Today : world première of 'Drachenherz' by Wolfgang Böhmer in Chemnitz

Today, the Theater Chemnitz presents the world première of Drachenherz (Dragonheart), a musical for children composed by Wolfgang Böhmer, with a book by Peter Lund.

Böhmer has already composed several works for the stage including Sommer Nacht Traum (Magic operetta, Berlin, 2000), Jedermann (Rock opera, Erfurt, 2014) and Der Zauberer von Oz (Musical, Wiesbaden, 2016).

Günni’s clique is really cool. At least Günni thinks so. Otherwise, there isn’t a whole lot that’s cool in the small city in the middle of Germany where so many people are out of work and most of the parents sit apathetically in front of the television. Then Fred shows up. Fred is different : he has ideas and a brain in his head. Fred makes everything more fun. Fred soon becomes Günni’s right-hand man in the clique. Hannes is seeing red. Hannes had always been Günni’s right-hand man. And if anyone has the right to flirt with Günni’s sister Jenny, then it is definitely him ! To sum things up : Fred has seriously offended Hannes’ honor. [...] What you do, how you fight and, most of all, for whom – these are the biggest questions that every young person poses to society, whose answers generally come across as lacking. It wasn't any different for the Nibelung. There, everyone knew what they were fighting for. In the worst case, for themselves. Siegfried had to die because there was no room for true heroes back then. Is there room for them today ? Or do the good people still have to die because the cruel simply cannot bear being so small of spirit ? (reproduced from the Neuköllner Oper website)

The cast includes Florian Heinke (Günni), Johannes Krimmel (Hannes), Florentine Beyer (Brüning), Timo Stacey (Tropi), Nicola Kripylo (Jenny), Tristan Giovanoli (Nasir), and Denis Riffel (Fred). Hans-Peter Kirchberg conducts the Drachenherz-Band. Peter Lund, Neva Howard and Mathias Noack are in charge of the direction and the choreography.

The performance should last 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one interval.

The musical will also be performed in Berlin (Neuköllner Oper), starting June 13, 2019.

Today : world première of 'En silence' by Alexandre Desplat in Luxembourg

Today, the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg presents the world première of En Silence, a chamber opera composed by Alexandre Desplat, with a libretto in French by the composer and Dominique 'Solrey' Lemonnier after Yasunari Kawabata's short story.

© U.S. Embassy France

It is the composer's first opera.

A young writer goes to visit an older one who has suffered a stroke and can no longer speak or write and even refuses to make any facial expressions or gestures – as if the negation of himself had become his last affirmation. This silence leads the protagonists to engage in one-way conversations, in turn generating thoughts for the phantom patient. (reproduced from the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg website)

The cast includes soprano Camille Poul, bass baritone Mikhail Timoshenko and Sava Lolov (Narrator). Alexandre Desplat conducts the United Instruments of Lucilin. Solrey directs.

The performance should last 75 minutes. After two performances in Luxembourg, the opera will also be performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (March 2 and 3).

New programme books in my collection

This morning, I have received two programme books for contemporary operas :

- Benet Casablancas, L'enigma di Lea, Barcelona, February 9, 2019 ;
- Anno Schreier, Schade, dass sie eine Hure war, Düsseldorf, February 16, 2019.

The first one is a 94 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- biography of the composer ;
- Christina Scheppelmann : Sobre 'L'enigma di Lea' ;
- Carme Portaceli : Sobre la producción ;
- synopsis with musical comments (bilingual, Spanish and English) ;
- Rafael Argullol : 'L'enigma di Lea', un cuento mítico ;
- Germán Gan Quesada : La obra de Benet Casablancas : cuatro décadas de hallazgos sonoros ;
- interview with Alison Cook ;
- Javier Pérez Senz : Benet Casablancas, un retrato discográfico ;
- biographies of the artists with black and white headshots.

The programme is entirely in Spanish and contains several photos of rehearsals.

The second is a 48 pages book. It contains :

- synopsis ;
- Bernhard Klaus Tragelehn : Das Leben John Fords, Anmerkungen ;
- Hella Bartnig : " 'Tis pity she's a whore' : Sujet und Adressat ;
- Hella Bartnig : Eine Oper der Affekte, dialogue with the composer ;
- biographies of composer Anno Schreier and librettist Kerstin Maria Pöhler ;
- Laster und Tabubrüche auf der Opernbühne ;
- Robert Musil : Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften (excerpt) ;
- several colour photos of rehearsals ;
- synopsis in English.

The book is entirely in German. It contains a separate 12 pages booklet with biographies of the artists and a 4 pages leaflet with the complete cast and crew.

