Today : world première of 'Schellen-Ursli' by Marius Felix Lange in Basel

Today, the Theater Basel presents the world première of Schellen-Ursli (A Bell for Ursli), a children opera composed by Marius Felix Lange with a libretto by the composed based on the Engadine Trilogy by Selina Chönz and Alois Carigiet.

It is the composer's sixth opera for children after, among others, Das Opernschiff oder am Südpol, denkt man, ist es heiss (Köln, April 26, 2005), Schneewittchen (Köln, April 21, 2011) and Die Schneekönigin (Duisburg, April 23, 2016).

A little village lies peacefully covered in snow high up in the Swiss mountains. But not for long! Because Chalandamarz will soon be here and the children are waiting impatiently to drive winter away with the sound of loud bells. However, Ursli’s feverish excitement turns into deep despondency when everyone laughs at him being given the smallest of all the goat bells. He determinedly makes his way to the lonely Maiensässhütte to fetch the largest of the cow bells. However, the steep path that leads there is a dangerous one and when Flurina also sets off into the snow and ice to look for her brother, the adventure takes a more serious turn. (reproduced from the Theater Basel website)

The cast includes Michael Bauer or Aaron Christ (Schellen-Ursli), Alma Bleich or Mira Feigel (Flurina), soprano Kali Hardwick or mezzo Ena Pongrac (Mutter), baritone Dmytro Kalmuchyn or Anelio Rodriguez (Vater) and bass baritone Raphael Sigling (Gian / Der Winter). Stephen Delaney conducts a Chalanda-Banda. Tim Jentzen directs.

Today : world première of 'Wolf unter Wölfen' by Soren Nils Eichberg in Koblenz

Today, the Theater Koblenz presents the world première of Wolf unter Wölfen (Wolf Among Wolves), an opera composed by Søren Nils Eichberg with a libretto by John von Düffel based on Hans Fallada's novel.

It is the composer's fourth opera after Grete Minde (2009), Glare (London, November 15, 2014) and Schönerland (Wiesbaden, September 16, 2017).

Berlin in the summer of 1923 : inflation keeps people on their toes. From day to day, the value of the mark falls down. The social fabric has got into trouble. On the streets of the capital, the innocent impoverished, the opportune criminals, the war disabled, gamblers, drunkards and whores. In the midst of this charged atmosphere, three former soldiers meet. Wolfgang Pagel is desperately looking for money to marry his girlfriend Petra and to lead her out of poverty. Officer Studmann never got on his feet again professionally after the end of the war. And Captain von Prackwitz urgently needs reapers to bring in the harvest on his estate Neulohe. Together they leave Berlin - 'Capital of Sin and Cheap Babylon' - to start a better life on the Prackwitz estate. But the idyll there is deceptive : for a long time now, people have lost all their properties. Everyone cares only about themselves, being only a wolf among wolves. (freely adapted from the Theater Koblenz website)

The cast includes mezzo Danielle Rohr (Petra Ledig), tenor Tobias Haaks (Wolfgang Pagel), baritone Christoph Plessers (Joachim von Prackwitz), tenor Mark Bowman-Hester (Studmann), mezzo Monica Mascus (Frau Thumann / Frau Pagel) and soprano Theresa Dittmar (Eva von Prackwitz). Karsten Huschke conducts the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and the Opera Chorus. Waltraud Lehner directs.

Today : world première of 'The Tidings Brought to Mary' by Marc Bleuse in Toulouse

Today, the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse presents the world première of L' Annonce faite à Marie (The Tidings Brought to Mary), an opera in four acts and one prologue composed by Marc Bleuse with a libretto by Jean-François Gardeil after Paul Claudel's novel.

(c) Emmanuel Thomas

It it the composer's first opera.

