International Opera Awards

Gerald Malone
October 4, 2024

“You are a criminal! Going to the opera house when Oktoberfest is downtown!” The black-tie ensemble was one tell. The destination, Prinzregententheater, might have been another. No beer and carnival for me.

He should know. Munich taxi drivers know most things. Apart from the location of hotels about which they are vague. Indeed, the six I used during my short stay all seemed like superior beings. Gave the impression I should have been driving, with them entitled to lounge in the rear.

Taxis? They drive better cars than mine. Silent, swooshing electric Mercs, with IMAX dashboard screens tracking the journey. Ethereal, blue interior lighting that glowed everywhere. I could even inspect my shoes.

I wondered what would happen if any Oktoberfest over-indulger honked in the back seat. Being Glaswegian makes you think such thoughts. British cabs often carry a severe £25 hose- down warning. And that’s just for the vehicle.

Wouldn’t cut it in the Merc. Images of terminal short circuits and exploding lithium batteries flashed into mind. The cost would be …… Enough!

Suddenly, we had arrived. Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria’s 1,100 seat Prinzregententheater, designed to Richard Wagner’s specifications, opening in 1901 with a production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. It was a magnificent venue for this year’s International Opera Awards.

Munich also boasts Bayerische Staatsoper’s home, the Nationaltheater – 2,100 seats. The population of the capital of Bavaria is 1.2m. Birmingham, England, with a similar population is home to a feisty, innovative opera company, operating from “often unusual venues”. Not even a permanent home closet, never mind two historical houses. Encouraging the operatic art form in the UK has a way to go.

International Opera Awards is the brainchild of Harry Hyman, a successful British property entrepreneur who in real life indulges his love for opera, and John Allison, editor of Opera magazine, probably the most authoritative publication about the artform on the planet.

The success of the Awards, founded in 2012, morphing from a London dinner event to the full blown, all singing and dancing theatre spectacular, streamed live on OperaVision from Munich, is intellectual rigour.

A jury of industry professionals chaired by Allison sifts through readers’ submissions and offers awards in around 20 categories, digging deep not just into same old performance categories – “Best Singer”, “Best Conductor”, “Best Interval Ice Cream Vendor” sort of thing – but deeper, into the purpose of opera and its impact on society.

The Equal Opportunities and Impact Award is a good example, won this year – sadly, appropriately – by Opera for Peace, whose soprano, Axelle Saint-Cirel sang the French national anthem spectacularly at the opening of this summer’s Paris Olympics. Who is touting unity and hope throughout the world today? Precious few. Good that opera is making its voice heard.

Innovative environmental policies were recognised in the Sustainability Award, scooped by Finnish National Opera for addressing issues ranging across all its activities, from sourcing material for costumes to installing solar panels to feed the demand for onstage power.

My favourite initiative is their “XR Stage” project, which creates a digital twin of their main stage, lighting, and other operational systems. Entire productions can be envisioned a year in advance, not only saving precious resources, but enabling innovation, previously out of reach for smaller houses.

A highlight for me was the presentation for Rediscovered Work – you know they are being dug out of dusty cupboards all the time – by best-selling novelist, Donna Leon. Her popular Commissario Guido Brunetti murder series, 33 of them – wow! – brims with enthusiasm for opera.

“A conductor succumbs to cyanide.” I’ve been to several performances where it would have been an advantage if the soprano had followed the same course, so, I must dip into the Leon series. It was a pleasure to chat with her at the after party.

Rediscovered this year was Salieri’s opera Kublai Khan, staged by Musik Theater an der Wien. Well, if you’re scrubbed in 1788 by Emperor Joseph II’s censors, satisfaction from beyond the grave must be sweet when acknowledgment comes in Munich in 2024. Stop muttering at the back! No, he didn’t. Salieri was NOT Mozart’s murderer.

Lost operas were being rediscovered everywhere. Louise Bertin’s 1831 Fausto won in the Complete Opera Recording category, a revival by Bru Zane, the recording label of Palazzetto Bru Zane, a French enterprise focused on reviving  the French musical heritage from 1790 – 1920. Their back catalogue is a cornucopia.

Full results announced on the evening can be found here, in due course.

An emotional moment came when the late Peter Eötvös was celebrated for his opera Valuska, premiered by Hungarian State Opera in December 2023, weeks before the composer’s death. Valuska won the World Premiere category.

Valuska is a village idiot who has a simplistic understanding of the universe and innocently confronts issues of impending catastrophe, manifested by growing piles of garbage, when a circus featuring the biggest whale in the world hits town. Valuska is castigated for his well- meaning efforts to alert his fellow villagers.

And the whale has not much to do with anything. Except that it may well be a metaphorical elephant in the room. Broadmindedly, I will try to catch an upcoming performance before passing judgement.

I was thrilled that Savonlinna Opera Festival won the Festival Award. Not only have I consistently enjoyed the magical castle on the lake in Finland’s hinterland. I was presenting the award. I think I oiled my way sufficiently into their favour to ensure a warm welcome next July.

Key to the velvet smooth delivery of the evening was host, Petroc Trelawny, BBC’s Radio 3 presenter of their morning Breakfast programme. As I, too had a small walk on part, handing over that Festival of the Year Award, I had sat in on the rehearsals.

The seemingly effortless Trelawny delivery is underpinned by fastidious attention to detail.
The determination of his onstage, bouncing stride says it all. Cues were rehearsed, cut, recut, intros honed.

Straight look to the front camera when announcing the stream was on OperaVision required, please. Live, I noticed the cameraman in the stalls raise a hand at the vital moment. No need. Petroc was already on it. Passionate about his subject, his onstage avuncular spontaneity added essential zing to the evening.

Ceremonies are only part of IOA’s activities. It runs an associated Foundation to support bursaries for nearly one hundred artists, spanning front and backstage rising talent.

The morning after, in the breakfast room in my hotel, a charming lady from the audience (unknown) congratulated me on my singing. It was a bit like the time I was mistaken for Joyce DiDonato in Essen. Something about those German vibes.

Having put her right, I asked if she and her husband had travelled to Munich especially for the Awards ceremony. She said as they had been able to take in an opera – Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt – the night before it was worth a journey. Maybe organising around other offerings in foreign venues would ensure capacity crowds for the Awards.

Whatever, she and her husband will no longer be expecting me to sing.

IOA deserves credit for overcoming the enormous hurdles than come with organising an event of such complexity. The Awards celebrate what you know. They also shine a light on what you don’t.

Going from strength to strength, in 2024 the ceremony set an intriguing agenda for anyone interested in opera for the year ahead, as well as casting a canny backward eye.

Onwards to 2025! Next steppe? Maybe Ulaanbaatar?

A note on the IOA
Founded in 2012, the International Opera Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in opera around the world.

The aims of the Awards are simple:

• To raise the profile of opera as an art form.
• To recognise and reward success in opera.
• To generate funds to provide bursaries for aspiring talent in opera from around the world.

Over the last six years the International Opera Awards has raised funds for the Opera Awards Foundation to support bursaries for almost 100 aspiring artists, including singers, directors, conductors, répétiteurs and accompanists.

Judging of the International Opera Awards is carried out by a jury of industry professionals headed by Opera editor John Allison.