New in my collection : two programme books from Cologne and Houston

I have recently received two programme books published by opera companies for two new operas :

- Carlisle Floyd : Prince of Players, Houston (Grand Opera), March 5, 2016 ;
- Liza Lim : Tree of Codes, Cologne (Oper), April 9, 2016.

The first one is a 24 pages brochure. It is entirely in English. It contains :

- A message from the artistic and music director Patrick Summers and the managing director Perryn Leech ;
- A Life for Art, by Patrick Summers, with colour photos of previous operas composed by Floyd ;
- the complete cast and crew ;
- an article by Michael Gieleta, the director ;
- the synopsis of the opera ;
- Who's Who with black and white headshots.

The second one is a 64 pages book. It is entirely in German. It contains :

- several colour photos of rehearsals ;
- the complete cast ;
- the synopsis of the opera ;
- Tree of Codes : Cut-Outs in Time, by the composer Liza Lim ;
- Field recordings als 'Ausschnitte aus der Wirklichkeit' in Tree of Codes, by Liza Lim ;
- Anmerkung zur Dramaturgie, by Claire de Ribaupierre ;
- Der Baum der Erkenntniswurzel aus Bruno Schulz, by Georg Kehren ;
- Massimo Furlan : ein Theater der Bilder, by Claire de Ribaupierre ;
- biography of the composer.

There is a separate 12 pages booklet with the biographies of the cast and crew.

I now have 409 programme books for contemporary operas. You can see the scanned covers there.

Today : world première of Carlisle Floyd's 'Prince of Players' in Houston (TX)

Today, Prince of Players, the new chamber opera composed by Carlisle Floyd with a libretto after Jeffrey Hatcher's Compleat Female Stage Beauty, will be performed by Houston Grand Opera at the Cullen Theater (Wortham Theater Center).

The production is part of the celebration of the composer's 90th birthday. His lyrical output include several landmarks of the American operatic history such as Susannah (1956), Of Mice and Men (1969) and Cold Sassy Tree (2000).

The androgynous Edward Kynaston has become an idol of London's Restoration-era theater for his finely honed and utterly convincing portrayals of female characters. But with the stroke of a pen, King Charles II not only allows women to appear onstage but also forbids men from performing as women. Only Kynaston's mastery of his craft keeps him from being swept away by the tides of change. (reproduced from the HGO's website).

The cast includes baritone Ben Edquist (Edward Kynaston), soprano Mane Galoyan (Margaret Hughes), tenor Chad Shelton (Charles II), tenor Joseph Evans (Sir Charles Sedley), tenor Scott Quinn (Villiers, Duke of Buckingham) and mezzo Megan Samarin (Lady Meresvale / Mistress Revels). Patrick Summers conducts the HGO Orchestra and Chorus. Michael Gieleta directs. The opera should last about 90 minutes, with one intermission.

The orchestra is the following (reproduced from the Boosey & Hawkes website) :

- 2 flutes (doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (doubling English Horn), 2 clarinets (doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons (doubling double bassoon) ;
- 2 horns, 2 trumpets ;
- timpani and percussion ;
- harp and strings.