Today : world première of Sebastian Fagerlund's 'Höstsonaten' in Helsinki

Today, the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki presents the world première of Sebastian Fagerlund's Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), with a libretto by Gunilla Hemming after Ingmar Bergman's film.

It is the composer's second opera after Döbeln (Kokkola, 2009).

Its protagonists meet up in the dark hours of the night and end up having to question the choices they’ve made and their consequences. Underlying the drama, we have the eternal themes of forgiveness and the ability to accept other people as they are. (reproduced from the Finnish National Opera website)

The cast includes mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter (Charlotte Andergast), sopranoErika Sunnegårdh (Eva), baritone Tommi Hakala (Viktor), soprano Helena Juntunen (Helena) and bass Nicholas Söderlund (Leonardo). John Storgårds conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Finnish National Opera. Stéphane Braunschweig directs.

The required orchestra is the following :

- 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons,
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba,
- percussion, piano
- strings

The opera is in 2 acts. The performance should last about 2 hours and 30 minutes, including 1 intermission. The opera will be recorded by YLE and will be available on the Opera Platform.

Today : world première of Jacques-Alphonse De Zeegant's 'La Brèche' in Sagunt

Today, the Sagunt a Escena Festival  presents the world première of Jacques-Alphonse De Zeegant's opera La Brèche, at the Roman amphitheatre.

It is the composer first opera, with a libretto in three parts written by Marguerite de Werszowec Rey, translating tales and legends into a contemporary and universal setting.

In Beauty and the Beast, the heroine wishes to restore to her husband the purity of his youth. In Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice sets out to save Orpheus from the Underworld. For the same reason, Madina intents to conquer the fires of darkness. (freely translated from the composer's website)

The cast includes soprano Veronika Dzhioeva (Madina), countertenor David Azurza (Seraphine), countertenor Flavio Oliver (Celeste), tenor Luis Damaso (Fernando) and tenor Alberto Guardiola (Francesco). Palmo Venneri conducts the Hulencourt Symphony Orchestra and Choir. Paco Azorin directs.

New recordings (audio and video) of contemporary operas in my collection

Since April 2016, I have acquired several recordings of contemporary operas. Most of them are audio recordings :

- Mark Abel : Home is a Harbor, conducted by Benjamin Makino (Delos, 2015)
- Jörn Arnecke : Das Fest im Meer, conducted by Cornelius Meister (New Classical Adventure, 2003)
- Gerald Barry : The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, conducted by Gerhard Markson (RTE, 2005)

- Francesco D'Avalos : Maria di Venosa, conducted by the composer (Chandos, 1994)
- Leonid Desyatnikov : The Children of Rosenthal, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov (Melodiya, 2015)
- Gordon Getty : The Canterville Ghost, conducted by Matthias Foremny (Pentatone, 2015)

- Hans Werner Henze : Die Bassariden, conducted by Gerd Albrecht (Koch Schwann, 1986)
- Michael Levinas : La Conférence des Oiseaux, conducted by Michel Swierczewski (Adès, 1986)
- James MacMillan : The Sacrifice, conducted by Anthony Negus (Chandos, 2007)

- Thanos Mikroutsikos : The Return of Helen, conducted by Alexandros Myrat (EMI, 1999)
- Bernard Rands : Vincent, conducted by Arthur Fagen (Naxos, 2011)

- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Montag aus Licht, conducted by the composer (Stokhausen Stiftung, 1988)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Dienstag aus Licht, conducted by the composer (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1993)

- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Mittwoch aus Licht (4 scènes), conducted by the composer (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1996 and 2012)

 

- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Donnerstag aus Licht, conducted by Peter Eötvös and Karlheinz Stockhausen (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1980 to 1982)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Freitag aus Licht, conducted by the composer (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 2002)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Samstag aus Licht, conducted by the composer (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1981, 1983 and 1984)

- Karlheinz Stockhausen : Sonntag aus Licht (5 scènes), conducted by the composer (Stockhausen Stiftung, 1999, 2000, 2005 and 2003)

- Michael Tippett : The Midsummer Marriage, conducted by Sir Colin Davis (Lyrita, 1970)
- Marco Tutino : Le Braci, conducted by Francesco Cilluffo (Dynamic, 2015)

