Two new programme books from Berlin and Luxembourg

I have recently received two programme books for contemporary operas :

- Alexandre Desplat, En Silence, Luxembourg, February 26, 2019 ;
- Jörg Widmann, Babylon, Berlin (Staatsoper Unter den Linden), March 9, 2019.

The first one is a 48 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- Alexandre Desplat : Mot du compositeur ;
- Solrey : Note de la metteure en scène, vidéaste ;
- complete libretto (only in French) ;
- biographies of the artists (only in French).

The book is bilingual : French and English.

The second one is a 96 pages book. It contains :

- Synopsis ;
- Roman Reeger : Jedes Arbeiten über Babylon ist auch immer Grabungsarbeit (Interview of composer Jörg Widmann) ;
- Roman Reeger : Eine Welt des Wahns (Interview of director Andreas Kriegenburg) ;
- Florian Henri Besthorn : Hereinspaziert nach Babylon, hier gibt's die ganze Welt ;
- Peter Sloterdijk : Notizen zu Babylon : excerpts of Zeilen und Tage and Neue Zeilen und Tage ;
- Eva Horn : Die romantische Verdunklung ;
- Stefan Maul : Religion in Babylon ;
- Christoph Türcke : Das Opferritual ;
- Jan Assmann : Identität und Gewalt ;
- Arno Declair : color photos of the production (February 27, 2019) ;
- complete cast and crew for the world première.

The book is entirely in German. There is a separate 8 pages leaflet with the complete cast and crew for the first performance, a separate 36 pages booklet with biographies of the artists and a 44 pages booklet with the complete libretto.

I already had in my collection the programme book for world première performance of the original version (Munich, October 27, 2012).

I now have 650 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Babylon' (new version) by Jörg Widmann in Berlin

Today, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin presents the world première of the new version of Babylon, an opera composed by Jörg Widmann, with a libretto by Peter Sloterdijk.

It is the composer's second opera after Das Gesicht im Spiegel (Munich, July 17th, 2003). The original version was first performed in Munich on October 27, 2012.

Jörg Widmann’s Babylon deals with the boundaries of language, and indeed of linguistic confusion. The composer places the multicultural society of the pre-ancient, culturally advanced metropolis of Babylon at the centre of his opera. It is not only the Babylonians who move between chaos and order, but also the Jewish exile Tammu, who forsakes his erstwhile love, the Soul, to turn instead to the Babylonian priestess of war and free love, Inanna. When a human sacrifice is called for to appease the gods who once punished the people of Babylon with the Flood, the Priest-King chooses Tammu. After Tammu is executed, Inanna decides to go down into the underworld to convince its ruler, Death, to allow her lover to return to the world of the living. Finally, a new covenant is made between the gods and the people, and order is – at least temporarily – restored. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Berlin website)

The cast includes soprano Mojca Erdmann (The Soul), tenor Charles Workman (Tammu), soprano Susanne Elmark (Inanna), bass John Tomlinson (The Priest King), mezzo Marina Prudenskaya (The Euphrates) and countertenor Andrew Watts (The Scorpion Human). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsopernchor. Andreas Kriegenburg directs.

The required orchestra is the following (reproduced from the Schott Music website) :

- 4 flutes, 4 oboes, 4 clarintes, 4 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- timpani and percussions (4 players) ;
- 2 harps, celesta, accordion, piano, organ ;
- strings : 14.12.10.8.8.

The performance should last about 2 hours and 40 minutes, including interval. The score is published by Schott Music.

New programme book in my collection : 'Violetter Schnee' by Beat Furrer in Berlin

Last Saturday, I have received in the mail the programme book published by the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin for the world première performance of Beat Furrer's opera Violetter Schnee, on January 13th, 2019.

It is a 108 pages book. It contains :

- synopsis, in German and English ;
- Das Ende kann nur offen sein : discussion with composer Beat Furrer, librettist Händl Klaus and dramaturges Yvonne Gebauer and Roman Reeger ;
- Yvonne Gebauer : ... ein Übergang zu etwas vollkommen neuem., dialogue with director Claus Guth ;
- Bertram Kaschek : Die weisse Falle, about Pieter Bruegel's painting Die Jäger im Schnee ;
- Marie Luise Maintz : Spiel ohne Grenzen, about Furrer's Violetter Schnee ;
- Sascha Gebauer : Wo schimmernden Schnee die alles erleuchtende Sonne zwingt, notice about Furrer's Violetter Schnee ;
- black and white photos by Florian Ruiz (The White Contamination) ;
- short excerpts of works by Thomas Lehr, Günther Anders, Jacques Derrida, Boris Groys, Christoph Ransmayr, William Carlos Williams, Robert Musil, Zbigniew Herbert and Mark Strand ;
- complete libretto ;
- production team and cast for the première.

The book is entirely in German. Only the synopsis is also available in English.

With the book, there is a 8 pages leaflet with the complete cast and crew, a 20 pages booklet with biographies and a 28 pages booklet with color photos (by Monika Rittershaus) of the dress rehearsal with piano on January 7.