Violaine has simple ambitions : to marry the man she loves and to have his children. However, her spiritual qualities are evident. She forgives Pierre for his attack upon her. She denies her own desires by giving up Jacques’s ring for the church. Finally, instead of being repelled by Pierre’s leprosy, she feels compassion for him and kisses him without a thought of her own danger. It is not surprising that she can accept her own leprosy without anger and that she can forgive Jacques for turning upon her and Mara for causing her death, as she has already forgiven Pierre for a far lesser wrong. (reproduced from the enotes website)

The cast includes soprano Clémence Garcia (Violaine Vercors), mezzo Sarah Laulan (Mara Vercors), baritone Philippe Estèphe (Jacques Hury), baritone Pierre-Yves Pruvot (Pierre de Craon) and bass Lionel Sarrazin (Anne Vercors). Pierre Bleuse conducts Les Sacqueboutiers, the Quatuor Béla, the Antiphona Chorus. Jean-François Gardeil directs.

The performance should last about two hours. The venue is the Auditorium St Pierre des Cuisines.

Today : world première of 'The Snow Queen' by Samuel Penderbayne in Berlin

Today, the Deutsche Oper Berlin presents the world première of Die Schneekönigin (The Snow Queen), a children opera composed by Samuel Penderbayne with a libretto by Christian Schönfelder based on Christian Andersen's tale.

It is the composer's second opera after I.th.Ak.A (Hamburg, April 6, 2018).

Gerda and Kay are best friends. Yet when Kay gets a splinter in his eye, everything changes in an instant. He finds Gerda and his other friends childish, plain and silly, and follows the enticing voice of the icily beautiful Snow Queen. Now Gerda sets off, and while she searches for Kay she finds herself: in the eerily beautiful realm of the Flower Queen, the humdrum golden court of the Princess, the dangerous and dark cave of the Robber Queen, she learns to stand up for herself and her friends. With help from the Crow and the Reindeer she finally finds the way to the cold north of Lapland, and is able to free Kay from the Snow Queen's clutches with the true power of friendship – laughter. (reproduced from the Deutsche Oper Berlin website)

The cast includes soprano Sophia Körber, soprano Theresa Pilsl, mezzo Marlene Gaßner and baritone Martin Gerke. They are accompanied by five musicians including a clarinet, a tuba and a synthesiser. Brigitte Dethier directs.

The performance should last 70 minutes. No interval. The venue is the Tischlerei.

Today : world première of 'A Roman on Mars' by Vittorio Montalti in Roma

Today, the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma presents the world première of Un romano a Marte (A Roman on Mars), an opera composed by Vittorio Montalti, with a libretto by Giuliano Compagno.

It is the composer's third opera after Ehi Gio’ – Vivere e sentire del grande Rossini (Firenze, October 16, 2081) and Le leggi fondamentali della stupidità umana (Firenze, May 25, 2019)

Milan, November 23, 1960, on the stage of the Teatro Lirico the 'Compagnia del Teatro Popolare Italiano', led by Vittorio Gassman is struggling to complete a comedy based on a successful story by Ennio Flaiano : 'A Martian in Rome'. Shortly before the end, the audience, already noisy, is inspired by a joke to trigger a resounding protest.
That theatrical defeat that will mark a gap between the Milanese and Roman cultures, between the productive and concrete attitude of one and the listless, cynical and indolent temperament of the other.
But here, with the curtain lowered, the Martian Kunt appears in flesh and blood, on whose existence Ennio Flaiano had kept the secret and that the young Ilaria Occhini greets astonished. From there begins a journey to Italy and Rome that are changing landscape, language and thoughts ; hence the portrait of an original and free European writer, burdened by a private melancholy, that literary conformism will try to reduce to a facetious inventor of quirks. (freely adapted from the Rome Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Rafaela Albuquerque (Ilaria Occhini), tenor Domingo Pellicola (Ennio Flaiano), baritone Timofei Baranov (Kunt il Marziano) and actor Gabriele Portoghese (Il Critico). John Axelrod conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera di Roma. Fabio Cherstich directs.

Today : world première of 'Heart Chamber' by Chaya Czernowin in Berlin

Today, the Deutsche Oper Berlin presents the world première of Heart Chamber, an opera composed by Chaya Czernowin with her own libretto in English.

