Received in the mail this Monday morning

This Monday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Austin, Lyric Opera : 2014-2015 season leaflet ;
- Kassel, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Krefeld Mönchengladbach : 2014-2015 season program book and August September 2014 leaflet ;
- Nashville, Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Québec, Opéra : 2014-2015 season brochure and Festival 2014 brochure.

New Season 2014-2015 in San Francisco

During the 2014-2015 season, ten operas will be performed at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, including one world première and one 20th century work. 8 operas will be performed in Italien, 1 in French and 1 in English.

The world première is :

Marco Tutino : Two Women (La Ciociara), with a libretto by Marco Tutino and Fabio Ceresa after Alberto's Moravia's novel. Anna Caterina Antonacci will perform the leading part, with Nicola Luisotti conducting and Francesca Zambello directing.

The season also includes :

- Vincenzo Bellini : Norma, conducted by Nicola Luisotti, directed by Kevin Newbury (new production, to be later performed in Barcelona) ;
- Carlisle Floyd : Susannah, conducted by Karen Kamensek, directed by Michael Cavanagh (new production) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Un ballo in maschera, conducted by Nicola Luisotti, directed by Jose Maria Condemi (new production) ;
- Georg Friedrich Haendel : Partenope, conducted by Christian Curnyn, directed by Christopher Alden (first performed at English National Opera in London in October 2008) ;
- Giacomo Puccini : Tosca, conducted by Riccardo Frizza, directed by Jose Maria Condemi (revival, first performed in November 2012) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : La Cenerentola, conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos, directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (this production is at least 20 years old) ;
- Giacomo Puccini : La Bohème, conducted by Giuseppe Finzi, directed by John Caird (first performed in Houston in October 2012) ;
- Hector Berlioz : Les Troyens, conducted by Donald Runnicles, directed by David McVicar (first performed at Covent Garden in London in June 2012) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Patrick Summers, directed by Robin Guarino (new production).

The San Francisco regularly performs contemporary operas. During the last years, they have produced :

- André Previn : A Streetcar Named Desire, in Octobre 1998 ;
- Douglas Moore : The Ballad of Baby Doe, in September 2000 ;
- Jake Heggie : Dead Man Walking, in October 2000 ;
- Olivier Messiaen : Saint François d'Assise, in October 2002 ;
- György Ligeti : Le Grand Macabre, in October 2004 ;
- John Adams : Doctor Atomic, in October 2005 ;
- Philip Glass : Appomattox, in October 2007 ;
- Stewart Wallace : The Bonesetter's Daughter, in September 2008 ;
- Christopher Theofanidis : Heart of a Soldier, in September 2011 ;
- John Adams : Nixon in China, in June 2012 ;
- Jake Heggie : Moby-Dick, in October 2012 ;
- Mark Adamo : The Gospel of Mary Magdalene in June 2013 ;
- Tobias Picker : Dolores Claiborne, in September 2013.

Autumn 2014 season at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London

As usual, the season 2014-2015 at Covent Garden will be a busy one, including revivals, new productions and world premières of all kind of operas, at the Royal Opera House, the Linbury Studio (which opened in November 2005) and, for the first time, the Roundhouse in Camden.

During the first part of the season (Autumn 2014), the following operas will be performed :

- Mark-Anthony Turnage : Anna Nicole, conducted by Antonio Pappano, directed by Richard Jones (first performed in February 2011, revival of the original production) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Rigoletto, conducted by Maurizio Benini, directed by David McVicar (revival, first performed in Septembre 2001) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : Il barbiere di Siviglia, conducted by Mark Elder, directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier (revival, first performed in December 2005) ;
- Philip Glass : The Trial, conducted by Michael Rafferty, directed by Michael McCarthy (world première in October 2014 at the Linbury Studio Theatre) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : I due Foscari, conducted by Antonio Pappano, directed by Thaddeus Strassberger (advertised as a new production, but already performed in Los Angeles in September 2012 and in Vienna last January) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : La Scala di seta, conducted by Jonathan Santagada, directed by Greg Eldridge (new production at the Linbury Studio Theatre) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Idomeneo, conducted by Marc Minkowski, directed by Martin Kusej (new production, to be later performed in Lyon) ;
- Søren Nils Eichberg : Glare, conducted by Geoffrey Paterson, directed by Thaddeus Strassberger (world première in November 2014 in the Linbury Studio Theatre) ;
- Gaetano Donizetti : L'elisir d'amore, conducted by Daniele Rustioni, directed by Laurent Pelly (revival, first performed in Paris in May 2006, already performed in London in November 2007) ;
- Claudio Monteverdi : L'Orfeo, conducted by Christian Curnyn, directed by Michael Boyd (new production in Camden).

