On Friday evening a group of 40 Maestro! Music Lovers dined in the beautiful setting of the Metropolitan's Grand Tier Restaurant before making their way into the iconic auditorium of the Met for the opening night of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades with Vasily Petrenko at the helm.

The evening had the atmosphere of an 'opening night gala' at the Met and the audience were rewarded with an outstanding performance including the eagerly awaited debut of soprano Lise Davidsen.

As the New York Times said in their review (which you can read in full below) "The stakes could hardly have been higher. Before she’d sung a note in public at the Met, the company had already announced that in the next three seasons she would appear as Leonore in Fidelio, Chrysothemis in Elektra, Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier".

Ms Davidsen had a triumphal performance and so too did Mo. Petrenko. The New York Times crit again "Miss Davidsen's restrained yet exciting performance was matched by that of the conductor Vasily Petrenko, also making his Met debut and leading a refined, properly aristocratic performance...He inspired a polished, well chosen cast in the Met’s wintry production....his conducting, admirably melancholic, not cheaply wild-eyed".

Vasily joined the Maestro! group on the previous evening for a Thanksgiving Dinner and jazz set by Wycliffe Gordon & Friends in the unique setting of Dizzy's Club overloking Central Park.  

90 years ago today a star was born! Not Notorious RBG but the Incredible MGB!

In 1938 Milena and sister Eva were put on a train in Prague to escape the terror's of Naziism and a new life in England. They were lucky in that they were later reunited with their parents who had managed to escape. Their story (and that of Sir Nicholas Winton who organised the 'kindertransport') only became known to the world in 1988 when Esther Rantzen invited him onto That's Life! and reunited him with many of the people that he had saved.

Milena has been a friend to Maestro! since before the company was born and over the years has taken many groups of music lovers to the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria. She has dedicated her time in the past years to talking to groups of school children about her experience as a refugee and how this country welcomed her. So far this year she has given more than 40 talks to groups as big as 800 in the Floral Pavilion on the Wirral.

Just last week 150 guests gathered in the Liverpool Phil Music Room to give her a surprise pre-concert reception.

Happy Birthday Milena!

Milena's chosen charity is 'Safe Crossing' and if you would like to show your support you can leave a gift via her birthday giving page using the link below.

Just under a year from now on Sunday 18th October, 2020 Vasily Petrenko will conduct Mahler's 8th 'Symphony of a Thousand' at the Royal Albert Hall with the combined forces of the orchestra of which he has been Music Director for 14 years (Royal Liverpool) and the one of which he will become Music Director in 2021 (the RPO). 

Even by Mahler’s standards, his ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ is a work of immense proportions. A titanic performance of this rarely heard masterpiece awaits you, as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, eight soloists, three choruses, two children’s choirs, an organ and two brass bands.

This concert will mark the culmination of his complete Mahler Cycle with Royal Liverpool and will be the only performance of this symphony in the 2020/21 season.

As the performance is a matinee Maestro! will offer a one day visit from the Northwest and full details of what's included and how to book are available by clicking the link below.

 Ticket only purchases are available from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office