Received this morning : programme book for 'Oceane' by Detlev Glanert

This Friday morning, I have received the programme book published by the Deutsche Oper Berlin for the world première of Oceane by Detlev Glanert.

The opera was first performed in Berlin on April 28, 2019.

It is a 56 pages book. It contains :

- synopsis ;
- Kerstin Schüssler-Bach : Sommerliche Abgründe - Zur Musik von Detlev Glanerts 'Oceane' ;
- Jörg Königsdorf : Gefangen in der Unfähigkeit zu lieben, dialogue with the composer ;
- several colour photos of the piano dress rehearsal on April 17, by Bernd Uhlig ;
- Katharina Duda : Der Dichter und seine Nixe - Theodor und Martha Fontane ;
- Robert Carsen : Gedanken zu 'Oceane' ;
- Ian Burton : Ein altes Thema in neuem Gewand.

The entire book is in German. There is an English translation of the synopsis at the end of the book.

There is a separate 8 pages leaflet with the complete cast for the first performance, with biographies of the artists.

I now have 651 programme books for contemporary operas in my collection. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Oceane' by Detlev Glanert in Berlin

Today, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin presents the world première of Oceane, an opera in two acts composed by Detlev Glanert, with a libretto in German by Hans-Ulrich Treichel based on Theodor Fontane's Oceane von Parceval. 

(c) Bettina Stoess

Detlev Glanert has already composed several operas, including Joseph Süß (Bremen, 1999), Caligula (Frankfurt, 2006) and Solaris (Bregenz, 2012).

Oceane von Parceval is an attempt to encapsulate in the form of Melusine the sense of menace and fascination felt by a bourgeois, male-dominated society faced with femininity coupled with an archaic, erotically permissive artlessness. Oceane’s inability to sympathise with human destinies serves to amplify her alien nature. She is indifferent to death and love alike, and as such her attempt to have a relationship with a young landowner, Martin von Dircksen, is doomed to failure. (reproduced from the Boosey & Hawkes website)

The cast includes soprano Maria Bengtsson (Oceane von Parceval), tenor Nikolai Schukoff (Martin von Dircksen), baritone Christoph Pohl (Dr Albert Felgentreu), soprano Nicole Haslett (Kristina), bass Albert Pesendorfer (Pastor Baltzer) and mezzo Doris Soffel (Madame Louise). Donald Runnicles conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Robert Carsen directs.

The required orchestra is the following (reproduced from the publisher's website):

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussions (3) ;
- 2 harps, celesta and strings.

The performance should last 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one interval.

The score is published by Boosey & Hawkes.

New programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired 14 programme books for contemporary operas :

- Wolfgang Böhmer : SommerNachtTraum, Berlin, July 27, 2001, with complete cast leaflet. The opera was first performed at the Kloster Neuzelle on July 22, 2000. It is a 16 pages booklet ;
- Edison Denisov : L'Ecume des jours (Froth on the Daydream), Stuttgart, December 1, 2012, with complete cast leaflet. The opera was first performed in Paris (Opéra Comique) on March 15, 1986. It is a 76 pages book ;
- Detlev Glanert : Die drei Rätsel (The Three Riddles), Bonn, July 11, 2004, with complete cast on separate sheet paper. The opera was first performed in Halle on October 12, 2003. It is a folded poster ;

 - Volker David Kirchner : Belshazar, München, January 28, 1986 (with complete cast leaflet). The opera was first performed in München on January 25, 1985. It is a 96 pages book ;
- Luca Lombardi : Prospero, Nürnberg, April 15, 2006 (world première performance). It is a 48 pages book ;
- Siegfried Matthus : Judith, Berlin (Komische Oper), March 4, 1989 (with complete cast leaflet). The opera was first performed in the same theater on September 29, 1985. It is a 20 pages booklet ;

- Siegfried Matthus : Omphale, Weimar, September 7, 1976 (world première), with complete cast on separate sheet paper. It is a 16 pages booklet ;
- Olivier Messiaen : Saint François d'Assise, Leipzig, November 8, 1998, with complete cast on separate sheet paper. It is a 56 pages booklet. The opera was first performed in Paris (Palais Garnier) on November 28, 1983. I have other programme books for performances in Paris (1992) and München (2011) ;
- Einojuhani Rautavaara : Vincent, Hagen, October 5, 1991 (with complete cast leaflet). The opera was first performed in Helsinki on May 17, 1990. It is a 28 pages booklet ;

