Today : world première of 'La Cucina' by Andrew Synnott in Wexford

Today, the Wexford Festival Opera presents the world première of La Cucina, a 'Divertissement' in one act composed by Andrew Synnott with a libretto in Italian by Rosetta Cucchi.

It is the composer's third opera after Breakdown (Dublin, January 20, 2015) and Dubliners (Wexford, October 20, 2017).

The opera tells the story of a chef's assistant, Bianca, who is baking a wedding cake. (reproduced from the Wexford Festival website)

The cast includes actor Luca Nucera (Alberto Famosissimo), tenor Manuel Amati (Tobia Aiuto del fornitor), baritone Sheldon Baxter (Zeno Fornitore), soprano Maire Flavin (Bianca) and baritone Emmanuel Franco (Camillo Aiuto cuoco). Michele Spotti conducts the soloists and orchestra. Rosetta Cucchi directs. 

La Cucina will be paired with Gioachino Rossini's Adina, following the interval.

The venue is the O'Reilly Theatre.

Today : world première of 'Trilogy in Two' by Andrea Liberovici in Reggio Emilia

Today, the Teatro Cavallerizza in Reggio Emilia presents the world première of Trilogy in Two, an 'opera mosaic' with music and libretto by Andrea Liberovici.

Andrea Liberovici has already composed several works of music theatre, including Children of Uranium (Genova, 2005) and Macbeth Remix (Genova, 2016)

A dramaturgical investigation of three conflicting beauties : the ephemeral beauty of illusions, the profound beauty of solidarity, the ancient beauty of listening. Personalized respectively in three European archetypes: Faust as a fictional character, Florence Nightingale (founder of modern nursing) as an historic personality, and Venice as a listening architecture: the selfishness of the former, the attention to others of the latter (counterposed to the new racisms), the synthesis of the objective and indisputable beauty of the lagoon city, which in its architecture made of water and mosaics preserves the aptitude for listening and meeting. (reproduced from the Schallfeld Ensemble website)

The cast consists of singer Helga Davis, with the Schallfeld Ensemble conducted by Sara Caneva. Andrea Liberovici directs.

Today : world première of 'Effi Briest' by Siegfried Matthus in Cottbus

Today, the Staatstheater Cottbus presents the world première of Effi Briest, an opera composed by Siegfried Matthus with a libretto in German by Anton Perrey based on Theodor Fontane's novel.

It is the composer's twelfth opera. His lyrical output includes Judith (Berlin, September 28, 1985), Graf Mirabeau (Berlin, July 14, 1989), Farinelli oder Die Macht des Gesanges (Karlsruhe, February 28, 1998), and Die unendliche Geschichte (Weimar, April 10, 2004).

Seventeen-year-old Effi Briest is married to Baron von Innstetten, twice as old. Innstetten can not do anything with the young girl and neglects her, being more preoccupied with his career. Effi has a short affair. As Innstetten learns years later, he kills the lover in a duel and repudiates Effi. Her parents also abandon her. (freely adapted from the Staatstheater Cottbus website)

The cast includes soprano Liudmila Lokaichuk (Effi), tenor Martin Shalita (Crampas), baritone Andreas Jäpel (Innstetten), soprano Gesine Forberger (Luise) and bass Ulrich Schneider (Briest). Alexander Merzyn conducts the Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra. Jakob Peters-Messer directs.

Today : world première of 'The Selfish Giant' by Simon Bruckard in Melbourne

Today, the Victorian Opera in Melbourne presents the world première of The Selfish Giant, a youth opera composed by Simon Bruckard with a libretto by Emma Muir-Smith after Oscar Wilde.

It is the composer's first opera.

A grumpy giant excludes children from his garden causing it to fall into perpetual winter. Only once he finds the love and generosity to welcome back the children, does his garden flourish with life and restore his happiness. (reproduced from the Victorian Opera website)

The cast consists of baritone Stephen Marsh (The Giant). Simon Bruckard conducts the Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra and the Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble (VOYCE). Cameron Menzies directs.

The performance should last about 75 minutes. There is no interval.

The venue is the Gasworks Theatre in Albert Park.

Today : world première of 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Abrahamsen in Copenhagen

Today, the Royal Opera Theater in Copenhagen presents the world première of Snedronningen (The Snow Queen), an opera composed by Hans Abrahamsen with a libretto based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.

It is the composer's first opera.