It is the composer's fifth opera after, among others, Pnima... ins Innere (Munich, May 10, 2000), Zaïde / Adama (Salzburg, August 17, 2006) and Infinite now (Antwerp, April 18, 2017).

The opera is conducting an 'examination of love' in the 21st century, addressing the romantic sense of love with doubt and destruction while hoping for a utopia of love. At the centre is a loving relationship between two people and the forces that result from it : they alternate between attraction and repulsion, between the longing to melt into one another and the desire for independence. (reproduced from the Deutsche Oper Berlin website)

The cast includes soprano Patrizia Ciofi (She), baritone Dietrich Henschel (He), contralto Noa Frenkel (Her Internal Voice) and countertenor Terry Wey (His Internal Voice). Johannes Kalitzke conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as well as the soloists of the Ensemble Nikel. Claus Guth directs.

The performance should last 90 minutes. No interval.

Two new programme books in my collection : Johannes Harneit and Siegfried Matthus

Yesterday, I have received two new programme books for contemporary operas :

- Johannes Harneit, Ichundich, Hamburg (opera stabile), November 3, 2019 ;
- Siegfried Matthus, Effi Briest, Cottbus, October 19, 2019.

The first one is a 24 pages brochure. It contains :

- synopsis ;
- Johannes Blum : Die Dichterin Else Lasker-Schüler ;
- Lis Arends : Reflexionen zu Else Lasker-Schülers 'Ichundich' ;
- Johannes Blum : Gespräch mit dem Komponisten Johannes Harneit ;
- composer's biography ;
- 8 pages of color photos from the piano dress rehearsal on October 28, 2019 ;
- a separate sheet of paper with the complete cast and crew.

The brochure is entirely in German.

The second one is also a 24 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- detailed synopsis ;
- Bernhard Lenort : Zum Roman und zu den Hauptfiguren ;
- Jakobs Peters-Messer : Theodor Fontanes 'Effi Briest' als Musiktheater ;
- Siegfried Matthus : Über das Libretto, die Oper, Liudmila Lokaichuk und meinen Vater ;
- several color photos from rehearsals.

I now have 703 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.

New scores in my collection

I have recently acquired several scores of contemporary operas :

- Philippe Boesmans : Yvonne, Princesse de Bourgogne, Leipzig : Edition Peters, 2009, 422 p.
Full score. 2 volumes.
It contains : character list and orchestration (no detailed percussion).

- Jonathan Dove : Flight, London : Edition Peters, 1998, 188 + 160 + 169 p.
Full score. 3 volumes.
It contains :
- instrumentation with detailed percussion section ;
- characters and cast of the first performance.

- Jonathan Dove : Kwasi & Kwame, London : Edition Peters, 2005, 356 p.
Full score.
It contains : cast with tessituras and instrumentation with detailed percussion section.

- Wolfgang Rihm : Die Hamletmaschine, Vienna : Universal Edition, 1987, 244 p.
Full facsimile score. It contains :
- complete text by Heiner Müller ;
- complete cast and detailed orchestral setting with complete percussion section.

- Wolfgang Rihm : Jakob Lenz, Vienna : Universal Edition, 2016, 151 p.
Full score. It contains :
- cast (characters with tessituras) ;
- orchestral setting, with detailed percussion ;
- duration.

 
- Ming Tsao : Die Geisterinsel, Leipzig : Edition Peters, 2011, 295 p.
Full score. It contains :
- table of contents ;
- complete instrumentation with detailed percussion section ;
- performance notes.

- Erkki-Sven Tüüt : Wallenberg, Leipzig : Edition Peters, 2000, 407 p.
Full score. It contains :
- orchestration with detailed percussion section ;
- characters with pages of entrance ;
- table of contents.

- Charles Wuorinen : Brokeback Mountain, Leipzig : Edition Peters, 2011, 264 + 313 p.
Full score. 2 volumes. It contains :
- complete orchestra setting with detailed percussion section ;
- complete cast with tessituras ;
- table of contents.

I now have 106 scores of contemporary operas. I have catalogued all my scores on Librarything.

