May 30, 2025 - Great success at the revival premiere of Jules Massenet's opera Werther at the National Theatre Košice in Slovakia. Leading roles were for internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano Elena Maximova and Zurab Zurabishvili.

Reviewers wrote: "The baton was in the hands of the Dutchman Michael Engelbrecht. He led the musicians with overview and control. Before the intermission, the orchestra played with unprecedented cohesion; after the break, the sound gained a strong romantic charge. The conductor deserves all praise.”

- Opera Slovakia

 

"The musical direction was taken over by the Dutchman Michael Engelbrecht, who, in the first two acts, gradually blended the colors and emotions of the orchestral sound. In the second half of the evening, when the drama - at times almost veristic in intensity - came to the forefront, the conductor responded to its shifts with more impulsiveness. However, he maintained a sense of balance and showed respect for the singers."

- Hudobnyzivot

 

A few weeks after the success of Werther, Michael Engelbrecht conducted a very successful performance of Verdi's opera Nabucco at this same theater. Leading roles were for Ludovik Kendi as Nabucco and Jolana Fogasova as Abigaille.

He will return here again on 11 October for Werther.