Only Italian and English languages will be used on stage during the first part of the season, but operas in German, Polish and French are scheduled later. The small number of languages is compensated by the variety of style, ranging from baroque to romantic.

Today : World première of 'Der goldene Drache' (Peter Eötvös) in Frankfurt

Today, the new opera by Peter Eötvös, Der goldene Drache (The Golden Dragon), with a libretto by Roland Schimmelpfennig after his own play, will be performed in Frankfurt at the Bockenheimer Depot.

According to the composer's own website, it is his 11th stage work, after, among others, Three Sisters (1997), Le Balcon (2002), Angels in America (2004) and Love and other Demons (2007).

Here is the introduction to this opera, reproduced from the opera house's website :

The parallel worlds of locals and immigrants converge in an Asian take-away. A young man from China, looking for his sister, has no means of identification and suffers from terrible toothache. His tooth is removed – with a wrench - and lands in a Thai soup and then, in the mouth of a stewardess who lives just around the corner. And the others? A man is growing old and longs for something that nobody can give him. A woman becomes pregnant, but her husband does not want the child. Another is left by his wife. A cricket works for an ant who unfairly takes advantage of him...

The cast is the following : Kateryna Kasper (Die junge Frau), Hedwig Fassbender (Die Frau über sechzig), Simon Bode (Der junge Mann), Hans-Jürgen Lazar (Der Mann über sechzig), Holger Falk (Der Mann). The composer conducts the Ensemble Modern and Elisabeth Stöppler directs. The performance should last about 90 minutes without intermission.

New season 2014-2015 in Opéra de Lausanne

Eight operas will be performed in Lausanne, Switzerland, during the 2014-2015 season, including two composed in the 21st Century.

- Jules Massenet : Manon, conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos, directed by Arnaud Bernard (new production) ;
- Michaël Levinas : Le Petit prince, conducted by Arie van Beek, directed by Lilo Baur (world première). This children opera, with a libretto based on Saint-Exupéry's novel, will also be performed in Geneva, Lille, Liège and Paris ;
- Franz Lehar : Die lustige Witwe, conducted by Cyril Diederich, directed by Jérôme Savary (first performed in Paris in October 2005) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by Laurent Gendre, directed by Tom Ryser (new production) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : La Traviata, conducted by Corrado Rovaris, directed by Jean-Louis Grinda (first performed in Monte-Carlo in January 2013) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : Tancredi, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, directed by Emilio Sagi (new production) ;
- Daï Fujikura : Solaris, conducted by Erik Nielsen, directed by Saburo Teshigawara. The opera was first performed in Bregenz in July 2012. This is the third production, first to be performed in Paris in March 2015 ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Diego Fasolis, directed by Pet Halmen (revival from a production first performed in March 2010).

This is quite an interesting season, with two modern works confronting 6 operas of the classical and romantic eras.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

This Saturday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Bern, Konzert Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Braunschweig, Staatstheater : August - September 2014 leaflet ;
- Macerata, Sferisterio : 50a stagione lirica, 2014 ;
- Maribor, Slovene National Theatre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Oldenburg, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Osnabrück, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book, and June July 2014 leaflet ;
- Phoenix, Arizona Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Salt Lake City, Utah Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure (with Utah Symphony program) ;
- Winnipeg, Manitoba Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Würzburg, Mainfranken Theater : 2014-2015 season program book.

New season 2014-2015 at the Kongelige Teater in Copenhagen

Fourteen opera will be performed in Copenhagen during the 2014-2015 season, including two operas by Carl Nielsen for the celebration of his 150th birthday, and two world premières.

The two world premières are :

- Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen : Sol går op, sol går ned (Sun goes up, sun goes down), conducted by Jakob Hultberg, directed by Eva-Maria Melbye, in January 2015 ;
-  Bo Holten : Gesualdo - Shadows, conducted by the composer, in November 2014.

Another contemporary opera, Magnar Åm's Is-Slottet (The Ice Castle) will be performed there in October 2014, shorlty after the world première by Den Ny Opera in Esbjerg in September.