New in my collection : programme brochure for the children opera by Oliver Ostermann in Chemnitz

Last Saturday, I have received the programme brochure published by Theater Chemnitz for the world première of Oliver Ostermann's children opera Bei der Feuerwehr wird der Kaffee kalt (Coffee gets cold in the fire department) on November 2.

It is a folded 18 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- Suzanne Holfter : synopsis ;
- biographies of librettist / director and composer / conductor ;
- a Goose Game with four figurines to cut out ;
-  the recipe for Eierscheke.

I now have 701 programme books and brochures for contemporary operas. I have scanned all covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.

New recordings of contemporary operas in my collection

Since last September, I have acquired several recordings of contemporary operas :

- Pascal Dusapin : Penthesilea, recorded live at La Monnaie in Brussels in April 2015, during the first run of performances.
The cast includes mezzo Natascha Petrinsky, soprano Marisol Montalvo, baritone Georg Nigl and bass baritone Werner van Mechelen. Franck Ollu conducts La Monnaie symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
The recording is published by Cypres.

- John Harbison : Full Moon in March, recorded at Sonic Temple (Roslindale, MA) in June 2003.
The opera was first performed on April 30, 1979.
The cast includes mezzo Lorraine Disimone, soprano Anne Harley, tenor Frank Kelley, baritone James Maddalena and mezzo Janna Baty. Gil Rose conducts the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
The recording is published by BMOP sound.

- Tobias Picker : Fantastic Mr. Fox, recorded in Fraser Hall at WGBH Studios in Boston (MA) on December 8, 2014.
The cast includes tenor John Brancy, mezzo Krista River, bass baritone Andrew Craig Brown, tenor Edwin Vega, baritone Gabriel Preisser, soprano Elizabeth Futral and mezzo Tynan Davis. Gil Rose conducts the Boston Children's Chorus and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
The recording is published by BMOP sound.

- Wolfgang Rihm : Jakob Lenz, recorded live at La Monnaie in Brussels in March 2015.
The cast includes baritone Georg Nigl, bass baritone Henry Waddington and tenor John Graham-Hall. Franck Ollu conducts La Monnaie symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Andrea Breth directs.
The DVD is publised by Alpha.

- Pascal Zavaro : Manga-Café, recorded in Rochefort in May 2018, following the world première in Compiègne.
The cast includes mezzo Eléonore Pancrazi and soprano Morgane Heyse. Julien Masmondet conducts Les Apaches.
The recording is published by Maguelone.

I have catalogued all my opera recordings on LibraryThing.

New programme books for contemporary operas in my collection

I have recently acquired several programme books for contemporary operas :

- Benjamin Attahir, Le Silence des Ombres, Brussels, September 25, 2019 ;
- Pascal Dusapin, Macbeth Underworld, Brussels, September 20, 2019.

The first one is a 120 pages book. It contains :

- detailed synopsis ;
- Benjamin Attahir, Une langue qui est déjà musique ;
- Olivier Lexa, "Vous êtes au bord de ce qui nous éclaire" ;
- Sonia Hossein-Pour, À l'ombre de Debussy ;
- Franck Javourez, Trois petits drames pour marionnettes ;
- Maurice Maeterlinck, extraits de la préface des Trois petits drames.

The entire book is bilingual (French and Dutch). It also contains a 40 pages booklet with complete cast and crew and detailed biographies of the artists (with black and white headshot). It is bilingual (French and Dutch). There is a second 110 pages book with the complete libretto, also bilingual.

The second is a 128 pages book. It contains :

- Frédéric Boyer, Argument ;
- Pascal Dusapin, Ces deux-là ;
- Frédéric Boyer, Un opéra exégèse de Macbeth ;
- Alain Altinoglu, Une concentration du discours musical ;
- Thomas Jolly, Piéger l'esprit et glacer l'âme ;
- Irina Kaiserman, Under the world of Pascal Dusapin - L'outre-monde ;
- Maxime McKinley, Schéma d'orientation (pour se perdre dans les opéras de Pascal Dusapin) ;
- Line Cottegnies, 'Macbeth' ou le sommeil assassiné.

