Today : world première of 'Dracula' by Victoria Borisova-Ollas in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm presents the world première of Dracula, an opera in two acts composed in 2013 by Victoria Borisova-Ollas with a libretto by Claes Peter Hellwig and Kristian Benkö.

It is the composer's first opera.

How long can love survive ? What would you do if a stranger shows up from nowhere and says he has been looking for you for 400 years ? A stranger who challenges your dreams, your self-image and your future. Love is surprising. Is eternity a blessing or death a liberator ? And what scares you most, light or dark ? (freely translated from the Royal Swedish Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Elisabeth Meyer (Mina), tenor Joel Annmo (Jonathan), baritone Ola Eliasson (Dracula), mezzo-soprano Katarina Leoson (Elizabetha), soprano Sanna Gibbs (Lucy), mezzo-soprano Susann Végh (Mrs Westenra), tenor Jon Nilsson (Quincey), baritone Kristian Flor (Holmwood), bass baritone Johan Edholm (Dr. Seward) and and bass Lars Arvidson (Dr. Van Helsing). Karen Kamensek conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Swedish Opera. Linus Fellbom directs.

The required orchestra is the following (reproduced from the Universal Edition website) :

- 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba ;
- timpani and 3 percussionists ;
- harp, 2 keyboards ;
- strings.

The first performance will be broadcast live by Sveriges Radio P2. It should last about 2 hours.

Received in the mail this morning : 'Elmer Gantry' (Aldridge) and 'Wuthering Heights' (Floyd) from Milwaukee

This Wednesday morning, I have received two program books published by Florentine Opera in Milwaukee for the following operas :

- Robert Aldridge : Elmer Gantry, first performance on March 13th, 2015 ;
- Carlisle Floyd : Wuthering Heights, first performance on January 9th, 2015.

Program books are 50 and 38 pages brochures.

The first contains :

- Revival - Elmer Gantry returns ! by Leann Davis Alspaugh ;
- The Bully Pulpit - Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry, by Leann Davis Alspaugh ;
- the complete cast ;
- the detailed synopsis ;
- detailed biographies of the composer, the librettist Herschel Garfein, the director Frank Kelley and the conductor Christopher Larkin ;
- biographies of the singers (all biographies with headshots).

This opera was already performed there in March 2010 and a recording has been released by Naxos in its American Opera Classics collection :

The second contains :

- the complete cast ;
- synopsis ;
- detailed biographies of the composer, the conductor Joseph Mechavich ;
- biographies of the singers (all biographies with headshots).

Scanned covers of all program books I have in my collection are in this flickr folder.

New productions or revivals of recent operas (5)

During the 2014-2015 season, several recent operas will be performed, sometimes with new productions.

- John Adams : A Flowering Tree, conducted by Joana Carneiro, directed by Nicola Raab, in Göteborg, in January 2015 (Scandinavian première). The opera was first performed in Vienna in 2006, and has been staged several times, in Cincinnati and in Paris, among others ;
- John Adams : I was looking at the ceiling and then I saw the sky, in Roma in September 2015, conducted by Alexander Briger and directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti. This is a revival of the original production from Paris, first performed in June 2013 ;
- Daniel Catan : Florencia en el Amazonas, conducted by Carolyn Kuan, directed by Francesca Zambello, in Washington (DC), in September 2014. This is the original production from 1996 in Houston. It has been performed several times in Los Angeles, Seattle, Cincinnati, Denver and Salt Lake City ;
- André Previn : A Streetcar Named Desire, conducted by Joseph Mechavich, directed by José Maria Condemi, in Louisville, KY, in February 2015. Since the world première in San Francisco in September 1998, this opera has become a classic, with a number a productions in North America, Europe and Asia ;
- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, conducted by Joseph Mechavich and directed by David Gately, in Calgary, in November 2014. This new production will mark the Canadian première of this work already performed in several American opera houses and in Wexford. Another production will be staged in Montréal in May 2015.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

Today, I have received the following items in the mail :

- Calgary, Opera : 2014-2015 season leaflet ;
- Detmold, Landestheater : October 2014 leaflet ;
- Freiberg, Mittelsächsisches Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Nürnberg, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Parma, Teatro regio : Festival Verdi 2014 program book ;
- Portland, Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Roma, Teatro dell'Opera : 2014-2015 program brochure.