I have recently acquired four other programme books :

- Azio Corghi, Tat'jana, Milano, October 20, 2000 (world première) ;
- Salvatore Sciarrino, Perseo e Andromeda, Milano, March 27, 1992 (world première in Stuttgart on January 27, 1991) ;
- Manfred Trojahn, War ihr wollt, Hannover, December 8, 2018 (world première in München on May 24, 1998) ;
- Mark Anthony Turnage, Anna Nicole, Nürnberg, November 3, 2018 (world première in London on February 17, 2011).

I now have 642 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'The Monstrous Child' by Gavin Higgins in London

Today, the Royal Opera House in London presents the world première of The Monstrous Child, an opera composed by Gavin Higgins, with a libretto by Francesca Simon based on her own children book.

It is the composer's first opera.

Hel is the daughter of Norse god Loki and the giantess Angrboda. She’d be an ordinary teenager if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s half girl and half corpse. A prophecy predicts that Hel’s brothers are fated to bring forth the end of days, and in an attempt to prevent this the Gods kidnap all three of Loki’s monstrous children and take them to Asgard. Here, Hel becomes infatuated with Baldr, son of Odin (the king of the Gods). Odin banishes her to Niflheim to rule over the dead for eternity, where she continues to dream of Baldr. When Baldr unexpectedly appears in Nifelheim, Hel is forced to face up to reality and her fate. (reproduced from the Royal Opera House website)

The cast includes mezzo Marta Fontanals-Simmons (Hel), mezzo Rosie Aldridge (Angrboda), tenor tom Randle (Loki / God), mezzo Lucy Schaufer (Modgud) and bass Graeme Broadbent (Odin). Jessica Cottis conducts the Aurora Orchestra. Timothy Sheader directs.

The venue is the Linbury Theatre. The performance should last about 2 hours, including one interval.

Toady : world première of 'humanoid' by Leonard Evers in Winterthur

Today, the Theater Winterthur presents the world première of humanoid, a science-fiction opera composed by Leonard Evers, with a libretto by Pamela Dürr.

(c) Sarah Wijzenbeek

Leonard Evers has already composed several works for the stage, mostly for children, including the highly successful Gold ! (2012).

In a futuristic world in the 3rd millennium, Jonah experiments with androids and creates his ideal partner, Alma. What feelings and memories are real when the boundaries between man and machine almost completely blur ?
Every night before going to sleep Jonah deletes Alma's memory for safety. As a child intervenes and saves Alma's data to another robot, Jonah loses control. The situation escalates and becomes a game about life and death between humans and androids. (freely adapted from the Theater Winterthur website)

The cast includes soprano Orsolya Nyakas (Alma), countertenor Oscar Verhaar (Child), mezzo Larissa Angelini (Vivienne), tenor Per Lindström (Jonah) and bass Michal Marhold (Juri). Sebastian Schwab conducts the Orchestra of the Musikkollegium Winterthur. Cordula Däuper directs.

The score is published by Boosey & Hawkes. According to the publisher's website, the required orchestra is the following :

- 1 flute (doubling piccolo), 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 bassoon ;
- 1 horn, 1 trumpet ;
- percussion (2 players) ;
- piano
- strings (1.1.1.1.1).

The performance should last about 70 minutes. After 5 performances in Winterthur, the opera will also be performed in Bern.

Today : world première of 'Diodati. Unendlich' by Michael Wertmüller in Basel

Today, the Theater Basel presents the world première of Diodati. Unendlich (Diodati. Neverending), an opera composed by Michael Wertmüller, with a libretto by Dea Loher.

(c) Kim Culetto

It is Wertmüller's third opera after Anschlag (Lucerne Festival, August 2013) and Weine nicht, singe (Hamburg, September 2015).

A group of Britons with literary ambitions involved in a ménage à six travel to Switzerland in 1816 in search of « sublime » nature – they include Percy Shelley and his later wife Mary, Lord Byron and his personal physician John Polidori. However, the catastrophic weather of this legendary « year without a summer », the result of a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, forces the friends to wait for eight days in a villa on Lake Geneva. Here these cosmopolitan libertines – in no small measure under the influence of hallucinogens – tell each other made up stories about creatures controlled by others that reflect the depths of their own personalities – as well as their longing to actively shape their lives and to tackle social problems. (reproduced from the Theater Basel website)

The cast includes mezzo Kristina Stanek (Mary Godwin), tenor Rolf Romei (Percy Bysshe Shelley), soprano Sara Hershkowitz (Claire Clairmont), baritone Holger Falk (Lord Byron), bass baritone Seth Carico (Dr. John Polidori) and soprano Samantha Gaul (Augusta Leigh). Titus Engel conducts the Sinfonieorchester Basel. Lydia Steier directs.