The entire book is bilingual (French and Dutch). It also contains a 48 pages booklet with complete cast and crew and detailed biographies of the artists (with black and white headshot). It is bilingual (French and Dutch).There is a second 126 pages book with the complete libretto in English, French and Dutch.

I also received two programme books from Helsinki :

- Sebastian Fagerlund, Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), Helsinki, September 8, 2017 ;
- Jaakko Kuusisto, Jää (Ice), Helsinki, January 25, 2019.

The first one is a 36 pages booklet. It contains :

- complete cast ;
- synopsis ;
- short biographies of crew members ;
- Pekka Hako, The torment of inevitability, an interview with Sebastian Fagerlund ;
- Gunilla Hemming, Daughter turned mother, mother turned daughter.

The booklet is in three languages : Finnish, Swedish and English.

The second is a 36 pages booklet. It contains :

- complete cast ;
- synopsis ;
- biographies of crew members ;
- Petra Rönkä, Music rings with the power of nature - Jaakko Kuusisto's thoughts about Ice.

The booklet is in three languages : Finnish, Swedish and English.

I bought one programme book from the Vienna State Opera House :

- Manfred Trojahn, Orest, Vienna, March 31, 2019 (first performance of a new production).
 The opera was first performed in Amsterdam on December 8, 2011.

It is a 172 pages book. It contains : 

- Marco Arturo Marelli, synopsis ;
- technical details about the work ;
- Günter Figal, Im Freiraum der Musik - Manfred Trojahn und seine Oper 'Orest' ;
- Oliver Lang, Oper hat sehr viel mit Arbeit zu tun, dialogue with Manfred Trojahn ;
- Robert von Ranke-Graves, Der Orest-Mythos ;
- Karlheinz Töchterle, Macht uns Theater besser oder nur Spass ? ;
- Hilde Haider-Pregler, Über Euripides und seinen Orest ;
- Konral Paul Liessmann, Der Zauber des Dionysischen ;
- Julian Schutting, Wie viele Oreste müsste man kennen ? ;
- Oliver Lang, Zwischen Blutrache und göttlicher Gnade ;
- Georg Titsche, Über des Schreckliche ;
- Bernd Deininger, Das Schuldig-Werden öffnet das innere Auge ;
- Bernhard Baumgarter, Die Last der Freiheit ;
- Oliver Lang, Die Frage nach dem Umgang mit Schuld (dialogue with Manfred Trojahn) ;
- Gerald Resch, Ein subjektives Hörprotokoll ;
- Volkhard Steude, Annäherungen an Orest ;
- Erich Seitter, Gesangsstimmen in Orest ;
- Andreas Lang, Der Zauber der Liebe zum (Musik-)Theater ;
- Oswald Panagl, Maskenspiele als Deutungsmuster ;
- Anna Baar, Morden in Echtzeit ;
- Andreas Lang, Eine ungemein gelungene und ansprechende Oper (dialogue with Michael Boder) ;
- Daniel Ender and Oliver Lang, Mit der Schuld wird Orest leben müssen (dialogue with Marco Arturo Marelli).

The book is entirely in German.

I also acquired some older programme books :

 
- Peter Aderhold, Luther, Erfurt, September 14, 2003 ;
- Philippe Boesmans, Reigen, Braunschweig, February 5, 1998 ;
- Andras Hamary, Seid still, Stuttgart, October 17, 1990 ;
- György Ligeti, Le Grand macabre, Bern, March 8, 1992 ;

and the 56 pages programme brochure from the 2004 International Festival for New Music Theater in Munich, with 5 world premières :

 
- Johannes Maria Staud, Berenice, May 12 ;
- Qu Xiao-song, Versuchung (The Test), May 13 ;
- Vykintas Baltakas, Cantio, May 18 ;
- Mark André, ...22,13..., May 20 ;
- Brian Ferneyhough, Shadowtime, May 25.

I now have 700 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.
 