- Julian Wagstaff : Breathe Freely, conducted by Derek Clark (Linn Records, 2014)
- Rufus Wainwright : Prima Donna, conducted by Jayce Ogren (Deutsche Grammophon, 2015)

I also bought several video recordings :

- Philip Glass : Einstein on the Beach (Blu Ray), conducted by Michael Riesman, directed by Don Kent, with choreography by Lucinda Childs (Opus Arte, 2014)
 - Toshio Hosokawa : Stilles Meer (DVD), conducted by Kent Nagano, directed by Oriza Hirata (EuroArts, 2016)

- Rodion Shchedrin : The Left-Hander (Blu Ray), conducted by Valery Gergiev, directed by Alexei Stepanyuk (Mariinsky, 2013)
- Mauricio Sotelo : El Publico (Blu Ray), conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, directed by Robert Castro (BelAir, 2015)

 That's all for today !

Today : world première of Philippe Manoury's 'Kein Licht' in Duisburg

Today, the Ruhrtriennale presents the world première of Philippe Manoury's opera Kein Licht, with a libretto by the composer and Nicolas Stemann, adapted from Elfriede Jelinek's play.

Manoury (C) Philippe Stirnweiss

It is the composer's fifth opera, after 60^e Parallèle (1997), K... (2001), La Frontière (2003) and La Nuit de Gutenberg (2011).

Without even mentioning the words Fukushima or nuclear power ‘Kein Licht’ presents a ghostly world in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. We experience a great, frenzied lament which takes issue with our faith in our ability to control technology and in which the screams of the victims of the disaster form a ghostly echo – while another voice is making itself heard. (reproduced from the Ruhrtriennale website)

The cast includes alto Christina Daletska, baritone Lionel Peintre, soprano Sarah Sun and mezzo Olivia Vermeulen. Julien Leroy conducts the a vocal quartett from the Croatian National Theater (Zagerb) and the United Instruments of Lucilin. Nicolas Stemann directs.

The performance should last about 2 hours. The first performance takes place at the Gebläsehalle in Duisburg. Before the end of the year, the opera will be performed in Strasbourg, Paris, Zagreb and Luxembourg.

New programme book in my collection : 'The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs' by Mason Bates in Santa Fe

I have recently received the programme book for The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, an opera composed by Mason Bates, first performed on July 22nd in Santa Fe (NM).

It is a 168 pages book that contains articles on all operas performed in Santa Fe this year. Ten pages are dedicated to this new opera :

- complete cast and crew ;
- story ;
- The Music of Communication, notes from composer Mason Bates ;
- The Evolution of '(R)evolution', notes from librettist Mark Campbell ;
- Looking into the Black Mirror, by director Kevin Newbury.

I now have 483 programme books for contemporary operas in my collection. All scanned covers are available in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Robin Hood' by Ben Moore in Cooperstown (NY)

Today, the Glimmerglass Festival presents the world première of Ben Moore's Robin Hood, with a libretto by Kelley Rourke.

It is the composer's second opera after Enemies, a Love Story, after Isaac Bashevis Singers (Palm Beach Opera, February 2015).

When the law of the land is corrupt, what’s an honest citizen to do? In the absence of the King, the Sheriff has seized the country’s assets for himself. Robin Hood is the leader of a band of ordinary folks who flee to the forest and attempt to create a new kind of society. Through a series of adventures—triumphant, comic, dangerous, romantic—Robin learns to follow the voice of his heart. (reproduced from the the Festival website)

The cast includes bass baritone Zachary Owens (Sheriff), mezzo Kayleigh Decker (Scarlet) and several youth roles. David Moody conducts and Francesca Zambello directs. The performance should last about 1 hour. The venue is the Cooperstown Theatre Festival.

Composers Frank Schwemmer  (Berlin, November 2008) and Jukka Linkola (Helsinki, January 2011) have already composed operas on the same story.

Today : world première of Roxanna Panufnik's 'Silver Birch' in Garsington

Today, the Garsington Opera presents the world première of Roxanna Panufnik's 'people's opera' Silver Birch, with a libretto by Jessica Duchen, after Siegfried Sassoon's poems and the testimony of a British soldier who served in Iraq.

It is the composer's third opera after Inkle and Yarico (Barbados, 1997) and The Music Programme (Warsaw, 2000).