Other operas to be performed are :

- Richard Strauss : Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by Michael Boder, directed by Marco Arturo Marelli ;
- Giacomo Puccini : Tosca, conducted by Ivan Anguélov, directed by Peter Langdal ;
- Dmitri Shostakovich : Lady Macbeth from the Mtsensk district, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov, directed by Peter Konwitschny ;
- Alban Berg : Lulu, conducted by Michael Boder, directed by Stefan Herheim ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Rory McDonald, directed by Marco Arturo Marelli ;
- Georg Friedrich Haendel : Alcina, conducted by Lars Ulrik Mortensen, directed by Francisco Negrin ;
- Carl Nielsen : Maskarade, conducted by Per Otto Johansson, directed by Kasper Holten ;
- Carl Nielsen : Saul og David, conducted by Michael Schønwandt, directed by David Pountney ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Les Vêpres siciliennes, conducted by Paolo Carignani, directed by Stefan Herheim.

Two visiting productions from the Jyske Opera are also invited :

- Giacomo Puccini : La Bohème, conducted by Michael Balke, directed by Alfonso Romero Mora ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Cosi fan tutte, conducted by Bejamin Bayl, directed by Elisabeth Linton.

Yesterday : world première of Gerhard Stäbler's new oper 'Erlöst Albert E.' in Ulm

Yesterday, the new opera by composer Gerhard Stäbler, Erlöst Albert E., with a libretto by Matthias Kaiser (based on a true story), was performed for the first time in Ulm.

His previous operas are : Sünde.Fall.Beil, after Alexandre Dumas père (Munich, 1992), Cassandra Complex, after Christa Wolf (Wiesbaden, 2000), Madame la Peste (Duisburg, 2002), and Time Out (Dresden, 2003).

The orchestra requires : woodwinds (2.2.2.2), brass (4.2.2.1), timpani, 4 percussions, harp, strings (8.6.4.3.2), and a SATB choir.

In the night that Albert Einstein died, pathologist Dr. Thomas Harvey secretly removed the brain of the world-famous physician in order to analyze it. This incident was discovered several decades later, when journalists found the brain of Albert Einstein in preserving jars.

The music theatre piece Erlöst Albert E. consists of seven scenes, four of which are set in the operating room. In a state of delirium, pathologist Thomas Harvey communicates with Albert Einstein. He can feel Einstein’s scruples and doubts about blurring the borders between life and death. Harvey forces Einstein to transfer the world back into a more innocent state. But Einstein resists…

The main role of pathologist Thomas Harvey is written for high tenor, Albert Einstein is set for a singing actor and solo violin. Additionally, the music theatre piece features a mixed choir (which acts as the auditorium in the operating hall), a ballet ensemble, an ensemble of five “freaks” (consisting of a children soprano, mezzo soprano, one baritone and two dancers) and several other roles.

(reproduced from the ricordi.de website).

The cast is the following : Girard Rhoden (Harvey), Christel Mayr (Albert E.), Martina Koppelstetter (Herr / Frau von Möbius), Tomasz Kaluzny (Pit Brüderle), Yuhao Gyo (Fat Man), Pablo Sansalvador (Little Boy). Michael Weiger conducts, Philipp Jescheck directs.

Received in the mail this Friday morning

This Friday morning, I have received the following :

- Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Teater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- London, English National Opera : Autumn 2014 - Spring 2015 brochure ;
- San Francisco, Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Trier, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Weimar, Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle : 2014-2015 season program books ;
- Wiesbaden, Hessisches Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book.

Recently acquired recordings of contemporary opera

I recently acquired the following recordings :

- John Adams : Nixon in China, conducted by the composer, Nonesuch, 7559-79608-8 ;
- Sándor Balassa : The Man Outside, conducted by György Lehel, Hungaroton, HCD 12052 ;
- George Benjamin : Written on Skin, conducted by the composer, Opus Arte, OA 1125 D ;

- Jake Heggie : Out of Darkness, conducted by Mina Miller, Naxos, 8.559770 ;
- Hans Werner Henze : Das Wundertheater, conducted by Hermann Bäumer, Ars Produktion,  ARS 38454 ;
- Hans Werner Henze : Elegie für junge Liebende, conducted by Brynmor Llewelyn Jones, Deutsche Schallplaten, DS 1050-2.

Received in the mail this Thursday morning

This Thursday morning, I have received the following brochures in the mail :

- Dresden, Semperoper : magazine No. 7 (2013/14) ;
- Marseille, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Prague, National Theatre  : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Verona, Arena festival : 2014 program brochure.