Today : world première of 'Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver' by Elena Kats-Chernin in Berlin

Today, the Komische Oper Berlin presents the world première of Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer (Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver), a children's opera in two acts composed by Elena Kats-Chernin with a libretto in German by Susanne Felicitas Wolf based on Michael Ende's book.

Elena Kats-Chernin has already composed several operas for children, including Schneewittchen und die 77 Zwerge (Berlin, Komische Oper, November 1, 2015).

Because the island of Morrowland with its two mountains has become too small for its four inhabitants (including the king), Luke and the orphan Jim are forced to venture into the outside world. On their marvelous journey they discover foreign lands, overcome many dangers, and rescue Princess Li Si from the clutches of the terrible dragon woman, Mrs. Grindtooth. After gathering many new experiences, they return together to their homeland, bringing with them a new, floating island in tow. (reproduced from the Komische Oper Berlin website)

The cast includes soprano Georgina Melville (Jim Knopf), bass Philipp Meierhöfer (Lukas), baritone Dominik Köninger (King Alfred the Quarter-to-Twelfth / Nepomuk / Big Wig Pi Pa Po) and mezzo Christiane Oertel (Mrs. Waas / Mrs. Grindtooth). Ivo Hentschel conducts the Orchestra and Children Chorus of the Komische Oper. Christian von Götz directs.

Today : world première of 'IchundIch' by Johannes Harneit in Hamburg

Today, the Staatsoper Hamburg presents the world première of IchundIch, an opera in 5 acts composed by Johannes Harneit, with a libretto by Lis Arends after Else Lasker-Schüler's play.

It is the composer's third opera after Idiot (2001) and Alice im Wunderland (2015).

After Hitler seized power, the poet Else Lasker-Schüler fled to Zurich and lived in Jerusalem from 1939 until her death in 1945. Her eloquent and bitterly satirical play 'IchundIch' is a clear-minded drama of her times and life in Jerusalem. It is set in Biblical hell as well as in the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem, “Hell’s Valley”, and it is set both in eternity and in the present time of 1941. The dramatis personae include (orthographically masked): Faust, Mephisto and Marta Schwertlein, but also the “Nacis” Göbbels, Göhring and Hitler, the poet (Lasker-Schüler herself), the stage director Max Reinhardt and the Haaretz reviewer Gershon Swet. In her play, the author imagines the utopian arrangement between Faust and Mephisto as a historical compromise against right-wing power, which then perishes in a stream of lava. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Hamburg website)

The cast includes soprano Gabriele Rossmanith (Dichterin), tenor Daniel Kluge (Faust), bass Martin Summer (Mephisto 1), baritone Zak Kariithi (Mephisto 2), mezzo Ida Aldrian (Marthe), tenor Hiroshi Amako (Goebbels) and soprano Hellen Kwon (Vogelscheuche). The composer conducts the Projektensemble der Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and the Chor of the Hamburg State Opera. Christian von Treskow directs.

The performance should last 3 hours. The venue is the Rehearsal Stage 1 (Probebühne 1).

Today : world première of 'Coffee gets cold in the fire department' by Oliver Ostermann in Chemnitz

Today, the Theater Chemnitz presents the world première of Bei der Feuerwehr wird der Kaffee kalt (Coffee gets cold in the fire department), a children opera composed by Oliver Ostermann with a libretto by Alexander Kuchinka based on Hannes Hüttner's book.

Oliver Ostermann has composed several works for the stage, including musicals and children operas.

A timeless story about the turbulent missions of sincerely bizarre firefighters. Emilia Zahnlücke would like to become an animal keeper. During a visit to the zoo with her grandmother Eierschecke, she is rescued by the fire brigade and landed in the hospital. At the same time, her grandmother has dinner with Futtersack, the zoo director... (freely adapted from the Theater Chemnitz website)

The cast includes baritone Matthias Winter (Löschmeister Wasserhose), soprano Dagmar Schellenberger (Oma Eierschecke), soprano Franziska Krötenheerdt (Emilia Zahnlücke) and tenor Reto Rosin (Futtersack). Oliver Ostermann conducts the orchestra. Alexander Kuchinka directs.

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