Today : world première of Jörn Arnecke's Welcome to Paradise Lost in Weimar

 

Today, the Nationaltheater Weimar presents the world première of Welcome to Paradise Lost, a new opera composed by Jörn Arnecke with a libretto by Falk Richter after Farid ud-Din Attar's The Conference of the Birds.

It is the composer's 14th work for the stage. His previous operas include Das Fest im Meer (Hamburg, 17 June 2003) Kryos (Bremen, 14 May 2011) Ronja Räubertochter (Duisburg, 26 February 2015) and The Frost Flower Forest (Weimar, 21 May 2019).

The humans are visited by a flock of birds that denounce our political, cultural, socio-economic and ecological transgressions. The birds urge humans both to journey toward themselves and to reach a global agreement to finally change the devastating conditions. The libretto takes on the explosive sociopolitical issues of turbo-capitalism, climate change and the destruction of nature : What are we willing to give up ? What are we losing ?
It focuses on the confrontation between the current supporters and profiteers of the self-destructive system and the youthful protest movements that radically question their way of life. The spectators become involved in a kind of passion play and make their own pilgrimage through the various rooms of the e-werk Weimar. (reproduced from the Kunstfest Weimar website)

The cast includes soprano Ylva Sofia Stenberg (Knabe), contralto Noa Frenkel (Ältere Frau), soprano Heike Porstein (Frau 1) contralto Sarah Mehnert (Frau 2), tenor Alexander Günther (Mann 1) and baritone Alik Abdukayumov (Mann 2). Andreas Wolf conducts the Musiktheaterensemble and a choir of fifteen young people. Andrea Moses directs.

The performance should last about 90 minutes. The venue is e-werk Weimar.

New programme book in my collection : Copeland's 'Electric Saint' in Weimar

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 :

- synopsis ;

- biographies of composer Stewart Copeland and librettist Jonathan Moore ;

- complete cast and crew.

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 : world première of Stewart Copeland's opera 'Electric Saint' in Weimar

 

 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.

New programme book in my collection : 'Paradiese' by Gerd Kühr in Leipzig

 

Yesterday, I have received the programme book published by the Oper Leipzig for the world première performance of Gerd Kühr's Paradiese.

 

It is a 40 pages booklet. It contains :

- synopsis ;

- biography of the composer, Gerd Kühr ;

- biography of the librettist, Hans-Ulrich Treichel ;

- Der Sehnsuchtsmotor rattert, discussion with composer Gerd Kühr, librettist Hans-Ulrich Treichel and director Barbora Horakova ;

- Wolfgang Kraushaar : 1968 ;

- Gabriele Gillen : Das Wunder der Liebe, eine kleine Geschichte der sexuellen Revolution ;

- Charles Baudelaire : Die künstlichen Paradiese ;

- Apollodor : Der Mythos von Agaue und Pentheus ;

- Hans-Ulrich Treichel : Berlin - Terra incognita ;

It contains also 16 pages of colour photos of the production. It is entirely in German.

I now have 1996 programme books in my collection, including 664 for contemporary operas. I have catalogued my entire collection on LibraryThing.

Today : world première of Gerd Kühr's 'Paradiese' in Leipzig

 

Today, the Oper Leipzig presents the world première of Paradiese, an opera in four acts composed by Gerd Kühr with a libretto by Hans-Ulrich Treichel.

It is the composer's fourth opera after Stallerhof (Munich, June 3, 1988), Tod und Teufel (Graz, September 17, 1999) and Agleia Federweiß (Deutschlandsberg, October 24, 2001).

 This opera tells the initiation story of a young man named Albert, set against the backdrop of a divided Germany. The setting is the city of Berlin. We’re taken on a journey: to West Berlin in the 1970s, to a mythological time on the No-man’s land of the Peacock Island, to the pre-unification theater scene in West Berlin, and to the years after the fall of the Wall. Four female figures represent four the different stages of our jouney: Lise, a political science student; Friederike, a dental student; Marie, an actress; and Anna, a young woman from East Berlin. (reproduced from the Oper Leipzig website)

The cast includes soprano Alina Adamski (Lise), soprano Julia Sophie Wagner (Friederike), mezzo Christiane Döcker (Marie), soprano Magdalena Hinterdobler (Anna) and baritone Mathias Hausmann (Albert). Ulf Schirmer conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Oper Leipzig. Barbora Horakova Joly directs.

