New audio and video recordings in my collection

I have recently acquired the following recordings of contemporary operas :

- John Adams : Doctor Atomic, conducted by John Adams, recorded in London (April 2017), published by Nonesuch Records (CD) ;
- Brett Dean : Hamlet, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, directed by Neil Armfield, recorded in Glyndebourne (July 2017), published by Opus Arte (Blu-ray) ;
- Sebastian Fagerlund : Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), conducted by John Storgårds, recorded in Helsinki (September 2017), published by Bis (CD) ;

- John Harbison : Winter's Tale, conducted by Gil Rose, recorded at Mechanics Hall (Worcester, MA) in March 2009, published by BMOP Sound (CD) ;
- Bo Holten : Gesualdo Shadows, conducted by Bo Holten, directed by Deda Cristina Colonna, recorded at The Funen Opera, Odense (November 2016), published by Dacapo (DVD) ;
- Tod Machover : Death and the Powers, conducted by Nicole Paiement, directed by Diane Paulus, recorded in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Dallas, TX (February 2014), published by the Dallas Opera (Blu-ray) ;

 
- Thea Musgrave : Mary, Queen of Scots, conducted by Peter Mark, recorded in Norfolk (VA) in April 1979, published by Lyrita (CD) ;
- Marcello Panni : Hanjo, conducted by Carlo Boccadoro, directed by Cesare Scarton, recorded in Teatro Palladium in Rome (November 2016), published by EMA Vinci Records (DVD) ;

 
- Seppo Pohjola : The Closet and My Dearest, conducted by Tuomas Rousi, recorded in Kuusankoski (September 2007) and published by Alba (CD) ;
- Aribert Reimann : L'Invisible, conducted by Donald Runnicles, recorded in Berlin (October 2017) and published by Oehms Classics (CD) ;

- Alessandro Solbiati : Leggenda, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, directed by Stefano Poda, recorded in Torino (September 2011), published by EMA Vinci Records (DVD) ;
- Maurizio Squillante : The Wings of Daedalus, recorded in Rome (2008) and published by Wergo (CD).

I have catalogued all my opera recordings on LibraryThing.

Today : world première of Brett Dean's 'Hamlet' in Glyndebourne (and programme book)

Today, the Glyndebourne Festival presents the world première of Brett Dean's Hamlet, an opera in two acts with a libretto by Matthew Jocelyn based on Shakespeare.

It is the composer's second opera after Bliss (Sydney, March 12, 2010).

Thoughts of murder and revenge drive Hamlet when he learns that it was his uncle Claudius who killed his father, the King of Denmark, then seized his father’s crown and wife. But Hamlet’s vengeance vies with the question: is suicide a morally valid deed in an unbearably painful world ? (reproduced from the Glyndebourne Festival website)

The cast includes tenor Allan Clayton (Hamlet), mezzo Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), soprano Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), bass-baritone Rod Gilfry (Claudius), tenor Kim Begley (Polonius), bass John Tomlinson (Ghost of Old Hamlet). Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus. Neil Armfield directs.

The required orchestra is the following (according to the Boosey & Hawkes website) :

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussion (4 players) ;
- timpani, accordion, harp, keyboard ;
- strings (10.8.6.6.4)

These numbers include two identical trios, each consisting of 1 clarinet, 1 trumpet and 1 percussion, to be stationed in the theatre throughout.

The performance should last about 140 minutes, and the complete performance including interval should last about 4 hours.

The programme book for the complete Festival is a large 144 pages book. It contains 11 pages on Hamlet :

- the synopsis ;
- complete cast and crew ;
- a discussion with the creative team (composer, librettist, conductor, director, leading man Allan Clayton and dramaturg Cori Ellison) ;
- We who are Hamlet, by Sarah Crompton ;
- Will the real Hamlet please stand up ? by James Shapiro ;
- artists biographies for the whole Festival, with black and white headshots.

I now have 476 programme books for contemporary operas. All scanned covers are in this flickr folder.