Today : World première of Eugeniusz Knapik's 'Moby Dick' in Warsaw

Today, the new opera by Polish composer Eugeniusz Knapik, Moby Dick, will receive its first performance at the Teatr Wielki (Opera Narodowa) in Warsaw.

The libretto in English has been written by Krzysztof Koehler, after Herman Melville's novel, already adapted as an opera by Peter Westergaard in 2005 and Jake Heggie in 2010.

Previous operas by Eugeniusz Knapik include the trilogy The Minds of Helena Troubleyn (I. Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas, II. Silent Screams, Difficult Dreams, III. La libertà chiama la libertà).

The opera should last almost 3 hours (including one intermission). Gabriel Chmura conducts and Barbara Wysocka directs the following cast : Arnold Rawls (Ismael), Sébastien Soules (Queequeg), Wojtek Smilek (Mapple), Caroline Whisnant (Jezabel), Tomasz Madej (Elijah) and Agnieszka Rehlis (Hagar).

Received in the mail this Wednesday morning

This Wednesday morning, I have received the two following brochures in the mail :

- Edinburgh : International Festival 2014 ;
- Malmö, opera : 2014-2015 general program.

Received in the mail this Tuesday morning

This Tuesday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Boston, Lyric Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Dijon, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Lyon, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Rennes, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program brochure ;
- Rouen, Opéra : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Toronto, Canadian Opera Company : 2014-2015 season brochure.

Received in the mail this Monday morning

This Monday morning, I have received the following articles in the mail :

- Cardiff, Welsh National Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Lausanne, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Leeds, Opera North : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- London, Royal Opera House : Autumn 2014 brochure ;
- Nîmes, Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Tours, Opéra and Orchestre symphonique : 2014-2015 season program book.

New Season 2014-2015 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York

During the 2014-2015 season, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City will perform 26 operas (including two double-bill productions) in 6 different languages (Italien, French, German, English, Russian, Hungarian).

The brochure announces 8 new productions, including 3 Met premières :

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Richard Eyre ;
- John Adams : The Death of Klinghoffer, directed by Tom Morris (Met première) ;
- Franz Lehar : The Merry Widow (in English), directed by Susan Stroman ;
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky : Iolanta (Met première) and Bela Bartok : Bluebeard's Castle, directed by Mariusz Trelinski ;
- Gioachino Rossini : La Donna del Lago (Met première), directed by Paul Curran ;
- Pietro Mascagni : Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo : Pagliacci, directed by David McVicar.

Like several other theatres, the Met advertises as 'new production' some coproductions that have already been performed in other places : the production of The Death of Klinghoffer has been first performed in London (English National Opera) in February 2012, Iolanta was first staged by Mariusz Trelinski for the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden (July 2009) and Bluebeard's Castle in Warsaw last December, Paul Curran conceived his production of Rossini's opera for Santa Fe during the 2013 Summer.

Therefore, the Met will present only four real new productions (including a double-bill).

The 18 revivals are :

- Georges Bizet : Carmen, directed by Richard Eyre (first performed in December 2009) ;
- Gaetano Donizetti : Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by Mary Zimmerman (first performed in September 2007) ;
- Engelbert Humperdinck : Hansel and Gretel (in English), directed by Richard Jones (first performed in December 2007) ;
- Jules Massenet : Manon, directed by Laurent Pelly (first performed in March 2012) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, directed by Julie Taymor (first performed in October 2004) and Don Giovanni, directed by Michael Grandage (first performed in October 2011) ;
- Jacques Offenbach : Les Contes d'Hoffmann, directed by Bartlett Sher (first performed in December 2009) ;
- Giacomo Puccini : La Bohème, directed by Franco Zeffirelli (first performed in December 1981) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : Il barbiere di Siviglia, directed by Bartlett Sher (first performed in November 2006) ;
- Dmitri Shostakovich : Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, directed by Graham Vick (first performed in November 1994) ;
- Igor Stravinsky : The Rake's Progress, directed by Jonathan Miller (first performed in November 1997) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Macbeth, directed by Adrian Noble (first performed in October 2007) ; Aida, directed by Sonja Frisell (first performed in December 1988), La Traviata, directed by Willy Decker (first performed in December 2010), Ernani, directed by Pier Luigi Samaritani (first performed in November 1983), Don Carlo, directed by Nicholas Hytner (first performed in November 2010) and Un ballo in maschera, directed by David Alden (first performed in November 2012) ;
- Richard Wagner : Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, directed by Otto Schenk (first performed in January 1993).