- Aribert Reimann : Melusine, Nürnberg, May 12, 2007. The opera was first performed in Schwetzingen on April 29, 1971. It is a 48 pages book. I have another programme book for performances in München (1997) ;
- Aribert Reimann : Troades, München, July 7, 1986 (world première), with complete cast leaflet. It is a 116 pages book ;
- Wolfgang Rihm : Jakob Lenz, Stuttgart, November 2, 2014, with complete cast on a separate leaflet. It is a 56 pages book. The opera was first performed in Hamburg on March 8, 1979. I also have programmes for performances in Strasbourg (1993), Nanterre (1995) and Lugo (2012) ;

- Kaija Saariaho : Adriana Mater, Helsinki, February 23, 2008. It is a 32 pages booklet. The opera was first performed in Paris (Opéra Bastille) on April 3, 2006. I also have the programme book for the world première ;
- Vladimir Tarnopolski : Wenn die Zeit über die Ufer tritt (When Time Overflows), München (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz im Prinzregententheater), April 25, 1999 (world première). It is a 64 pages book, with the complete cast on a separate leaflet.

I now have 627 programme books for contemporary operas.

New programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired several programme books for contemporary operas :

- Thomas Adès : Powder Her Face, Bologna, November 9, 2010 (95 pages book). First performance in Cheltenham on July 1st, 1995 ;
- Thomas Adès : The Tempest, Wien (Staatsoper), June 14, 2015 (128 pages book). First performance in London (Royal Opera House) on February 10, 2004, for which I also have the programme book ;
- Giorgio Battistelli : Divorzio all'italiana, Bologna, June 11, 2013 (128 pages book). First performance in Nancy on September 30, 2008 ;

 
- Luciano Berio : Cronaca del Luogo, Salzburg, July 24, 1999 (124 pages book, with a 32 pages booklet). World première ;
- Paul Dessau : Einstein, Berlin, February 16, 1974 (16 pages leaflet and 6 pages leaflet in a folder). World première ;
- Moritz Eggert : Linkerhand, Hoyerswerda (Theater Görlitz), May 10, 2009 (182 pages book). World première ;

 
- Peter Eötvös : Tri Sestri, Wien (Staatsoper), March 06, 2016 (124 pages book). First performance in Lyon on March 13, 1998 (for which I have the programme book), and first performance in Wien at the Theater in der Wien on May 25, 2002 ;
- Luca Francesconi : Quartett, Milano (Teatro alla Scala), Avril 26, 2011 (139 pages book). With a separate cast sheet for the third performance. World première ;
- Detlev Glanert : Joseph Süss, München (Gärtnerplatz), March 3, 2012 (48 pages book with a separate 4 pages leaflet with the cast for the 8th performance on April 5 and a 10 pages leaflet with photos). First performance in Bremen on October 13, 1999 ;
- Hans Werner Henze : Phaedra, Firenze, June 5, 2008 (116 pages book). First performance in Berlin on September 6, 2007. I also have the programme book for performances in Brussels in Septembre 2007 ;
- Michael Jarrell : Cassandra, Bologna, October 31, 2014 (73 pages book). First performance in Paris on February 4, 1994, for which I also have the programme ;

 
- Giselher Klebe : Die Fastnachtsbeichte, Darmstadt, Decembre 20, 1983 (40 pages brochure with a separate 8 pages leaflet). World première ;
- Rainer Kunad : Sabellicus, Berlin (Deutsche Staatsoper), December21, 1974 (16 pages brochure with a separate 4 pages leaflet). World première ;
- Alexander Raskatov : A Dog's Heart, Milano (Teatro alla Scala), March 13, 2013 (249 pages book with a separate cast sheet for the third performance). World première in Amsterdam on June 7, 2010. I also have the programme books for the Amsterdam performances and for performances in Lyon (January 20, 2014) ;
- Wolfgang Rihm : Jakob Lenz, Lugo, March 30, 2012 and Bologna, April 12, 2012 (112 pages book). First performance in Hamburg on March 8, 1979. I also have programme books for performances in Strasbourg (September 21, 1993) and Nanterre (October 11, 1995) ;

