Three new programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired three new programme books for contemporary operas :

 - Hans Werner Henze : L'Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe, Madrid, December 7th, 2004 ;
- Vittorio Montalti : Un romano a Marte, Roma, November 22, 2019 ;
- Jüri Reinvere : Minona, Regensburg, January 25, 2020.

The first one is 191 pages book, the second a 138 pages book, the third a 32 pages brochure.

I have catalogued all my 1492 programme books on Librarything.

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.

Received in the mail this morning : program book for Jüri Reinvere's 'Peer Gynt' in Oslo

This morning, I have received in the mail the program book published by the Norwegian National Opera for the world première of Jüri Reinvere's opera Peer Gynt.

It is a 44 pages brochure. It contains :

- detailed synopsis ;
- complete cast (with photos in character) and crew ;
- an article by the stage director on her staging this new opera ;
- an interview with the singer of the title role, Nils Harald Sødal ;
- an interview with the composer ;
- biographies of performers.

The book in entirely written in Norwegian, with the exception of three pages in English : a foreword by Per Boye Hansen, opera director, and the detailed synopsis. I had already received by e-mail word files of the interview with the stage director and the complete libretto, both in English.

Today : world première of Jüri Reinvere's opera 'Peer Gynt' in Oslo

Today, Jüri Reinvere's new opera, Peer Gynt, with a libretto (in German) by the composer after Henrik Ibsen's play will be performed in Oslo.

It is Reinvere's second opera after Puhdistus (Purge), first performed in Helsinki in 2012. It is the second opera after Ibsen's play. The first was composed by Werner Egk in 1938.

«Who are you?» That is the question Peer Gynt asks the Bøyg, the Mountain King and the Sphinx, receiving only the answer, «Myself». But who is that, and who is Peer Gynt? What does it mean to be Norwegian in 2014, 200 years after we gained our first written constitution? What or where is the core, the seed? Is there one at all ? This work is a commentary on the position of the Peer Gynt phenomenon as a national and international Norwegian symbol. It is the story of the search for an identity that constantly escapes us. Our past and our memories, on the other hand, we carry with us whether we want to or not. The story of the evasive Peer Gynt shows that we have to face them in order to better understand ourselves.(reproduced from www.operaen.no)

There are 8 singers, all of them singing several parts, except Peer Gynt : Nils Harald Sødal (tenor, Peer Gynt), Marita Sølberg (soprano, Young Solveig), Ingebjørg Kosmo (mezzo, Elderly Solveig), Kari Ulfsnes Kleiven (soprano, Ingrid / Anitra), David Hansen (countertenor, Bogey / Cheshire Cat), Thor Inge Falch (tenor, Smith / Huhu), Ketil Hugaas (bass baritone, Troll King / von Eberkopf / Professor Begriffenfeldt) and Johannes Weisser (baritone, Priest / Executioner, Minister Hussein). John Helmer Fiore will conduct the chorus and the orchestra of the Norwegian Opera. Sigrid Strøm Reibo will direct.

The orchestra is the following :
- 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba
- timpani and 4 percussionists
- 2 harps, piano, synthesizer, celesta
- tape
- strings

The opera should last about 2 hours and 20 minutes, with one interval. The first act consists of 3 'images' and the second of 4. Though the libretto has been written in German, the Norwegian National Opera will perform this new opera in Norwegian. There is no broadcast planned yet.

New Season 2014-2015 at Den Norske Opera in Oslo

During the 2014-2015, the 10 following operas (in 6 languages) will be performed in Oslo (4 new productions, including a world première, 6 revivals) :

- Giacomo Puccini : Madama Butterfly, conducted by John Fiore, directed by Stephen Langridge (revival of a production first performed in Copenhagen in December 2010) ;
- Dmitri Shostakovich : Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, conducted by Oleg Caetani, directed by Ole Anders Tandberg (new production, to be performed at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin in January 2015) ;
- Jacques Offenbach : Les Contes d'Hoffmann, conducted by Stefan Blunier, directed by Calixto Bieito (revival, first performed in December 2013) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Don Giovanni, conducted by Lothar Koenigs, directed by Thaddeus Strassberger (revival, first performed in March 2014) ;
- Jüri Reinvere : Peer Gynt, conducted by John Fiore, directed by Sigrid Strøm Reibo (world première) ;
- Gioachino Rossini : Il barbiere di Siviglia, conducted by Enrique Mazzola, directed by François de Carpentries (revival, first performed in Nancy in May 2005, already performed in Oslo in February 2007) ;
- Georges Bizet : Carmen, conducted by Fabien Gabel, directed by Calixto Bieito (revival, first performed in Antwerpen in December 2004, then in Gent, Palermo, Basel, Venezia, Torino and London) ;
- Richard Wagner : Lohengrin, conducted by John Fiore, directed by Thorleifur örn Arnarsson (revival, first performed in Augsburg in May 2014) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : La Traviata, conducted by James Gaffigan, directed by Tatjana Gürbaca (new production) ;
- Peter Maxwell Davies : Cinderella, directed by Gunnar Bergstrøm (children opera, new production).