Three of these productions are of the 1980s, 3 of the 1990s and the 12 others have been conceived in the last 10 years. There is only 1 contemporary opera : The Death of Klinghoffer.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

This Saturday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Bordeaux, Opéra national : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- New York, The Metropolitan Opera : 2014-2015 subscription brochure ;
- Poissy, Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Savonlinna, Opera Festival : 2014 festival brochure ;
- Tourcoing, Atelier Lyrique : 2014-2015 season brochure.

Received in the mail this Friday morning

This Friday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Amsterdam, Het Concertgebouw : July-August 2014 agenda and magazine ;
- Limoges, Opéra-Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program brochure ;
- Vichy, Opéra : Summer season brochure ;
- Wien, Wiener Staatsoper : October 2014 leaflet.

New productions of recent operas (2)

During the 2014-2015, some recent operas will be performed again in new productions :

- Pascal Dusapin : Perelà, directed by Lydia Steier, Mainz in January 2015 (first performed in Paris in February 2003, German première) ;
- Detlev Glanert : Joseph Süss, directed by Guy Montavon, Münster, Febuary 2015 (first performed in Bremen in 1999) ;
- Philip Glass : The Fall of the House of Usher, directed by Kay Neumann, Hof in March 2015 ;
- James MacMillan : Inés de Castro, directed by Olivia Fuchs, Glasgow, January 2015 in a revised version (the opera was first performed in Edinburgh in 1996) ;
- Olga Neuwirth : American Lulu, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, Vienna (Theater an der Wien) in December 2014 (first performed at the Komische Oper in Berlin in September 2012) ;
- Peter Ruzicka : Hölderlin. Eine Expedition, directed by Vera Nemirova, Basel in May 2015 (first performed in Berlin in November 2008, Swiss première) ;
- Kaija Saariaho : L'Amour de loin, conducted by Kasper de Roo, directed by Daniela Kurz, Linz in March 2015 (first performed in Salzburg in August 2000) ;
- Aulis Sallinen : Kullervo, directed by Kari Heiskanen, in Savonlinna in July 2014 (first performed in Los Angeles in February 1992).

Today : new opera by Manos Tsangaris in Dresden

Today, the opera Karl May, Raum der Wahrheit, composed by Manos Tsangaris, with a libretto by Marcel Beyer, will be performed in Semper 2 (Probebühne) in Dresden.

© Matthias Creutziger
 

Here is what the librettist writes about this new work :

Karl May doesn’t always need Red Indians. KM 1, alias »Dr. Karl May«, urgently requires KM 2, alias »Captain Ramon Diaz de la Escosura«, who in turn cannot survive without KM 3, alias »Assessor Anton Clemens Laube, a member of the secret police«. And who would KM 4, alias »Prince Muhamêl Latréaumont« be, if he could not transform himself into KM 5, alias »the author Heichel, illegitimate son of an aristocrat«, or finally into his own echo, KM 25, alias »a grateful Karl May reader« ?

All the characters in this opera are crazy. And thus no one is crazy. Here everyone can speak two to three dozen languages, a skill that Karl May possessed and enjoying showing off to his readers. And if Karl May – in his various incarnations from KM 1 to KM 25 – is a complete work of art, a generator of various fictional realities, then the person at the back of it all is predestined to be the germ cell of an opera. Karl May is a playing field; an empty room, on whose walls someone has scribbled fake names in a spidery hand. Karl May, that’s what I call my gun cabinet.

The opera requires 3 singers, a speaker, a 4 voices chorus and a small orchestra with a harpsichord. It should last about 90 minutes.

The cast is the following : Julian Mehne (Mark May), Rainer Maria Röhr (Karl May jung), Julian Arsenault (Karl May alt), Julia Mintzer (Emma Pollmer) and Romy Petrick (Klara Plöhn). Erik Nielsen conducts and Manfred Weiß directs.

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Today : new opera by Giorgio Battistelli in Nancy

Today, the new opera by Giorgio Battistelli, Il Medico dei pazzi, will be performed for the first time in Nancy. The libretto by the composer is a free adaptation of Eduardo Scarpetta's play.

When all masks of the Neapolitan comedy are summoned in a frantic dance sweeping all the quirks of our living together... we admire the wit, we laugh and we are surprised to see how all these truths are part of another wild round, which is nothing more than our daily lives.

