlights beyond Essen include Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (La clemenza di Tito, Rusalka, The Cunning Little Vixen, La Juive, The Bartered Bride, and Busoni’s Doktor Faust), Vienna Staatsoper (his most recent successes include Idomeneo, Der Freischütz, and a new production of Leonore) and for Netherlands Opera (Jenůfa). His concert highlights of recent seasons have included Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich as well as engagements with Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai and Aspen Music Festival.
Tomáš Netopil’s discography for Supraphon includes Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass (the first ever recording of the original 1927 version), Dvořák’s complete cello works, Martinů’s Ariane and Double Concerto, and Smetana’s Má vlast with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure in Essen, he has recorded Suk Asrael and Mahler Symphonies nos 6 and 9.
In 2008 -2012 Tomáš Netopil held the position of Music Director of the Prague National Theatre. He studied violin and conducting in his native Czech Republic, as well as at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under the guidance of Professor Jorma Panula. In 2002 he won the 1st Sir Georg Solti Conductors Competition at the Alte Oper Frankfurt.