The performance should last about 2 hours. The venue if the Opera House.

Today : world première of Lucia Ronchetti's 'Inferno' in Frankfurt

 

Today, the Oper Frankfurt presents the world première of Lucia Ronchetti's Inferno, an opera with a libretto by the composer based on Dante Alighieri's Divina Commedia with an epilogue by Tiziano Scarpa.

 Lucia Ronchetti has already composed several works of music theatre, including Neumond (Mannheim, 2012), Mise en abyme (Dresden, 2015), Esame di mezzanotte (Mannheim, 2015), Rivale (Berlin, 2017) and Les aventures de Pinocchio (Rennes, 2019).

A man at rock bottom decides to search for the next world, journeying through Hell. (reproduced from the Oper Frankfurt website)

The cast includes actor Sebastian Kuschmann (Dante), mezzo Karolina Makula (Francesca), tenor Alexander Kravets (Ulisse) and bass Alfred Reiter (Lucifero). Tito Ceccherini conducts the Schumann String Quartet, the Opern- und Museumsorchester Frankfurt and a Vocal ensemble. Marcus Lobbes directs.

The performance should last about 1 hour and 45 minutes with no interval. The venue is the Bockenheimer Depot.

Today : world première of 'Singularity' by Miroslav Srnka in Munich

 

Today, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich presents the world première of Singularity, a Space Opera for Young Voices, composed by Miroslav Srnka with a libretto in English by Tom Holloway.

It is the composer's fourth opera after Wall (Berlin, 2005), Make No Noise (Munich, 2011) and South Pole (Munich, 2015).

It is a musical comedy about technical progress and its consequences for human cohabitation. Implantable microchips and nanotechnology open up new communication possibilities, but they make humanity prone to faults in the networked system. So what happens when an update gets out of control ? And what if artificial intelligence becomes superior to human intelligence ? The opera follows the traces of a not-so-improbable science fiction between earth and space, and also brings the comic sides of this theme to the stage. (reproduced from the Bavarian State Opera website)

The cast includes sopranos Eliza Bloom and Juliana Zara, mezzos Daria Proszek and Yajie Zhang, tenors George Virban and Andres Agudelo, baritones Andrew Hamilton and Theodore Platt. Patrick Hahn conducts the Klangforum Wien Orchestra. Nicholas Brieger directs.

The venue is the Cuvilliés-Theater. The performance should last about 80 mintues. The work is published by Bärenreiter.

New programme book in my collection : 'Dark Spring' by Hans Thomalla in Mannheim

 Yesterday, I have received the programme book published by the Nationaltheater Mannheim for the world première performance of Dark Spring, a new opera composed by Hans Thomalla with a libretto by the composer after Frank Wedekind's play Frühlings Erwachen.

 

It is a 72 pages book, entirely in German. It contains :

- the complete cast for the world première performance ;

- plot summary ;

- a conversation between composer Hans Thomalla, stage director Barbora Horakova and Cordula Dermattio ;

- Das Gehabe, an excerpt of Édouard Louis' novel Das Ender von Eddy ;

- 16 pages of colour photos from the rehearsals ;

- the complete libretto in the original English, with a German translation ;

- short biographies of composer, conductor, stage director and sets and costumes designer.

I have catalogued all my programme books on LibraryThing.

Today : world première of 'Dark Spring' by Hans Thomalla in Mannheim

 

Today, the Nationaltheater Mannheim presents the world première of Dark Spring, an opera in 11 scenes, composed by Hans Thomalla with a libretto by the composer based on Frank Wedekind's play Frühlingserwachen.

 

It is the composer's third opera, after Fremd (Stuttgart, July 2, 2011) and Kaspar Hauser (Freiburg, April 9, 2016). Belgian composer Benoît Mernier also adapted the play as an opera (first performed at La Monnaie in Brussels, March 9, 2007).