The cast includes Alessandro Luongo (Felice Sciosciammocca), Bruno Taddia (Cicillo), Giuseppe Talamo (Michelino), Bruno Pratico (Carlo), Maurizio Pace (Errico), Valeriu Caradja (Raffaele). Francesco Lanzillotta conducts and Carlos Wagner directs.

This 'Neapolitan musical action' is Battistelli's 30th stage work, following, among others Prova d'orchestra (1995), The Cenci (1997), Impressions d'Afrique (2000) and Richard III (2004).

Received in the mail this Thursday morning

This Thursday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Aix-en-Provence, Festival : 2014 program book ;
- Chemnitz, Theater : July 2014 leaflet ;
- Kaiserslautern, Pfalztheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Montepllier, Festival de Radio France : 2014 program book.

I have also downloaded the program book for the world première of Robin Stokes' opera Pauline (first performed on May 23rd), available on the website of the City Opera Vancouver :
http://cityoperavancouver.com/pauline/pauline-programme

Received in the mail this Monday morning

This Monday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Nils Henrik Asheim : Stormen, Oslo, program book (world première) ;
- Martijn Padding : Laika, Amsterdam, program book (world première) ;

- Bremen, Theater : July 2014 brochure ;
- Drottningholm, Slottsteater : 2014 season brochure ;
- Hagen, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Köln, Oper : September - October 2014 brochure ;
- Ulm, Theater : July 2014 leaflet.

Today : World première of 'Twenty-Seven' by Ricky Ian Gordon in St. Louis (MO)

Today, the new opera of composer Ricky Ian Gordon, Twenty-Seven will be performed in St. Louis (MO).

It is the composer's sixth opera, after The Tibetan Book of the Dead (1996), The Grapes of Wrath (2007), Rappahannock County (2011), Morning Star (2013), A Coffin in Egypt (2014).

Royce Vavrek wrote the libretto. Here is the overview of this new opera, according to the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis website (http://www.opera-stl.org) :

Paris roared in the 1920s, inspiring the art and literature of a Lost Generation of expatriates. At the epicenter of this creative explosion was Gertrude Stein, whose salon at 27 Rue de Fleurus became a second home for such luminaries as Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Picasso. 

The cast includes Stephanie Blythe (Gertrude Stein), Elizabeth Futral (Alice B. Toklas), Theo Lebow (Picasso and Fitzgerald), Tobias Greenhalgh (Leo Stein and Man Ray), Daniel Brevik (Hemingway and Matisse). Michael Christie conducts and James Robinson directs.

Received in the mail this Friday morning

This Friday morning, I have received in the mail the following :

- Adriana Hölszky : Böse Geister, Mannheim, May 31st, 2014, program book for the world première ;

 
- Metz, Arsenal : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Saarbrücken, Saarländisches Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book and June 2014 leaflet.

Today : World première of Huang Ruo's opera 'An American Soldier' in Washington, DC

Today, the American Opera Initiative program of the Washington National Opera continues with the world première performance of An American Soldier, composed by Huang Ruo, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang. This one hour-long opera will be performed at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center.

Here is the storyline of the opera, as found on the Kennedy Center website :

On October 3, 2011, Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The real circumstances behind his death, though, illustrate a darker undercurrent to life in the military. Based on a true story, and drawing from the ensuing courts-martial of Chen's fellow soldiers, An American Soldier explores what happens when the very people who are supposed to protect you in a combat zone become your enemy.

The cast is the following : Andrew Stenson (Pvt. Danny Chen), Guang Yang (Mother Chen), Trevor Scheunemann (Sgt. Aaron Marcum), Soloman Howard (Judge and Pvt. Manny Davis), Andrew McLaughlin, Michael Ventura and Jonathan Blalock. The singers will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra conducted by Steven Jarvi. David Paul directs.

Today : World première performance of Gordon Getty's 'Usher House' in Cardiff

Today, the opera Usher House, composed by Gordon Getty will receive its first staged performance at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (Welsh National Opera), as the first part of a double bill program that also features Claude Debussy's La Chute de la Maison Usher in its British première of a new version completed by Robert Ortledge.

The librettos of both operas are written after Edgar's Allan Poe's famous macabre tale. Lawrence Foster will conduct the following cast : Benjamin Bevan (Roderick Usher), Anna Gorbachyova (Madeline Usher), Jason Bridges (Edgar Allan Poe) and Kevin Short (Doctor Primus). David Pountney directs.

The work has already been recorded in Lisbon in September 2011, and then released by PentaTone classics in 2013.