Today : world première (in concert) of 'Senza sangue', the new opera by Peter Eötvös

Today, the new opera composed by Peter Eötvös, Senza sangue, with a libretto by Mari Mezei after Alessandro Baricco's novel, will be performed in Cologne (at the Philharmonie), during the Acht Brücken / Musik für Köln festival.

During a civil war, a man and his companions killed the entire family of a certain young girl. The plot of the one-act opera spans many decades, from the moment where the girl looks in the eyes of the twenty-year-old boy who has shot her father but spared her own life, until their new encounter many decades later.
After the tragedy, the woman spent her whole life in some kind of schizophrenic state, looking at herself as an outside observer. She reputedly killed, or arranged the killing of, her father’s murderers, except for the man who had saved her. They both knew all along they had to meet again, but didn’t know what this encounter would bring after so many years. (reproduced from the Schott publisher website)

Mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (La Donna) and baritone Russell Braun (L'Uomo) will be joined by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert. On May 8th and 9th, the same team will perform the work at the Avery Fisher Hall in New York. Further performances are planned in Göteborg in April 2016, this time with the composer conducting.

The opera should last about 50 minutes, and requires a large orchestra : 4 flutes, 2 oboes, English Horn, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, bass trombone, 1 tuba, 2 percussions, 2 harps, celesta and strings.