Received in the mail this Wednesday morning

This Wednesday morning, I receved the following items in the mail :

- Detroit : Michigan Opera Theatre : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Erfurt : Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Kiel, Theater : october 2014 leaflet ;
- Münster, Theater : August-September 2014 magazine, August-September and October 2014 leaflets.

Received in the mail this morning

This morning, I have received the following documents in the mail :

- Compiègne, Théâtre Impérial : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Darmstadt, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Maastricht, Opera Zuid : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Monte-Carlo, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book.

Recently received in the mail

I have recently received the following items in the mail :

- Frankfurt, Alte Oper : October 2014 leaflet ;
- Giessen, Stadttheater : October 2014 leaflet
- Linz, Landestheater : September and October 2014 leaflets ;
- Ludwigshafen, Theater im Pfalzbau : Festspiele Ludwigshafen leaflet ;
- Magdeburg, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Montpellier, Opéra Orchestre National : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Trier, Theater : September and October 2014 leaflets ;
- Weimar, Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle : October 2014 leaflet ;
- Wien, Volksoper : October 2014 leaflet.

Recently received in the mail

I have recently received the following items in the mail :

- Amsterdam : Het Concertgebouw : September October 2014 magazine and agenda ;
- Antwerpen and Gent, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen : Insight 1 magazin ;
- Berlin, Philharmonie : September 2015 leaflet ;
- Caen, Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Cooperstown, Glimmerglass : 2014 Festival program book ;
- Detmold, Landestheater : August September leaflet ;
- Enschede : Nederlandse Reisopera : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Kiel, Theater : August-September 2014 leaflet ;
- Mainz, Staatstheater : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Orange, Chorégies : 2015 festival programme brochure ;
- Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet : September - December 2014 leaflet.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

This Saturday morning, I received the following items in the mail :

- Berlin, Deutsche Oper : August October 2014 leaflet ;
- Berlin, Konzerthaus : September October 2014 brochure ;
- Gelsenkirchen, Musiktheater im Revier : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Helsinki, Finnish National Opera : Spring 2014 and Autumn 2014 brochures ;
- Koblenz, Theater : September October 2014 leaflet.

New items in my collection

While I was in Salzburg, I received the following items in the mail :

- Dresden, Semperoper : August-October 2014 brochure :
- Freiburg, Theater : September-October 2014 leaflet ;
- Hamburg, Staatsoper : September 2014 leaflet ;
- Hannover, Staatstheater : September 2014 leaflet ;
- Louisville (KY), Kentucky Opera : 2014-2015 season leaflet ;
- Martina Franca, Festival della Valle d'Itria : 2014 Festival brochure ;
- Munich, Bayerische Staatsoper : September-December 2014 brochure ;
- Reims, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Versailles, Opéra Royal : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Washington (DC), National Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Wuppertal, Oper : 2014-2015 season brochures.

I also brought back the following from Salzburg :

- Salzburg, Landestheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Salzburg, Osterfestspiele : 2015 festival leaflet and brochure ;
- Salzburg, Pfingstfestspiele : 2015 festival brochure ;
- Salzburg, Stiftung Mozarteum : Mozart Woche 2015 season brochure ;
- Salzburg, Stiftung Mozarteum : 2014-2015 concert season brochure.