 
- Salvatore Sciarrino : Luci mie traditrici, Bologna, June 14, 2016 (87 pages book). World première in Schwetzingen on May 19, 1998 ;
- Fabio Vacchi : Teneke, Milano (Teatro alla Scala), September 22, 2007 (192 pages book, with a separate cast sheet for the second performance. World première ;
- Bernd Alois Zimmermann : Die Soldaten, Milano (Teatro alla Scala), January 17, 2015 (200 pages book, with a separate cast sheet for the third performance). The opera was first performed in Köln, on February 15, 1965. I also have programme books for performances in Strasbourg (September 17, 1988), Paris (January 22, 1994), München (May 25, 2014) and Wiesbaden (April 30, 2016).

I now have 469 programme books for contemporary opera. I have uploaded all the scanned covers in this flickr folder.

New productions of recent operas (3)

Here are more performances (new productions or revivals) of recent contemporary operas scheduled in the 2014 festivals or the 2014-2015 season :

- Michel van der Aa : Sunken Garden, conducted by Etienne Siebens, directed by the composer, in Villeurbanne (as part of the Opéra de Lyon season), in March 2015. First performed in London (English National Opera) in April 2013, it is the French première (revival) ;
- Luciano Berio : Un Re in ascolto, conducted by Alexander Hannemann, directed by Paul Esterhazy, in Kassel (new production). There has been only 5 performances since the production by Rosamund Gilmore in Frankfurt (2003), in Münster in 2008 ;
- Daniel Catan : Florencia en el Amazonas, conducted by Dean Williamson, directed by John Hoomes, in Nashville (Jmaes K. Polk Theater), in January 2015 (new production) ;
- Luca Francesconi : Quartett, conducted by Franck Ollu, directed by Stefan Johansson, in Malmö, in April 2015 (new production, Scandinavian première). The opera was first performed in Milano in April 2011, and subsequently performed in Vienna, Strasbourg, Lille and London. It is the fourth production of this opera ;
- Detlev Glanert : Nijinskys Tagebuch, conducted by Darrell Ang, directed by Carolyn Sittig, in Bordeaux, January 2015 (French première, new production). The opera was first performed in Aachen in April 2008 ;
- David T. Little : Dog Days, conducted by Alan Pierson, directed by Robert Woodruff (revival). This is the first ever production of the opera, first performed at the Kasser Theater, Montclair (NJ) in September 2012 ;
- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, conducted by David Charles Abell, directed by Eric Simonson, in Cincinnati, this month (July 2014). It is the original production, designed for St. Paul in November 2011. This opera will also have a new production in Kansas City in February 2015, with the same conductor, but Octavio Cardenas directing ;
- Ludger Vollmer : Lola rennt, conducted by Martin Hoff, directed by Michael Dissmeier, in Weimar (new production, opera first performed in March 2014 in Hagen).

New productions of recent operas (2)

During the 2014-2015, some recent operas will be performed again in new productions :

- Pascal Dusapin : Perelà, directed by Lydia Steier, Mainz in January 2015 (first performed in Paris in February 2003, German première) ;
- Detlev Glanert : Joseph Süss, directed by Guy Montavon, Münster, Febuary 2015 (first performed in Bremen in 1999) ;
- Philip Glass : The Fall of the House of Usher, directed by Kay Neumann, Hof in March 2015 ;
- James MacMillan : Inés de Castro, directed by Olivia Fuchs, Glasgow, January 2015 in a revised version (the opera was first performed in Edinburgh in 1996) ;
- Olga Neuwirth : American Lulu, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, Vienna (Theater an der Wien) in December 2014 (first performed at the Komische Oper in Berlin in September 2012) ;
- Peter Ruzicka : Hölderlin. Eine Expedition, directed by Vera Nemirova, Basel in May 2015 (first performed in Berlin in November 2008, Swiss première) ;
- Kaija Saariaho : L'Amour de loin, conducted by Kasper de Roo, directed by Daniela Kurz, Linz in March 2015 (first performed in Salzburg in August 2000) ;
- Aulis Sallinen : Kullervo, directed by Kari Heiskanen, in Savonlinna in July 2014 (first performed in Los Angeles in February 1992).