Today : world première of 'Aster' by Akira Nishimura in Tokyo

Today, the New National Theatre in Tokyo presents the world première of Aster, an opera in two acts composed by Akira Nishimura, with a libretto by Mikiro Sasaki based on Jun Ishikawa's novel.

It is the composer's first full-length opera.

The story begins with the wedding ceremony of a young governor Muneyori to Princess Utsuro, daughter of a powerful family. It's an arranged marriage and there is no love between Muneyori and his sexually uninhibited wife. He was born into a distinguished family of poets, but he has abandoned poetry to pursue archery, much to the rage of his father. His uncle and archery teacher Yumimaro tells him that while he is still under the influence of poetry, he cannot master the skill of the two-arrow technique : the 'arrow of knowledge' followed by the 'arrow of death'. He demonstrates this by killing Princess Utsuro's lover, and Muneyori follows and kills her next lover, but she is unconcerned. Each time he kills, he orders for Asters to planted, a flower associated with never forgetting. Meanwhile, his servant Tonai is plotting to gain power by becoming intimate with Princess Utsuro. One day on a hunt, Muneyori meets a mysterious woman named Chigusa.

Muneyori is seduced by Chigusa, but on a moonlight evening he discovers that she is a fox transformed into a woman. Through her magical powers, he masters the third arrow, the 'demon arrow' and uses it to kill his uncle Yumimaro. Tonai is finally united with Princess Utsuro and attempts to overthrow his master and become the governor. Meanwhile, Muneyori goes into the mountain with Chigusa in search of day-lilies, also called 'flower of forgetfulness'. In the mountains lives the sculptor Heita, who carves the face of the Buddha on the side of the mountain. When Muneyori shoots an arrow into the face of the Buddha, the whole cliff crumbles, and he too is dragged to death. (reproduced from the New National Theatre website)

The cast includes baritone Tomohiro Takada (Muneyori), bass Toru Onuma (Heita), mezzo Kasumi Shimizu (Princess Utsuro), soprano Ai Usuki (Chigusa), tenor Toshiaki Murakami (Tonai) and baritone Katsunori Kono (Yumimaro). Kazushi Ono conducts the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the New National Theatre Chorus. Yoshi Oida directs.

Akira Nishimura's works are published by Zen-On.

Today : world première of 'Schade, dass sie eine Hure war' by Anno Schreier in Düsseldorf

Today, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein presents the world première of Schade, dass sie eine Hure war ('Tis Pity She's a Whore), an opera in five acts composed by Anno Schreier, with a libretto in German by Kerstin Maria Poehler after John Ford's play.

It is the composer's fifth opera, after Kein Ort. Nirgends (2006), Die Stadt der Blinden (Zürich, 2011), Mörder Kaspar Brand (Düsseldorf, 2012) and Hamlet (Vienna, 2016).

The two lovers Giovanni and Annabella are not the children of rival families but brother and sister, whose incestuous affection stands in the way of their happiness. The dark web of intrigue surrounding them is rough and coarsely-meshed and as a result its deadly poison often misses its intended target. While Annabella’s spurned suitors butcher each other, she becomes pregnant with her brother’s child and is forced into marriage with one candidate in order to conceal their incestuous relationship. Overcome with manic passion, Giovanni kills his lover and shocks everyone who manages to survive this cruel game of lies and deceit. (reproduced from the Deutsche Oper am Rhein website)

The cast includes tenor Jussi Myllys (Giovanni), soprano Lavinia Dames (Annabella), bass Bogdan Talos (Mönch), mezzo Sarah Ferede (Hippolita), baritone Richard Šveda (Soranzo), bass baritone Günes Gürle (Florio), tenor Sergej Khomov (Grimaldi), tenor Florian Simson (Bergetto) and bass David Jerusalem (Richardetto). Lukas Beikircher conducts the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the Chorus of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. David Hermann directs.

The performance should last about 2 hours and a half, including intermission. The venue is the Opernhaus in Düsseldorf.

Today : world première of 'Ned Kelly' by Luke Styles in Jarrahdale

Today, Lost & Found Opera and the Perth Festival present the world première of Ned Kelly, a chamber opera composed by Luke Styles with a libretto by Peter Goldsworthy.

It is the composer's 6th opera, after, among others, Lovers Walk (youth opera, Glyndebourne, 2012) and Macbeth (chamber opera, Glyndebourne, 2015).