Wanted ! 2014-2015 season programs of opera houses

To complete my collection, I am still expecting paper copies of the 2014-2015 season program for the following opera houses :

- Canada : Calgary, Victoria (BC) ;
- Croatia : Zagreb ;
- Finland : Helsinki ;
- France : Caen, Compiègne, Lille, Monte-Carlo, Montpellier, Reims ;
- Germany : Staatstheater Darmstad, Theater Erfurt, Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg, Theater Magdeburg, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Opernhaus Wuppertal ;
- Hungary : Budapest ;
- Italy : Bari, Bolzano, Cagliari, Catania, Firenze, Genova, Milano, Palermo, Parma, Roma, Trieste, Venezia ;
- Latvia : Riga ;
- Netherlands : Enschede, Maastricht ;
- Poland : Warsaw ;
- Portugal : Lisboa ;
- Slovenia : Ljubljana ;
- Switzerland, Bern : Konzert Theater ;
- USA : Anchorage, Central City, Charlotte (Opera Carolina), Dallas, Denver (Opera Colorado), Detroit (Michigan Opera Theatre), Honolulu (Hawaii Opera Theatre), Houston, Indianapolis, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville (Kentucky Opera), Miami (Florida Grand Opera), Milwaukee (Florentine Opera Company), Minneapolis (Minnesota Opera), New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Saint Louis, San Diego, Sarasota, Washington (DC).

I hope I will receive them before the end of the year. I guess I will have to write to them again.

New productions or revivals of recent operas (4)

During the 2014-2015, several recent operas will be performed with new productions or revived :

- Julian Anderson : Thebans, directed by Pierre Audi, Bonn, June 2015. It will be a revival of the original production first performed in London (ENO), in May 2014 ;
- Jake Heggie : Three Decembers, directed by Emma Griffin, Atlanta, May 2015. The opera was first performed in Houston in February 2008. Also performed in Berkeley and Fort Worth ;
- Hans Werner Henze : Phaedra, directed by Florian Lutz, in Halle, March 2015. The opera was first performed in Berlin in September 2007. Other performances followed in Brussels, Firenze, Copenhagen and Duisburg ;
- Toshio Hosokawa : Matsukaze, directed by Matthias von Stegmann, Kiel, May 2015. New production. The opera was first performed in Brussels in May 2011. Since then, it has also been performed in Berlin ;
- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, directed by Eric Simonson, Montréal, May 2015. Revival of the world première production in St. Paul (MN) in November 2011. Production also performed in Philadelphia (February 2013) and Cincinnati (July 2014). The second production, directed by Octavio Cardenas, already performed in Fort Worth last May will be revived in Kansas City in February 2015. A third production, directed by Tomer Zvulun, will happen in October 2014 in Wexford. It will be the European première.

Received in the mail last week

Last week, I received the following articles in the mail :

- Bonn, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Coburg, Landestheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Dessau, Anhaltisches Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Giessen, Stadttheater : September 2014 leaflet ;
- Halle, Bühnen : 2014-2015 season program books ;
- Heidelberg, Theater und Orchester : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Kiel, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Mannheim, Nationaltheater : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Tel Aviv, Israeli Opera : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Vienna, Gesellscahft der Musikfreunde in Wien : September October 2014 magazine (issue 27/1) ;
- Wexford, Festival Opera : 63rd Festival (2014) program brochure.

Received in the mail this week

Since Tuesday, I received the following in the mail :

- Berlin, Komische Oper : September October 2014 brochure ;
- Bonn, Theater : August September and Octobre 2014 leaflets ;
- Fort Worth : 2014 Opera Festival Experience Guide ;
- Regensburg, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Stuttgart, Staatstheater : September October 2014 brochure ;
- Torino, Teatro Regio : 2014-2015 season program brochure ;
- Versailles, Centre de Musique Baroque : 2014-2015 season program book.

Received in the mail this Monday morning

This Monday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Nice Côte d'Azur, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Santa Fe, Opera : 2014 season brochure.

New season 2014-2015 at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim

During the 2014-2015, the Nationaltheater in Mannheim will perform 27 operas : 21 revivals and 6 new productions, including a world première.

