Today : world première of Brett Dean's 'Hamlet' in Glyndebourne (and programme book)

Today, the Glyndebourne Festival presents the world première of Brett Dean's Hamlet, an opera in two acts with a libretto by Matthew Jocelyn based on Shakespeare.

It is the composer's second opera after Bliss (Sydney, March 12, 2010).

Thoughts of murder and revenge drive Hamlet when he learns that it was his uncle Claudius who killed his father, the King of Denmark, then seized his father’s crown and wife. But Hamlet’s vengeance vies with the question: is suicide a morally valid deed in an unbearably painful world ? (reproduced from the Glyndebourne Festival website)

The cast includes tenor Allan Clayton (Hamlet), mezzo Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), soprano Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), bass-baritone Rod Gilfry (Claudius), tenor Kim Begley (Polonius), bass John Tomlinson (Ghost of Old Hamlet). Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus. Neil Armfield directs.

The required orchestra is the following (according to the Boosey & Hawkes website) :

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussion (4 players) ;
- timpani, accordion, harp, keyboard ;
- strings (10.8.6.6.4)

These numbers include two identical trios, each consisting of 1 clarinet, 1 trumpet and 1 percussion, to be stationed in the theatre throughout.

The performance should last about 140 minutes, and the complete performance including interval should last about 4 hours.

The programme book for the complete Festival is a large 144 pages book. It contains 11 pages on Hamlet :

- the synopsis ;
- complete cast and crew ;
- a discussion with the creative team (composer, librettist, conductor, director, leading man Allan Clayton and dramaturg Cori Ellison) ;
- We who are Hamlet, by Sarah Crompton ;
- Will the real Hamlet please stand up ? by James Shapiro ;
- artists biographies for the whole Festival, with black and white headshots.

I now have 476 programme books for contemporary operas. All scanned covers are in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Timo Jouko Herrmann's 'Hamlet - Sein oder Nichtsein' in Dortmund

Today, the Theater Dortmund presents the world première of Timo Jouko Herrmann's children opera Hamlet - Sein oder Nichtsein (Hamlet - To be or not to be), with a libretto by André Meyer based on William Shakespeare's play.

(c) CTK Photo/Michal Krumphanzl

It is the composer's second opera after Unreine Tragödien und aussätzige Dramatiker (after Chekhov, 2004).

Hamlet feels abandoned and betrayed after his father's early death and his mother's marraige. The ghost of his father appears in his imagination and orders him to avenge his death on the stepfather. The young prince is experiencing chaotic feelings ; the voices in his head, his love for Ophelia, the new situation at the court are overwhelming for the young boy. (freely adapted from the Theater Dortmund website)

The cast includes baritone Fabio Lesuisse (Hamlet), soprano Anna Lucia Struck (Ophelia) and actors Andreas Ksienzyk (Claudius), Rainer Kleinespel (Polonius) and Bettina Zobel (Gertrud). Ingo Martin Stadtmüller conducts members of the Philharmonic Orchestra Dortmund and the Opera Chorus. Ronny Jakubaschk directs.

The orchestra setting is the following (according to the composer's website) : 2 percussionists, 1 piano (also playing celesta) and strings (4.3.2.2.1 or more).

The performance should last about 70 minutes.

Received this morning : programme book for Anno Schreier's 'Hamlet' in Vienna

This Saturday morning, I have received in the mail the programme book published by the Theater an der Wien in Vienna for the world première performance of Anno Schreier's Hamlet. The first performance was on September 14.

It is a 100 pages book. It contains :

- the complete cast and crew ;
- color photos of rehearsals (38 pages) ;
- synopsis ;
- Mythos Hamlet, by Jan Kott (from Shakespeare heute, 1970) ;
- "Das muss ein Ausweg sein !", Hamlet im Mikrokosmos, a dialogue with librettist Thomas Jonigk and director Christof Loy, by Karin Bohnert ;
- "Schönheit ist nicht nur Harmonie", a dialogue with composer Anno Schreier, by Karin Bohnert ;
- Vom Amleth zu Hamlet - Quellen und Vorformen, by Karin Bohnert ;
 - Er gehört der Ewigkeit - über Shakespeare, by Peter Kümmel ;
- Die Revision des Ich, by Harold Bloom ;
- biographies of the cast and crew, with color headshots ;

The book is entirely in German, but it contains an English synopsis of the opera at the end. I now have 431 programme books for contemporary operas in my collection. All the covers are available in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Hamlet' composed by Anno Schreier in Wien

Today, the Theater an der Wien in Vienna presents the world première of Hamlet, an opera in 25 scenes composed by Anno Schreier, with a libretto in German by Thomas Jonigk, based on the play by William Shakespeare, Historia Danica by Saxo Grammaticus and Histoires Tragiques by François de Belleforest.

It is the composer's seventh work of musical theatre. He has already composed two operas : Kein Ort. Nirgends (2006), after Christa Wolf and Möder Kaspar Brand (2011) after Edgar Allan Poe.

Hamlet, the old king, is dead, presumed poisoned. His widow Gertrude now plans to marry his brother, Claudius. She seems to have an over-affectionate relationship with her son, Hamlet. Presumably for this reason, and on grounds of decency, the son disapproves of her mother's remarriage so soon after his father's death. The young Hamlet feels that everything is becoming too much for him: his feelings towards his mother, his father's death and the looming prospect of one day succeeding him as king which would mean having to accept him or the new king, his uncle Claudius, as a role model. What is more he is sure that it was Claudius who killed his father. How should he react in this situation ? Gertrude is soon pregnant and convinced that the child will be a boy. Hamlet feels surplus to requirements and starts to suffer fits of depression. Gertrude engages Ophelia, a high-class prostitute who also bestowed her "favours" on the late king, as a distraction for Hamlet. However, the nature of her profession is also causing Ophelia to feel depressed. She and Hamlet realise that they have an emotional bond and fall deeply in love with each other. Gertrude now persuades Claudius to murder Ophelia. Once she is dead, Gertrude sets Hamlet against Claudius so she will be rid of him as well, but her plans go awry when Claudius stabs Hamlet to death. Claudius publicly expresses his regret at the death of the crown prince before securing family ties with the pregnant Gertrude. (reproduced from the Theater an der Wien website)

The required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones and 1 tuba ;
- percussions (2 players) ;
- harp, strings.

The cast includes baritone André Schuen (Hamlet), countertenor Jochen Kowalski (Dead Hamlet, former King, a spoken part), soprano Marlis Petersen (Gertrud, Queen) and baritone Bo Skovhus (Claudius) who recently performed the title role of Aribert Reimann's Lear in Paris. Michael Boder conducts the Symphony Orchestra of the Austrian Radio (ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien) and the Arnold Schoenberg Chor. Christof Loy directs.

The opera should last about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The first performance will be broadcast by Austrian Radio OE1 on Friday 16 September.