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 Gerald Resch's children opera 'Gullivers Reise' in Dortmund

Today, the Theater Dortmund presents the world première of Gerald Resch's opera Gullivers Reise, with a libretto by John von Düffel, freely adapted from Jonathan Swift's novel.

photo: www.georglembergh.com

It is the composer's third stage work.

After his ship has capsized in a storm, the young Gulliver is washed ashore on the beach of a strange island. The people are tiny here on Lilliput – or looked at the other way around, Gulliver is unimaginably large to these people. It is therefore no wonder that they fear this foreign giant and would like to hunt him down like a stranded whale. But the clever girl Vaniliput considers the intruder to be harmless and convinces her fellow citizens that they should first become acquainted with him. The good-natured Gulliver needs a very great deal of food by Lilliputian standards, but makes himself useful in return by driving away an enemy fleet from Lilliput’s coast. Through his peacefulness, however, he makes an enemy of the powerful Admiral Skyresch, who is only waiting for an opportunity to harm Gulliver. When Gulliver saves the burning royal palace by emptying the contents of his bladder onto it, the tolerance of both sides is put to a foul-smelling test. (reproduced from the Sikorski Verlag website)

The cast includes tenor Joshua Whitener (Gulliver), soprano Ashley Thouret or Tamara Weimerich (Prinzessin Rosalila), mezzo Almerija Delic (Vaniliput) and bass Luke Stoker (Steuermann / Skyrech). Ingo Martin Stadtmüller conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Theater Dortmund. Marcelo Diaz directs.

The orchestra setting is the following (reproduced from the Sikorski website) :

- 2 flutes (also piccolo), 2 oboes (also English horn), 2 clarinets (also alto saxophone in E flat), 2 bassoons (also contrabassoon) ;
- 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones (2. doubling tenorbass trombone) ;
- 5 percussionists ;
- harp, piano (doubling celesta) and strings.

The performance should last about 75 minutes, with no interval.