Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Patricia Petibon & Ariane Matiakh
Biography Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Patricia Petibon & Ariane Matiakh
Patricia Petibon
was discovered by William Christie after her training at the Paris Conservatoire under Rachel Yakar. She has since made a name for herself as one of the most versatile singers in her field, with a repertoire ranging from French Baroque to contemporary music.
Notable operatic highlights include Giunia (Lucio Silla) at the Theater an der Wien, under her close musical ally Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Berg’s Lulu in Geneva, Barcelona and Salzburg; Debussy’s Mélisande and Poulenc’s Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites) in Paris; and all four female roles in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann in Brussels.
Equally acclaimed on the concert stage, Petibon continues to captivate audiences, be it with her innovative recital programmes and mise-en- scène together with pianist Susan Manoff in Paris, Vienna, London and Salzburg, or alongside the ensemble Amarillis throughout her native France.
Her discography to date is testament to her artistic breadth, and includes acclaimed albums such as Nouveau Monde (Baroque arias and songs), La Belle Excentrique (French mélodies), and a more personal varied selection of works in L’amour, la mort, la mer.
Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen
Founded in 1945, the internationally acclaimed Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen (WPR) is the orchestra of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, promoting social cohesion and reaching diverse audiences through its vibrant and imaginative programming and innovative spirit.
The orchestra works with other regional cultural partners through and invents new formats with its Erlebniswelt Orchester, and became part of Germany’s Excellent Orchestral Landscape programme in 2022. The WPR collaborates with both internationally established artists and rising stars across a wide variety of musical genres, including jazz, Latin and hip hop via its Kaleidoscope series.
Outreach is also an integral part of the orchestra, with ventures including around 25 annual concerts for families and children, a concert series for people with dementia and a highly successful intercultural musical theatre project involving refugees.
In 2019, the orchestra was awarded the Most Innovative Orchestra prize by the Deutsche Orchester-Stiftung for its interactive live-streaming format, The Orchestra Quiz, and in 2023 the German Prize for Online Communication in the Digital Event category for the same project. In 2009 it received the Federal Prize for Cultural Education for a project featuring performers with cognitive disabilities.
The WPR’s artistic work has been documented by a variety of albums and radio productions, which include several world premiere recordings. It has been led by French principal conductor Ariane Matiakh since the 2022/23 season.
Ariane Matiakh
Versatility, musicality, technical precision and above all a natural and passionate approach are trademark features of French conductor Ariane Matiakh. Her repertoire covers numerous operas and a wide spectrum of symphonic works and ballets, from the music of the Baroque period to contemporary compositions.
Matiakh is currently principal conductor of the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen. In demand as a guest conductor, her engagements include leading ensembles such as the Bamberger Symphoniker, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Paris, Rotterdam and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestras, the Frankfurt, Swedish and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestras, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Métropolitain.
Opera engagements in recent years have included Stuttgart, Staatsoper Hamburg, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Monnaie and Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Matiakh’s discography includes a GRAMMY Award nomination for her Capriccio recording of both piano concertos by Zara Levina with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. For the Capriccio label she has also recorded the works of Johanna Doderer as well as an album of music by Francis Poulenc and Jean Françaix.