Composer Luke Styles and librettist Peter Goldsworthy weave together the common myth with lesser known extraordinary facts about the politics, loves and quirks of Australia’s legendary bushranger. Cross dressing, pig stealing, bee keeping, opium smoking, devout republican supporting, armour wearing loyal family men — that’s just part of the story of the notorious Kelly gang. (reproduced from the Perth Festival website)

The cast includes baritone Samuel Dundas (Ned Kelly), mezzo Fiona Campbell (Ellen Kelly), bass Adrian Tamburini (Joe Byrne) and tenor Robert MacFarlane (Steve Hart). Chris van Tuinen conducts the Community Chorus and the orchestra. Janice Muller directs.

The venue is the Jarrahdale Heritage Mill in Jarrahdale on the outskirts of Perth.

New programme book in my collection : 'Fin de partie' by György Kurtag in Milano

This afternoon, I have finally received the programme book published by the Teatro alla Scala in Milano for the world première of György Kurtag's Fin de partie, on November 15, 2018.

It is a 156 pages book. It contains :

- the complete libretto, in French with Italian translation ;
- synopsis, in Italian, French, English, German, Japanese and Russian ;
- György Kurtag, by Luciana Galliano ;
- L'Opera in breve, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- La musica, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- Fine del racconto, by Ugo Volli ;
- Lampi di poesia in un'umanità alla deriva, by Gianluigi Mattietti ;
- 'Fin de partie' di Kurtag, by stage director Pierre Audi, translated from the English by Arianna Ghilardotti, in Italian and in English (Kurtag's 'Fin de partie') ;
- biographies of production team members and cast with headshots ;
- several colour photos of rehearsals, sketches for the costumes, pages of the score.

I now have 636 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned and uploaded all the covers to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'L'Enigma di Lea' by Benet Casablancas in Barcelona

Today, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona presents the world première of L'Enigma di Lea, an opera in three parts and fifteen scenes composed by Benet Casablancas with a libretto by Rafael Argullol.

It is the composer's first opera.

Lea, a creature who has belonged to God and exists to serve the divine pleasure, lives in a place beyond time and cannot reveal her secret. The bearer of immortality, she is under surveillance from two monstrous beings who guarantee morality in opposition to individual freedom. (reproduced from the Liceu website)

The cast includes mezzo Allison Cook (Lea), baritone José Antonio López (Ram), soprano Sonia de Munck (Millebocche), bass Felipe Bou (Milleocchi), countertenor Xavier Sabata (Dr. Schicksal), tenor David Alegret (Michele) and tenor Antonio Lozano (Lorenzo). Josep Pons conducts Orquesta Sinfonica y Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Carme Portaceli directs.

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

- 3 flutes (doubling alto flute and piccolo), 3 oboes (doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (doubling bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- timpani and percussion (4 players) ;
- harp, piano (doubling celesta) ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours, including a 30 minutes intermission. The publisher is Unión Musical Ediciones (The Music Sales group).

Received this morning : programme book for '7 Minuti' by Giorgio Battistelli in Nancy

This morning, I have received the programme book published by the Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy for the world première of 7 Minuti by Giorgio Battistelli, on February 1, 2019.

It is a 96 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- biography of the composer and librettist Giorgio Battistelli ;
- biography of Stefano Massini, author of the original play ;
- synopsis ;
- Echos de la composition - Opéra pour le temps présent (Echoes of the Composition - Opera for the Present Time), based on an interview of the composer, by dramaturge Carmelo Agnello ;
- Echos de la scène (Echoes of the Stage), by director Michel Didym ;
- Une pièce, le théâtre de Stefano Massini ( A Play, Stefano Massini's Theatre) ;
- Un opéra, les raisons de Giorgio Battistelli (An Opera, Giorgio Battistelli's Reasons) ;
- Titles and duration of the 3 'Tableaux' and 30 scenes of the opera ;
- Conseil d'usine, by Antonio Gramsci, published in L'Ordine nuovo (Turin) on June 5, 1920 ;
- Retour aux sources : les coulisses d'une révolution, by K. Naumov, published in Les Journées d'Octobre (1924) ;
- Un combat pour la dignité ? L'histoire, la vraie !, by Fanny Gallot, reproduced from her blog ;
- Où est la politique ? Vide honteux, by Stefano Massini, excerpt of an article published in La Repubblica in July 2018 ;
- complete libretto ;
- biographies of the artists with black and white headshots ;
- several colour photos of rehearsals.

The book is entirely in French.

I now have 635 programme books for contemporary operas. All scanned covers are available in this flickr folder.