Dark Spring is an opera about four young people under extreme pressure: the pressure to overachieve academically, to score high in the popularity contests at school or at college, and to perform romantically or sexually. The pressure has become entirely internalized as parents or teachers are absent and the protagonists are left alone with late capitalism’s demands of permanent self-optimization. The conflict between the expectation to succeed on the one hand and the sense of powerlessness and unattainable self-determination in an era of constant stagnation on the other hand grows increasingly acute until it eventually flips into violence: into Melchior’s sexual aggression and Moritz suicide. (reproduced from the NTM website).

The cast includes mezzo Shachar Lavi (Wendla), mezzo Anna Hybiner (Ilse), countertenor Magid El-Bushra (Moritz) and tenor Christopher Diffey (Melchior). Alan Pierson conducts the Nationaltheater-Orchester. Barbora Horáková Joly directs.

The performance should last about 90 minutes. No intermission.

 

Today : world première of 'L'Européenne' by Richard van Schoor in Lübeck

Today, the Theater Lübeck presents the world première of L'Européenne, an opera composed by Richard van Schoor, with a libretto by Thomas Goerge.

 
It is the composer's second opera after Alp Arslan (Gießen, May 4, 2019).

The European development worker Lena gets to know Boubakar at an electrical waste disposal site in a large African city. He follows her to Germany. But Lena is sick, on a date with Boubakar she kills herself with tablets. Boubakar flees the apartment, is arrested and charged with murder. In kaleidoscopic images, the opera based on the short film »The Wrong Side« by Lionel Poutiaire Somé shows the story of the relationship between an African migrant and a European. As a cinema opera, "L’Européenne" combines cinematic means in different ways with the performance of the performers on stage. (freely adapted from the Theater Lübeck website)

The cast includes soprano Emma McNairy (Lena), soprano Caroline Nkwe (several parts), tenor Owen Metsileng (Bouba), baritone Steffen Kubach (several parts) and bass Youngkug Jin (Féticheur). Andreas Wolf conducts the Philharmonisches Orchester der Hansestadt Lübeck and the Lübeck Theater Chorus. Lionel Poutiaire Somé directs.

Today : world première of Roland Fister's 'Die Prinzessin auf dem Kürbis' in Coburg.

Today, the Landestheater Coburg presents the world première of Die Prinzessin auf dem Kürbis (The Princess and the Pumpkin), a children opera composed by Roland Fister with a libretto by Heinz Janisch based on the children story.

(c) Nicolas Kroeger

It is the composer's third opera after Dorian Gray and Die Schatzinsel (Coburg, 2016).

A sign on the castle wall reads "Princess wanted ! Pea princess, no thanks !”. After the prince met the famous princess on the pea at the wedding of the neighboring prince, one thing is certain for him : such a squeamish princess will never come to his castle ! Encouraged by the sign, two princesses try their luck, but the prince is so rude that despite the efforts of his servant Dragonbane, they quickly run away. Until one night a princess shows up who can even sleep on a pumpkin... (freely adapted from the Landestheater Coburg website)

The cat includes soprano Laura Incko (The Princess on the Pumpkin), mezzo Kora Pavelic (Miranda), soprano Dimitra Kotidou (The Princess on the Pea), tenor Peter Aisher (The Prince) and baritone Marvin Zobel (Leupold Dragonbane). The composer conducts the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Landestheater Coburg. Ilaria Lanzino directs.

Today : world première of 'Minona' by Jüri Reinvere in Regensburg

Today, the Theater Regensburg presents the world première of Minona, an opera composed by Jüri Reinvere, who also wrote the libretto.

It it the composer's third opera, after Puhdistus (The Purge, Helsinki, April 20, 2012) and Peer Gynt (Oslo, November 29, 2014).

This work is dedicated to a both unusual and spectacular topic – Beethoven’s presumed natural daughter, Minona von Stackelberg, and his 'Immortal Beloved' Josephine Brunsvik. The presumption is that Josephine Brunsvik was the recipient of Beethoven’s letter addressed to his 'Immortal Beloved'. Josephine had been married since 1810 to her second husband Christoph Baron von Stackelberg. Much points to a meeting between Beethoven and Brunsvik in July 1812. At this point Josephine’s marriage was already on the rocks. Nine months after this meeting Josephine gave birth to daughter Minona. Some of her compositions are still intact. (reproduced from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation website)

The cast includes soprano Theodora Varga (Minona), soprano Anna Pisareva (Josephine), mezzo Vera Semieniuk (Gräfin von Goltz), baritone Johannes Mooser (Graf von Teleki) and tenor Deniz Yilmaz (Attila de Gerando). Chin-Chao Lin conducts the Philharmonic Orchestra Regensburg and the Chorus of the Theater Regensburg. Hendrik Müller directs.

