Received this morning : programme book for Avner Dorman's 'Wahnfried' in Karlsruhe

This Thursday morning, I have received the programme book published by the Staatstheater Karlsruhe for the world première performance of Avner Dorman's opera Wahnfried.

It is a 52 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- color phots of rehearsals ;
- Familiendämmerung, detailed scene by scene synopsis ;
- Keine Randnotiz ! Zum Werk, by composer Avner Dorman ;
- Houston, wir haben ein Problem, Notizen zu Wahnfried, by librettists Lutz Hübner and Sarah Nemitz ;
- Zeittafel, chronology of Houston Chamberlain's life, from 1855 to 1945 ;
- Wagnertheater, zur Inszenierung, interview with stage director Keith Warner, by dramaturgist Raphael Rösler ;
- biographies of the artists, with color headshots ;
- biographies of the characters of the opera.

The programme is entirely in English.

I now have 443 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned the covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Avner Dorman's 'Wahnfried' in Karlsruhe

Today, the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe presents the world première performance of Avner Dorman's opera Wahnfried, with a libretto by Lutz Hübner and Sarah Nemitz.

It is the composer's first opera.

Houston Stewart Chamberlain is a failed entomologist, a Darwin enthusiast that cannot bring himself to kill a single bug. Unable to come up with his own grand theory, Chamberlain is looking for a different cause, a calling that would give meaning to his life. He finds his calling in the music of Richard Wagner, and in German nationalism.
Wagner's widow, Cosima, enlists Chamberlain to lead the effort to immortalize Wagner's music and link it forever with German nationalism. Chamberlain leaves his first wife and marries Wagner's daughter Eva. He proceeds to write his magnum opus The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, a book that becomes a seminal work in German nationalism. It is the first major work that advocates Aryan supremacy and promotes fighting Jewish influence.(reproduced from the Music Sales Classical website)

The cast includes tenor Matthias Wohlbrecht (Houston Stewart Chamberlain), alto Christina Niessen (Cosima Wagner), soprano Barbara Dobrzanska (Anna Chamberlain), countertenor Eric Jurenas or Andrew Watts (Siegfried 'Fidi' Wagner), soprano Ina Schlingensiepen (Winfred Wagner) and soprano Agnieszka Tomaszewska (Eva Chamberlain). Justin Brown conducts and Keith Warner directs.

The required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- timpani and 3 percussionists ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one interval. The programme book can be downloaded from the Theater website. A brochure on the opera is available on the Music Sales Classical website.

Received in the mail this Wednesday morning

This Wednesday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Halle, Bühnen : June and July-August 2014 leaflets ;
- Hannover, Staatstheater : June 2014 leaflet ;
- Hof, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Karlsruhe, Badisches Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Luxembourg, Théâtres de la Ville : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- München, Bayerische Staatsoper : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Oslo, Den Norske Opera & Ballet : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Vienna, Theater an der Wien : 2014-2015 season program books ('Das neue Opernhaus' and 'In der Kammeroper').