I now have 612 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Violetter Schnee' by Beat Furrer in Berlin

Today, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin presents the world première of Violetter Schnee (Violet Snow), an opera composed by Beat Furrer with a libretto in German by Händl Klaus based on a work by Vladimir Sorokin translated by Dorothea Trottenberg.

(c) Dimitri Papageorgiou

It is the composer's 8th opera, after Die Blinden (Vienna, 1989), Narcissus (Graz, 1994), Invocation (Zurich, 2003), Wüstenbuch (Basel, 2010) and La bianca notte (Hamburg, 2015).

The world is in a state of emergency. Five people are trapped in perpetual snowdrifts. Time appears to stand still. Will this ever end ? Jacques remains apart in the middle of the group, affirming the snowfall and the nothingness that he dedicates himself to – by holding a dialogue with the snow in agreement with its uncanny effects. Peter und Silvia, by contrast, are gloomy, fearful and pessimistic. Jan and Natascha attempt to keep a perspective, continue to hope and remain active, believing that a new era will come. The ability to communicate becomes visibly more difficult for all of them. What happens namelessly alienates all of them : they have no language for it. When a stranger appears and speaks – Tanja, who moves through the landscape as if she were in a picture – she initially triggers euphoria, followed by deep isolation. She functions like a projection surface or a space of memory ; Jacques believes he sees his dead wife in her – he touches the membrane between life and death. Nothing, however, is stronger than the sun. The group is obliterated in the violet illumination of the snow. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Berlin website)

The cast includes soprano Anna Prohaska (Silvia), soprano Elsa Dreisig (Natascha), baritone Gyula Orendt (Jan), baritone George Nigl (Peter) and bass baritone Otto Katzameier. Matthis Pintscher conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin. Claus Guth directs.

The required orchestra is the following (accroding to the composer's website) :

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons ;
- saxophone ;
- 3 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussion (2 players), piano, accordion ;
- strings (12.10.8.6.4).

There will be four performances alltogether in January. The score is published by Bärenreiter. A perusal score is available for download on their website.

Today : world première of 'Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo' by Salvatore Sciarrino in Milan

Today, the Teatro alla Scala in Milano presents the world première performance of Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo (To see you, to feel you, to lose me), an opera in two acts composed by Salvatore Sciarrino, with a libretto by the composer.

(c) Luca Carrà

Salvatore Sciarrino has already composed 15 works for the theatre, including Lohengrin (Milano, 1983), Luci mie traditrici (Schwetzingen, 1998), Macbeth (Schwetzingen, 2002), Da gelo a gelo (Schwetzingen, 2006), La porta della legge (Wuppertal, 2009), and Superflumina (Mannheim, 2011).

The subtitle of Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo is Waiting for Stradella. This alludes to the fate of Alessandro Stradella, a highly prominent Italian composer during his time, who died in mysterious circumstances in 1682 – the victim of a violent crime. The work is set in the home of Cardinal Colonna in baroque Rome, where a singer, a writer, a musician, a choir and an instrumental ensemble are on stage awaiting the arrival of the composer. But instead of the promised new aria, they receive news of Stradella’s death. In the lead-up, the music and life of this controversial, original artist – a legend during his lifetime – are extensively reported and reflected upon. Different perspectives and values play a role, as do thoughts on human nature, the body, the senses and passion – in other words, the very essence of opera as an art form. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Unter den Linden website)

The cast includes soprano Laura Aikin (La cantatrice), tenor Charles Workman (Musico), bass baritone Otto Katzameier (Letterato), soprano Sonia Grané (Pasquozza), mezzo Lena Haselmann (Chiappina), countertenor Thomas Lichtenecker (Solfetto) and baritone Christian Oldenburg (Finocchio). Maxime Pascal conducts the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala. Jürgen Flimm directs.

The first performance will be broadcast live by Rai Radio 3. This commission is a coproduction with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where the opera will be performed in July 2018.

Received this morning : programme book for Ronchetti's 'Rivale' in Berlin

This Tuesday morning, I have received in the the mail the programme book published by the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin for the world première of Lucia Ronchetti's Rivale.

It is a 28 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- Über Rivale, by compoer Lucia Ronchetti ;
- Die Musik der Gegenwart, die in den Spiegel der Vergangenheit blickt - Eine Künstlerbiografie der Komponistin Lucia Ronchetti, by Stefano Nardelli ;
- Das abwesende Gegenüber, dialogue with stage director Isabel Ostermann.

I now have 491 programme books for contemporary operas. I have uploaded scans of the covers to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Lucia Ronchetti's 'Rivale' in Berlin

Today, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin presents the world première of Lucia Ronchetti's chamber opera Rivale, with a libretto in French by the composer based on Antoine Danchet's Tancrède.

It is the composer's 13th work of musical theatre since L'Ape apatica (Venezia, 2002). Other stage works include Mise en abyme (Dresden, 2014) and Esame di mezzanotte (Mannheim, 2015).

Clorinda becomes the narrator and witness of her own tragedy – an irreconcilable conflict between rivalry and desire. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Unter den Linden website)

The cast includes mezzo-soprano Amira Elmadfa (Clorinde). she is accompanied by female voices, solo viola, brass ensemble and metallic percussion ensemble. Max Renne conducts. Isabel Ostermann directs. The performance should last about 1 hour.