The six new productions are :

- Alfredo Catalani : La Wally, conducted by Alois Seidlmeier, directed by Tilman Knabe ;
- Franz Lehar : Die lustige Witwe, conducted by Joseph Trafton, directed by Renato Zanella ;
- Christoph Willibald Gluck : Alceste, conducted by Rubén Dubrovsky, directed by Dietrich Hilsdorf ;
- Hector Berlioz : La Damnation de Faust, conducted by Alois Seidlmeier, directed by Vasily Barkhatov ;
- Lucia Ronchetti : Esame di mezzanotte, conducted by Johannes Kalitzke, directed by Achim Freyer (world première) ;
- Franz Schreker : Der ferne Klang, conducted by Dan Ettinge, directed by Merle Fahrholz.

The following productions will be revived :

- Georges Bizet : Carmen, directed by Gabriele Rech ;
- Gaetano Donizetti : L'elisir d'amore, directed by Andrea Schwalbach ;
- Engelbert Humperdinck : Hänsel und Gretel, directed by Wolfgang Blum ;
- Pietro Mascagni : Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo : Pagliacci, both directed by Roland Velte ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, directed by Joachim Schloemer and Le nozze di Figaro, directed by Johannes Schaaf ;
- Sergei Prokofiev : The Love for Three Oranges, directed by Cordula Däuper ;
- Giacomo Puccini : La Bohème, directed by Friedrich Meyer-Oertel, Tosca, directed by Renate Ackermann and Turandot, directed by Regula Gerber ;
- Johann Strauß : Die Fledermaus, directed by Friedrich Meyer-Oertel ;
- Richard Strauss : Salome, directed by Gabriele Rech ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Falstaff, directed by Christof Nel, La Traviata, directed by Achim Freyer, Otello, directed by Chris Alexander and Stiffelio, directed by Regula Gerber ;
- Richard Wagner : Die Walküre, directed by Achim Freyer and Parsifal, directed by Hans Schüler ;
- Carl Maria von Weber : Der Freischütz, directed by Armin Holz ;
- Mieczyslaw Weinberg : Der Idiot, directed by Regula Gerber.

There are no baroque operas in Mannheim this year, but the season covers opera history from Mozart and Gluck to 21st century. Too bad, only three languages are to be used in these operas : German, Italian and French. But there is a nice touch of modern opera, with Weinberg, Schreker and of course, Ronchetti.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

This Saturday morning, I have received the following articles in the mail :

- Peter Eötvös : Der goldene Drache, Frankfurt, June 29th, 2014, program book for the world première performance ;

- Mannheim, Nationaltheater : 2014-2015 season program book.

Received in the mail this Friday morning

This Friday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Augsburg, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book (with the brochure of the Augsburger Philharmoniker, and the 2014 July August leaflet) ;
- Bielefeld, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book (and another book for season of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker) ;
- Hof, Theater : 2014 July leaflet ;
- Tallinn, Estonian National Opera : 2014-2015 season calendar ;
- Weimar, Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle : 2014 August September leaflet.

Received in the mail this Thursday morning

This Thursday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- program book for the world première of Gerhard Stäbler's Erlöst Albert E., in Ulm ;

- Frankfurt, Alte Oper : August-September 2014 leaflet ;
- Metz, Opéra Théâtre : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Stuttgart, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Toulon, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book.

Received in the mail this Wednesday morning

This Wednesday morning, I received the following in the mail :

- Graz, Styriarte Festival : 2014 program book, with two magazines ;
- Hamburg, Staatsoper : 2014-2015 season calendar ;
- Ludwigshafen, Theater im Pfalzbau : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Lüneburg, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Madrid, Teatro de la Zarzuela : 2014-2015 season program leaflet ;
- Saarbrücken, Saarländisches Staatstheater : July 2014 leaflet.