Program books for new operas, 2011-2012 season

During the 2011-2012 season, I managed to collect program books for the following new operas : 

- Markus Fagerudd : Free Will, Savonlinna, July 21, 2012 (PDF)

- Detlev Glanert : Solaris, Bregenz, July 18, 2012

- George Benjamin, Written on Skin, Aix-en-Provence, July 7, 2012

 - Lucia Ronchetti : Neumond, Mannheim, July 1, 2012

  
- Toshio Hosokawa : The Raven, Luxembourg, June 27, 2012

- Jennifer Walshe : Die Taktik, Stuttgart (Kammertheater), June 14, 2012

- Anno Schreier : Mörder Kaspar Brand, Düsseldorf, June 14, 2012

 
- Robin de Raaff : Waiting for Miss Monroe, Amsterdam, June 9, 2012

- Olga Neuwirth : The Outcast, Mannheim, May 25, 2012 (PDF)

- Silvia Colasanti : La Metamorfosi, Firenze (Teatro Goldoni), May 22, 2012 (PDF)

- Marco Stroppa : Re Orso, Paris (Opéra-Comique), May 19, 2012

- Gordon Kerry : Midnight Son, Melbourne (Victorian Opera), May 16, 2012

- Arnulf Herrmann : Wasser, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 16, 2012 (PDF)

- Eunyoung Kim : Mama Dolorosa, Munich (Gasteig, Biennale), May 5, 2012 (PDF)

- Sarah Nemtsov : L’Absence, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 3, 2012 (PDF)

- Moritz Eggert : All diese Tage, Bremen, April 28, 2012

- Enno Poppe : IQ, Schwetzingen, April 27, 2012 (PDF)

- Jüri Reinvere : Purge, Helsinki, April 20, 2012

- Sidney Corbett : Ubu, Gelsenkirchen, April 14, 2012 (PDF)

- Ludger Vollmer : Border, Köln (Palladium), April 13, 2012

 

- Edward Rushton : Babur in London, Zürich (Theater Rigblick), March 28, 2012

- Jérôme Combier : Terre et Cendres, Lyon, March 10, 2012 (PDF)

- Bruno Giner : Pion prend tour en D9, Paris (Auditorium St. Germain), March 7, 2012

- Enver Yalçin Özdiker : Aufstand, Wuppertal, March 4, 2012

- Betsy Jolas : La Maison qui Chante, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Febuary 9, 2012 (PDF)

- Simon Wills : The Stolen Smells, Luzern, January 29, 2012

- Philippe Fénelon : La Cerisaie, Paris, January 27, 2012

- Manfred Trojahn : Orest, Amsterdam, December 8, 2011
 

  

- Ragnar Söderlind : I Cancelliraadens Dage, Brumunddal, November 17, 2011

- Elzbieta Sikora : Madame Curie, Paris (Unesco), November 15, 2011

- Lera Auerbach : Gogol, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 15, 2011

  

- Anno Schreier : Die Stadt der Blinden, Zürich, November 12, 2011

- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, Minneapolis, November 12, 2011

- Andrew P. MacDonald : Mary’s Wedding, Victoria (BC), November 10, 2011

  

- Nico Muhly : Dark Sisters, New York (Gotham Chamber Opera), November 9, 2011

- Gerhard Wimberger : Heinrich und Kleist, Frankfurt an der Oder, November 4, 2011

- Samu Gryllus : Blaubarts, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Joanna Doderer : Papageno eine Ausflucht, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Karmella Tsepolenko : Heute Abend Boris Godunow, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

  

- Christian Jost : Mikropolis, Berlin (Komische Oper), October 30, 2011 (PDF)

- Marcela Rodriguez : Las cartas de Frida, Heidelberg, October 26, 2011

- Claude Lenners : Der Turm, Luxembourg, October 6, 2011

- Philippe Manoury : La Nuit de Gutenberg, Strasbourg, September 24, 2011

 

- Alessandro Solbiati : Leggenda, Torino, September 20, 2011

- Leo Dick : Der Wunsch, Indianer zu werden, Bern, September 10, 2011

- Christopher Theofanidis : Heart of a Soldier, San Francisco, September 10, 2011

  

- Reinhardt Wagner : René l’énervé, Paris (Théâtre du Rond-Point), September 7 2011

- Santa Ratniece : War Sum Up, Riga, September 2, 2011 (PDF)