Friday 27 June 2014

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.

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