Today : world première of 'Chaosmos' by Marc Sinan in Wuppertal

Today, the Oper Wuppertal presents the world première of Chaosmos, an interactive opera composed by Marc Sinan with a libretto by Tobias Rausch.

It is the composer's fourth musical theater project.

The opera house getting turned into a logistics center. This is where Jay and Joe work, incessantly moving crates back and forth with their forklifts. Inside each crate is part of the musical score that tells a story. Joe sorts the stories, while Jay messes them up, allowing new patterns to constantly emerge.
Members of the audience are also able to influence the movement onstage by sorting the crates before the piece begins, adding chaos or structure as the drama unfolds.
The resulting order and disorder randomly combine arias, stories, musical scenes and video projections. Times, places and levels constantly get shifted. The principles of classification created by the naturalist Carl Linnaeus meet the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the history of the ocean container. (reproduced from the composer's website)

The cast includes soprano Wendy Krikken, mezzo Iris Marie Sojer, tenor Adam Temple-Smith and baritone Timothy Edlin. Johannes Pell conducts. Konrad Kästner directs.

The opera will subsequently be performed in Halle (first performance on April 3rd) and in Bremen (first performance on June 20), as part of the NOperas! project.

New programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired 7 new programme books for performances of contemporary operas :

- Harrison Birtwistle : The Mask of Orpheus, London (ENO), October 18, 2019 ;
- John Corigliano : The Ghosts of Versailles, Versailles, December 4, 2019 (National première) ;
- Chaya Czernowin : Heart Chamber, Berlin (Deutsche Oper), November 15, 2019 (world première) ;

- Søren Nils Eichberg : Wolf unter Wölfen, Koblenz, November 23, 2019 (world première) ;
- Philip Glass : Orphée, London (ENO), November 15, 2019 ;
- Olga Neuwirth : Orlando, Vienna (Staatsoper), December 8, 2019 (world première) ;
- Philip Venables : Denis & Katya, Philadelphia, September 18, 2019 (world première).

I now have programme books for 710 performances of contemporary operas in my collection. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Der Zauberer von Oz' by Anno Schreier in Aachen

Today, the Theater Aachen presents the world première of Der Zauberer von Oz (The Wizard of Oz), an 'opera for the whole family' in 2 acts composed by Anno Schreier with a libretto in German by Alexander Jansen based on Lyman Frank Baum's novel.

(c) Sven Paustian

It is the composer's sixth opera after Die Stadt der Blinden (Zurich, November 12, 2011), Mörder Kaspar Brand (Düsseldorf, June 14, 2012), Hamlet (Vienna, September 14, 2016) and Schade, dass sie eine Hure war (Düsseldorf, February 16, 2019).

The little Dorothy from Kansas is blown by a cyclone into the country Oz. With the help of her friends, the scarecrow, the lion, and the tinman, she embarks on an adventurous journey to find the Wizard of Oz. Only he can help her get back home, but - as it turns out - less with magic than with the ability to believe in oneself. (freely adapted from the Aachen Theater website)

The cast includes bass Woong-jo Choi (Der Zauberer von Oz), soprano Anne-Aurore Cochet (Dorothy), tenor Patricio Arroyo (Die Vogelscheuche), baritone Fabio Lesuisse (Der Löwe), tenor Hyunhan Hwang (Der Blechmann) and soprano Irina Popova (Die Hexe). Christopher Ward conducts the Sinfonieorchester Aachen. Ute M. Engelhardt directs.

The score is published by Schott. The required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes (doubling Piccolo), 2 oboes (doubling English horn) ; 2 clarinets (doubling E-flat clarinet), 2 bassoons (doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussion (2 players), harp, celesta (doubling harpsichord and synthesizer) ;
- strings.

The performance should last 90 minutes.

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 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 '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 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.