Yesterday, I have received the programme book published by the Deutsches Nationaltheater in Weimar for the world première of Stewart Copeland's Electric Saint.
It is a 4 pages brochure. It contains :
Attached was a special issue of Die deutsche Bühne, 24 pages entirely dedicated to this new opera.
I have catalogued all my 2185 programme books on LibraryThing.
Today, the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels presents the world première of The Time of Our Singing, an opera composed by Kris Defoort with a libretto in English by Peter van Kraaij, after Richard Powers' novel.
It is the composer's third opera after The Woman Who Walked Into Doors (Brussels, November 23rd, 2001) and House of the Sleeping Beauties (Brussels, May 8th, 2009).
Black Lives Matter, police brutality, rigged elections : these are themes that have remained at the forefront of current affairs over the past year. The work depicts the life of a mixed-race family that is both united and divided by music, against the backdrop of segregation in the post-war United States. The composer conjures an imaginary space in which official history and personal histories intertwine, in which people come together to weave a narrative, and in which jazz and classical music are enriched by one another. (reproduced from the Monnaie website)
The cast includes soprano Claron McFadden (Delia Daley), bas baritone Mark S. Doss (William Daley), bass baritone Simon Bailey (David Strom), tenor Levy Sekgapane (Jonah), baritone Peter Brathwaite (Joey) and jazz singer Abigail Abraham (Ruth). Kwamé Ryan conducts the La Monnaie Chamber orchestra, a jazz quartet and La Monnaie's Children's and Youth Choir.
A recording of the performances will be broadcast by Klara and Musiq3 on November 6.
Today, the Festival Soirées Lyriques du Ventoux presents the world première of Évariste Galois, la nuit tragique, an opera composed by Fabien Barcelo with a libretto by Bruno Alberto.
Évariste Galois was a romantic genius, a mathematician who died in a duel for love at the age of 20, in 1832. The night before his death he hastily wrote his mathematical testament, which took 15 years to demonstrate his first hypotheses. He is also one of the thinkers of the Revolution of 1830 and 1848. (freely adapted from the website of the Orchestre d'Avignon)
The cast includes baritone Mikhael Piccone (Évariste), soprano Chrystelle Di Marco (Stéphanie), mezzo Lucie Roche (Berthe), tenor Valentin Thill (Antoine), baritone Matthis Jacquot (Pescheux) and baritone François Harismendy (Coachman / Judge). Quentin Hindley conducts the Orchestre National Avignon-Provence and the Opera Grand Avignon Chorus.
The concert performance should last about 90 minutes. The venue is Le jardin Singulier in Saint-Léger-du-Ventoux.
Today, the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar presents the world première of Electric Saint, an opera composed by Stewart Copeland with a libretto by Jonathan Moore.
It is the composer's fourth opera after Tell Tale Heart (London, April 8th, 2011), The Invention of Morel (Chicago, February 18th, 2017) and Satan's Fall (Pittsburgh, February 7th, 2020).
The opera highlights the rivalry between him and his fellow inventor and competitor Thomas Edison, both pioneers of electrical engineering with diametrically opposed life philosophies. These two central figures were like the Bill Gates or Steve Jobs of our times — the one, a radical genius with an eye for details, and the other, a brilliant inventor, clever businessman and self-marketer. Tesla wanted to make his electrical inventions available to everyone for the benefit of humanity, while Edison was more interested in accumulating wealth. (reproduced from the Deutsches Nationaltheater website)
The cast includes baritone Richard Morrison (Tesla), tenor Jasper Sung (Robert), soprano Emma Moore (Katharine), baritone Oleksandr Pushniak (JP Morgan), baritone Uwe Schenker-Primus (Edison) and tenor Alexander Günther (Westinghouse). Gregor Bühl conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsches Nationaltheater. Jonathan Moore directs.