Jack joins the army to silence his father's taunts for his love of poetry. Joined by his brother Davey, their devastating experiences turn the whole family's world upside down. Supported by the power of their mother's love as she tries to hold the family together they, like Sassoon himself, seek to help those whose suffering they share. (reproduced from Garsington Opera website)

The cast includes tenor Sam Furness (Jack), mezzo Victoria Simmonds (Anna), bass baritone Darren Jeffery (Simon), bass baritone Bradley Travis (Siegfried Sassoon) and soprano Sarah Redgwick (Mrs Morrell). Douglas Boyd conducts and Karen Gillingham directs.

The performance should last about 1 hour and 45 minutes (no interval).

Today : world première of Bruno Strobl's 'Hemma eine Weibspassion' in Ossiach

Today, the Carinthian Summer Festival presents the world première of Bruno Strobl's church opera Hemma eine Weibspassion in the Stiftskirche Ossiach.

It is the composer's second church opera after Sara und ihre Männer (Ossiach, 2012). The libretto has been conceived by Franzobel (aka Franz Stefan Griebl).

Hemma is the patron saint of Carinthia, and a woman in the loaded field between the demands of her family, her husband and the church on the one hand, and her own wishes for fulfilment and a fair and peaceful life on the other. Intelligence and unyieldingness are her tools as she puts up resistance to the violent and strict hierarchies of her times, embodied by her husband, the Count, and by the Archbishop. Although, unlike the hedonistic Count, she is politically far-sighted, she is unable to prevent the fateful miners’ riot… (reproduced from the Festival website)

The cast include mezzo Juliette Mars (Hemma), soprano Julia Koci (Kathi), baritone Andreas Jankowitsch (Graf Wilhelm), tenor Sven Hjörleifsson (Wilhelm Hartwig) and bass Jens Waldig (Matschacher). Simeon Pironkoff conducts the Kärntner Sinfonieorchester and the Festival Choir. Kristine Tornquist directs.

Today : world première of 'The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs' by Mason Bates in Santa Fe

Today, the Santa Fe Opera presents the world première of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, an opera in one prologue and nineteen scenes by Mason Bates, with a libretto by Mark Campbell.

It is the composer's first opera.

Many of us want to change the world. Steve Jobs did. An enigmatic public figure, he could be magnetic yet unapproachable, empathetic yet cruel, meditative yet restless. He helped connect us all while building a firewall around his own emotions. This is the story of a man who circles back to the formative events in his life while learning to acknowledge his own mortality. (reproduced from the Santa Fe Opera website)

The cast includes baritone Edward Parks (Steve Jobs), mezzo Sasha Cooke (Laurene Powell Jobs), bass Wei Wu (Kôbun Chino Otogawa), baritone Kelly Markgraf (Paul Jobs), tenor Garrett Sorenson (Woz) and soprano Jessica Jones (Chrisann Brennan). Michael Christie conducts the Orchestra of the Santa Fe Opera. Kevin Newbury directs.

Today : world première of B Tommy Andersson's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in Vadstena

Today, the Vadstena Akademien presents the world première of B Tommy Andersson's The Importance of Being Earnest, with a libretto by William Relton based on the play by Oscar Wilde.

(c) Jan-Olav Wedin

It is the composer's second opera after William (Vadstena, 2006).

Two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. (reproduced from importanceofbeingearnest.co.uk)

The cast includes baritone Sebastian Duran (Jack Worthing), baritone Hannes Öberg (Algernon Moncrieff), tenor Nils Hübinette (Rev. Fredrick Chasuble), mezzo Ingrid Tobiasson (Lady Augusta Bracknell), mezzo Francine Vis (Gwendolen Fairfax) and soprano Vivianne Holmberg (Cecily Cardew). The composer conducts a chamber orchestra of soloists and the librettist directs.

The required orchestra is the following :

- 1 piccolo, 1 English horn, 1 bass clarinet, 1 double bassoon ;
- 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone ;
- harp, celesta and piano ;
- strings (1.1.2.1.1 or 8.6.6.5.3).

The performance should last about 110 minutes. Another opera with a libretto after the same play was already composed by Gerald Barry in 2011 and first performed the same year by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Six new programme books in my collection

I have recently received six new programme books published by opera theaters for performances of contemporary operas.