The children, Gerda and Kay, are close friends. They live across an alley from each other and happily chat, play, and tend a rose which is growing in their backyard. The children are content until tragedy strikes: Kay’s eye and heart are pierced with fragments of a mirror, and the loving boy Kay then vanishes. The Snow Queen has put him under her spell and taken him to her palace of snow and ice. It is up to Gerda to find him and free him. (reproduced from the Music Sales Classical website)

The cast includes soprano Sofie Elkjær Jensen (Gerda), mezzo Elisabeth Jansson (Kay), mezzo Johanne Bock, bass baritone Johan Reuter (Snow Queen), soprano Sibylle Glosted (Princess) and tenor Gert Henning-Jensen (Prince). Michael Boder conducts the Kongelige Kapel and the Kongelige Operakor. Francisco Negrin directs.

The performance should last about 2 hours, including one interval.

According the Music Sales Classical website, the required orchestra is the following :

- 4 flutes, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 3 bassoons ;
- 6 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- timpani, 5 percussions ;
- 2 harps, accordion, synthesizer, celesta ;
- strings (12.12.8.8.6)

On December 21, 2019, the opera will be performed in Germany for the first time, at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, conducted by Cornelius Meister and directed by Andreas Kriegenburg.

On November 27, 2015, the Deutsches National Theater in Weimar presented the world première of an opera by Georg Alexander Albrecht based on the same fairy tale.

New programme book in my collection : 'The Flood' by Francesco Filidei in Paris

Yesterday, I have received the programme book published by the Opéra Comique in Paris for the world première of L'Inondation (The Flood), an opera composed by Francesco Filidei, first performed on September 27, 2019.

It is a 84 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast ;
- Agnès Terrier : À lire avant le spectacle ;
- Marion Boudier : Argument ;
- Intentions, interview with director Joël Pommerat and composer Francesco Filidei ;
- Éric Soyer (set designer) : Intentions scénographiques ;
- Isabelle Duffin (costume designer) : Le processus créatif des costumes ;
- Interprètes et personnages, the singers about their characters ;
- Emilio Pomàrico (conductor) : Le regard du chef d'orchestre ;
- complete and detailed orchestral setting ;
- Marion Boudier : Joël Pommerat et les compositeurs ;
- L'Inondation à l'Opéra Comique : chronological overview from the choice of the subject to the first performance ;
- complete libretto ;
- biographies of artists.

The book is entirely in French. It contains lots of colour photographs of rehearsals.

I now have 684 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded the pictures to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Winter Journey' by Ludovico Einaudi in Palermo

Today, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo presents the world première of Winter Journey, an opera composed by Ludovico Einaudi with a libretto by Colm Toibin.

It is the composer's first opera.

A journey into the desolate winter of today's Europe, in the desperate solitude of those forced to leave their country to embark on a land in which to beg for a handful of life.
The work is made up of fragments that reveal the depth of an interior landscape at the center of which three fleeing or waiting souls stand out. The protagonists are a man, a woman, a child. Around them, a politician, and a chorus of men and women who state their reasons for rejecting or welcoming foreigners. (freely adapted from the Teatro Massimo website)

The cast includes Rokia Traoré (Woman), Badara Seck (Man) and Mamadou Dioume (Voca Man fuoriscena). Carlo Tenan conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo. Roberto Ando directs.

Received today : programm book for 'Andersens Erzählungen' by Jherek Bischoff in Basel

Today, I have received in the mail the programm book published by Theater Basel for the world première of Andersens Erzählungen, an opera composed by Jherek Bischoff, first performed on September 27, 2019.

It is a 44 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- plot summary ;
- Jan Dvorak (librettist) : Das unsagbare Sagen ;
- Jens Andersen : Der Fehler wr allein die Liebe ;
- Niklas Luhmann : Vernunftehe, Liebesehe und eheliche Liebe ;
- Discussion with conductor Thomas Wise, director Philipp Stölzl, set designer Heike Vollmer and costume designer Kathi Maurer : Man kann diesem Märchen wie einer Melodie folgen ;
- Johanna Mangold (dramaturge) : Jherek Bischoff : ein Kurzporträt ;
- Andreas Krass : Verderberin, Gebärerin, Verführerin - Meerjungfrauen als Sinnbild einer unmöglichen Liebe ;
- Dag Heede : Busenfreund und Frauenleichen - oder Der dänische Krieg um Hans Christian Andersens Sexualität ;
- biographies of the artists ;
- four colour postcards of the production (photos by Sandra Then).

I now have 683 programm books for contemporary operas in my collection. I have scanned the covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.