French maestro Georges Pretre, 87, and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu will provide the artistic openers at this year's Opera Ball, the highlight of Vienna's ball season, organizers said today. For the 56th time, the Vienna Opera will host the creme de la creme of Austrian society on February 16 for a night of waltzing and socialising.
Opening the ball, Pretre will conduct the State Opera's orchestra in the overture from Rossini's "Barber of Seville," the Habanera aria from Bizet's "Carmen" and "I Could Have Danced All Night" from Frederick Loewe's "My Fair Lady," the last two sung by Gheorghiu.
And this is how it will be...