- Gerald Barry : Alice's Adventures Underground, Los Angeles (LA Phil), November 22, 2016 ;
- William Bolcom : Dinner at Eight, Saint Paul (Minnesota Opera), March 11, 2017 ;
- Alois Bröder : Unverhofftes Wiedersehen, Würzburg, June 24, 2017 ;

- Mohammed Fairouz : The Dictator's Wife, Washington (Kennedy Center), January 13, 2017 ;
- André Previn : A Streetcar Named Desire, Honolulu (HOT), January 27, 2017 ;
- Ravi Shankar : Sukanya, Leicester (Curve), May 12, 2017.

The first one is a 92 pages brochure for all concerts of November 2016, including 8 pages dedicated to Gerald Barry's new opera. It is entirely in English :

- complete cast ;
- Notes by John Henken ;
- Composer profile ;
- detailed biographies with B&W headshots.

The second one is a 32 pages brochure. It is entirely in English. It contains :

- synopsis ;
- complete cast and creative team ;
- About the opera, by dramaturg David Sander ;
- Director's Notes, by stage director Tomer Zvulun ;
- detailed biographies of composer William Bolcom and librettist Mark Campbell with color headshots ;
- biographies of singers and team members, with B&W headshots ;
- Meet the artist, with soprano Brenda Harris ;
- The Making of 'Dinner at Eight'.

The third one is a 44 pages brochure. It is entirely in German. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- color photos of rehearsals ;
- short synopsis ;
- Die Erde, by Johann Peter Hebel ;
- Im Spiegel der Geschichte, by Beate Kröhnert, personnal assistant to the General Director ;
- Anmerkungen zur Musik, by composer Alois Bröder ;
- Der Komet, by Johann Peter Hebel ;
- complete libretto ;
- biography of Alois Bröder.

The fourth one is a 52 pages brochure. It is entirely in English. It is the January 2017 issue of Playbill for the Kennedy Center. 7 pages are dedicated to the opera Dictator's Wife :

- complete cast and crew ;
- A Letter from Robert Ainsley, director of the American Opera Initiative ;
- synopsis of the opera ;
- Meet the Artists, biographies with B&W headshots.

The sixth one is a 36 pages brochure. It is entirely in English. It contains :

- Introduction by director Suba Das ;
- color photos of rehearsals ;
- Programme notes by Michael Church ;
- Ravi Shankar timline ;
- Ravi Shankar in photographs ;
- cast, performers and production team ;
- synopsis ;
- biographies of artists, with B&W headshots.

I now have 482 programmes for conteporary operas. I have scanned and uploaded all the covers in this flickr album.

Today : world première of Philippe Boesmans' 'Pinocchio' in Aix-en-Provence

Today, the Festival International d'Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence presents the world première of the opera Pinocchio, composed by Philippe Boesmans, with a libretto by Joël Pommerat after Carlo Collodi.

It is the seventh opera composed by Boesmans, after La Passion de Gilles (1983), Reigen (1993), Wintermärchen (1999), Julie (2005), Yvonne Princesse de Bourgogne (2009) and Au Monde (2014).

Pinocchio is a rude and insolent person, eschewing all sentimentality to reconnect with the harsh world that Collodi portrays in his book. (reproduced from the Aix-en-Provence festival website)

The cast includes baritone Stéphane Degout (Le directeur de troupe / Le directeur de cirque), bass baritone Vincent Le Texier (La père / Le maître d'école), tenor Yann Beuron (Le directeur de cabaret / Le juge), mezzo Julie Boulianne (La chanteuse de cabaret) and soprano Marie-Eve Munger (La fée). Emilio Pomarico conducts the Klangforum Wien. Joël Pommerat directs.

The score is published by Éditions Jobert. The required orchestra is the following :

- 1 flute (doubling piccolo and alto flute), 1 oboe (doubling English horn), 1 clarinet (doubling bass clarinet) and 1 bassoon (doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone ;
- harp and piano (doubling celesta) ;
- 3 percussionists ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one interval.

There will be further performance in Brussels (September 2017), Dijon (October 2017) and Bordeaux (May 2018). Other operas inspired by Collodi's story include works by Jonathan Dove, Pierangelo Valtinoni and Sergio Menozzi.