June 12th : world première of 'The Cure' by Harrison Birtwistle in Aldeburgh

Today, Harrison Birtwistle's new chamber opera, The Cure, with a libretto by David Harsent, will be premiered in Aldeburgh (Britten Studio in Snape).

In the last 50 years, Harrison Birtwistle has been a major opera composer in the UK. Between Punch and Judy (1967) and The Cure, he composed two major operas for the Royal Opera House in London : Gawain (1990) and The Minotaur (2008). This work, like several others in Birtwistle's output, has been inspired by classical mytholoy.

Taking as its starting point Jason’s triumphant arrival home with the Golden Fleece, The Cure casts an intense focus on the magical rejuvenation of his father by his sorceress lover Medea. ‘I came across a few lines from John Gower’s poem Confessio Amantis’, says Birtwistle, ‘that describe the moment when, at night and under a full moon, Medea goes out to gather herbs with which to make a potion that will rejuvenate Jason’s father Aeson: Upon hir clothes gert sche was, / Al specheles and on the gras / Sche glod forth as an Addre doth... It seemed, to me, like a beginning... and so it was.’ (reproduced from the Aldeburgh Festival website)

Singers Elizabeth Atherton and Mark Padmore will be accompanied by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Geoffrey Paterson. Martin Duncan directs. The Cure is the second part of a double bill evening starting with The Corridor (2009). It should last about 50 minutes. Next week, after three performances in Aldeburgh, the show will move to the Linbury Studio Theatre in London.

DVD recordings of contemporary operas in my collection

I have the following DVD recordings of contemporary operas in my collection :

- Mark Adamo : Little Women, Summers / Webster, Naxos
- John Adams : Doctor Atomic, Gilbert / Woolcock, Sony
- John Adams : Doctor Atomic, Renes / Sellars, Opus Arte

- John Adams : El Nino, Nagano / Sellars, ArtHaus Musik
- John Adams : Nixon in China, Adams / Sellars, Nonesuch
- Thomas Adès : Powder her Face, Adès / Alden, Digital Classics

- Thomas Adès : The Tempest, Adès / Lepage, Deutsche Grammophon
- George Benjamin : Written on Skin, Benjamin / Mitchell, Opus Arte
- Harrison Birtwistle : The Minotaur, Pappano / Langridge, Opus Arte

- Philippe Boesmans : Julie, Ono / Bondy, BelAir Classiques
- Daniel Catan : Il Postino, Gershon / Daniels, Sony
- Unsuk Chin : Alice in Wonderland, Nagano / Freyer, Unitel Classica

- Kyong Mee Choi : The Eternal Tao, Lewanski / Choi, Ravello
- John Corigliano : The Ghosts of Versailles, Levine / Graham, MetOpera

- Chaya Czernowin : Pnima... ins Innere, Kalitzke / Guth, mode

- Michael Daugherty : Jackie O, Franklin / Michieletto, Dynamic

- Jonathan Dove : The Adventures of Pinocchio, Parry / Duncan, Opus Arte
- Pascal Dusapin : Faustus, the Last Night, Stockhammer / Mussbach, naïve

 

- John Eaton : The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Kramer-Johansen / Capalbo, Albany

- Philip Glass : Kepler, Russell Davies / Missotten, OMM

- Philip Glass : Satyagraha, Russell Davies / Freyer, ArtHaus Musik

- Philip Glass : The Perfect American, Russell Davies / McDermott, Opus Arte
- Joan Guinjoan : Gaudi, Pons / Huerga, Columna Musica

- Cristobal Halffter : Lazaro, Fritzsch / Schulin, Neos

- Jake Heggie : Moby-Dick, Summers / Foglia, EuroArts
- Mikko Heiniö : Eerik XIV, Segerstam / Söderblom, Turku Music Festival
- Hans Werner Henze : Boulevard Solitude, Pesko / Lehnhoff, EuroArts

- Hans Werner Henze : Der junge Lord, von Dohnanyi / Sellner, Medici Arts
- Hans Werner Henze : Der Prinz von Homburg, Sawallisch / Lehnhoff, ArtHaus Musik
- Hans Werner Henze : L'Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe, Stenz / Dorn, EuroArts

- Bo Holten : The Visit of the Royal Physician, Holten / Oskarson, Dacapo
- Rued Langgaard : Antikrist, Dausgaard / Holm, Dacapo
- György Ligeti : Le Grand Macabre, Boder / Ollé, ArtHaus Musik

- Lorin Maazel : 1984, Maazel / Lepage, Decca
- Nicholas Maw : Sophie's Choice, Rattle / Nunn, Opus Arte
- Benoît Mernier : Frühlings Erwachen, Alber / Boussard, cypres

- Olivier Messiaen : Saint François d'Assise, Metzmacher / Audi, Opus Arte
- Luca Mosca : Signor Goldoni, Molino / Livermore, Dynamic
- Elisabeth Naske : Das Städtchen Drumherum, Praxmarer / Lutz, Belvedere

- Laurent Petitgirard : Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man, Petitgirard / Mesguich, Marco Polo
- André Previn : A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn / Graham, ArtHaus Musik
- Einojuhani Rautavaara : Aleksis Kivi, Franck / Milonoff, Ondine

- Einojuhani Rautavaara : Rasputin, Franck / Kiljunen, Ondine
- Einojuhani Rautavaara : The Gift of the Magi, Sakari / Heikinheimo, ArtHaus Musik
- Aribert Reimann : Die Gespenstersonate, Layer / Lukas-Kindermann, ArtHaus Musik

- Aribert Reimann : Medea, Boder / Marelli, ArtHaus Musik
- Wolfgang Rihm : Dionysos, Metzmacher / Audi, EuroArts
- Wolfgang Rihm : Œdipus, Prick / Friedrich, ArtHaus Musik

- Poul Ruders : Selma Jezkova, Schønwandt / Holten, Dacapo
- Kaija Saariaho : L'Amour de loin, Salonen / Sellars, Deutsche Grammophon
- Aulis Sallinen : The Palace, Kamu / Holmberg, ArtHaus Musik

- Aulis Sallinen : The Red Line, Franck / Milonoff, Ondine
- Salvatore Sciarrino : Luci mie traditrici, Angius / Pade, EuroArts
- Elzbieta Sikora : Madame Curie, Michniewski / Weiss, Dux

- Tan Dun : Marco Polo, Tan Dun / Audi, Opus Arte
- Tan Dun : The First Emperor, Tan Dun / Yimou, EMI Classics
- Kari Tikka : Luther, Tikka / Tapola, Ondine

- Michael Tippett : King Priam, Norrington / Hytner, ArtHaus Musik
- Mark-Anthony Turnage : Anna Nicole, Pappano / Jones, Opus Arte
- Mark-Anthony Turnage : Greek, Bernas / Maniura - Moore, ArtHaus Musik

- Peter Westergaard : Alice in Wonderland, Pratt / Westergaard, Albany
- Bernd Alois Zimmermann : Die Soldaten, Kontarsky / Kupfer, ArtHaus Musik
- Bernd Alois Zimmermann : Die Soldaten, Metzmacher / Hermanis, EuroArts

Other DVDs recently acquired :
http://cowarc.blogspot.fr/2014/09/newly-acquired-tchaikowsky-merchant-of.html
http://cowarc.blogspot.fr/2014/05/recently-acquired-recordings.html
http://cowarc.blogspot.fr/2014/04/blog-post.html