New in my collection : program books from Teatro alla Scala : Battistelli's 'CO2' and Maazel's '1984'

This morning, I have received two program books published by the Teatro alla Scala in Milano for two contemporary operas :

- Giorgio Battistelli : CO₂, world première on May 16th, 2015 ;
- Lorin Maazel : 1984, world première in London (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) on May 3rd, 2005, first performed in Milan on May 2nd, 2008.

The program book for Battistelli's opera is a 180 pages book. It contains :

- an introduction by librettist Ian Burton (in English and Italian) ;
- the complete libretto (in English and Italian) ;
- the synopsis (in Italian, French, English, German, Japanese and Russian ;
- a detailed biography of the composer, by Giulia Accornero (in Italian) ;
- The opera : a brief overview, by Cesare Fertonani (in Italian and English) ;
- The music, by Marco Moiraghi (in Italian and English) ;
- L'opera oggi, al servizio di una malata terminale, interview with the composer (in Italian) ;
- A climate change opera, by Ian Burton (in Italian and English) ;
- 24 pages of color photographs of landscapes damaged by human activities ;
- Un soggetto per la nostra epoca, by Robert Carsen (in Italian) ;
- detailed biographies of the members of the production team ;
- black and white portraits of the singers.

The program book for Maazel's opera is a 210 pages book. It contains :

- complete libretto (in English and Italian) ;
- color photos of the 2005 production in London ;
- the synopsis (in Italian, French, English, German and Japanese) ;
- L'opera in breve, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- The music, by Marco Moiraghi ;
- Come ho scritto 1984, by Lorin Maazel ;
- 1984, Maazel, Orwell : dal totalitarismo alla dittatura dei media, by Michele Porzio ;
- George Orwell e l'indagine letteraria sull'autoritarismo, by Angelo Arciero ;
- interview with the director Robert Lepage (originally published in the London program book) ;
- B& W photos of London rehearsals ;
- detailed chronology of Lorin Maazel's life, with lots of photos.

This book is mainly in Italian. The CO₂ book is mostly bilingual Italian / English, most likely because the performances of the opera (a commission of the Teatro alla Scala) are connected to the Expo Milano 2015.

May 16th, 2015 : world première of Giorgio Battistelli's 'CO₂' in Milan

Today, Giorgio Battistelli's new opera, CO₂, with a libretto in English by Ian Burton, will be performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It is a commission by the Theatre as a contribution to the theme of Expo Milano 2015, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

 

  

Since the 1980s, Battistelli has composed several works for the theater, including Prova d'Orchestra (1995), Richard III (2005) and Divorcio all'italiana (2008). 

The opera is divided into nine scenes, plus a prologue and an epilogue. The dramatic structure centres on the lecture given by a climatologist whose name is emblematic of the entire human race : David Adamson. As he attempts to explain the risks facing the planet and endangering the survival of humanity, he himself comes to realise the absolute necessity of loving the environment in which we live and for which we are all personally responsible, and not merely of respecting its ecology. In scene after scene, Adamson’s lecture is interrupted by and interspersed with episodes or insights, according to a postmodern narrative logic that generates a whirlwind of “short-circuits” in time and space. So, alongside David Adamson appear a range of diverse characters : four archangels (Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel and Michael) ; scientists and ecologists ; Adam, Eve and the Serpent ; Gaia, the ancient Greek goddess of the earth ; MrsMason, the sister of a survivor of the tsunami, and Mr Changtalay, a Thai hotel manager ; and also young people, travellers, women doing their shopping. (reproduced from the Scala website).

The cast includes soprano Pumeza Matshikiza (Eve), counter-tenor David DQ Lee (Serpent), mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnston (Gaia), tenor Sean Panikkar (Adam), baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore (D. Adamson), bass Dennis Wilgenhof (Archangel Raphael), bass Alain Coulombe (Archangel Uriel). Cornelius Meister conducts and Robert Carsen directs. The opera should last about 90 minutes. The first performance is to be broadcast live by Italian Rai Radio 3.

The orchestra is the following :

- 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 4 bassoons ;

- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 tubas ;

- timpani and 4 percussionists ;

- amplified bass guitar, 2 samplers

- strings

(according to the Ricordi website)