New Season 2014-2015 at the Oper Köln (Cologne)

The Opera House in Cologne will be closed for the third and last season. The performances of the 2014-2015 will take place in 5 different locations not originally conceived to welcome such events.

The new productions are :
- Johann Adolf Hasse : Leucippo, conducted by Gianluca Capuano, directed by Tatjana Gürbaca.
In fact, this production premiered in Schwetzingen in May 2014 ;
- Detlev Glanert : Solaris, (German première, new production), conducted by Lothar Zagrosek, directed by Patrick Kinmonth. The opera was first performed in Bregenz in July 2012 ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Will Humburg, directed by Mariame Clément. This production was originally staged in Strasbourg in December 2012 ;
- Luigi Dallapiccola : Il prigioniero, conducted by Gabriel Feltz, directed by Markus Bothe. It is performed as the first part of a double bill evening ending with a staged version of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's ecclesiastical action Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne ;
- Richard Strauss : Arabella, conducted by Stefan Soltesz, directed by Renaud Doucet ;
- Leos Janacek : The Diary of One Who Disappeared, conducted by Rainer Mühlbach, directed by Béatrice Lachaussée.

The revivals are :
- Giacomo Puccini : Madama Butterfly, conducted by Claude Schnitzler, directed by Patrick Kinmonth (first performed in 2008) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Cosi fan tutte, conducted by Julia Jones, directed by Tatjana Gürbaca (already performed in Lucerne in 2005 and in Munich in 2007) ;
- Carl Maria von Weber : Der Freischütz, conducted by Andreas Schüller, directed by Viestur Kairiss (production of the Cologne Opera first performed in April 2014) ;
- Benjamin Britten : The Turn of the Screw, conducted by Gerrit Prießnitz, directed by Benjamin Schad (production of the Cologne Opera first performed in February 2011) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : La Clemenza di Tito, conducted by Christoph Spering, directed by Uwe Eric Laufenberg (first performed in October 2011) ;
- Georges Bizet : Carmen, conducted by Claude Schnitzler, directed by Christof Loy (first performed in September 2009) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Otello, conducted by Will Humburg, directed by Johannes Schaaf.(production from the Stockholm Royal Opera, first performed in March 2013).

And in concert :
- Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky : Iolanthe, conducted by Dmitrij Kitajenko ;
- Hector Berlioz : La Damnation de Faust, conducted by Markus Poschner ;
- Franz Lehar : Die lustige Witwe, conducted by Marc Piollet.

Two productions shouldn't be advertised as new productions.
5 of the 16 operas performed have been composed in the last 100 years. Even with the Opera House being closed, the Cologne Opera manages to offer a well balanced season with baroque, classical romantic and modern music, in six different languages (German, French, Russian, Italian, English, Czech).

Program books for new operas, 2011-2012 season

During the 2011-2012 season, I managed to collect program books for the following new operas : 

- Markus Fagerudd : Free Will, Savonlinna, July 21, 2012 (PDF)

- Detlev Glanert : Solaris, Bregenz, July 18, 2012

- George Benjamin, Written on Skin, Aix-en-Provence, July 7, 2012

 - Lucia Ronchetti : Neumond, Mannheim, July 1, 2012

  
- Toshio Hosokawa : The Raven, Luxembourg, June 27, 2012

- Jennifer Walshe : Die Taktik, Stuttgart (Kammertheater), June 14, 2012

- Anno Schreier : Mörder Kaspar Brand, Düsseldorf, June 14, 2012

 
- Robin de Raaff : Waiting for Miss Monroe, Amsterdam, June 9, 2012

- Olga Neuwirth : The Outcast, Mannheim, May 25, 2012 (PDF)

- Silvia Colasanti : La Metamorfosi, Firenze (Teatro Goldoni), May 22, 2012 (PDF)

- Marco Stroppa : Re Orso, Paris (Opéra-Comique), May 19, 2012

- Gordon Kerry : Midnight Son, Melbourne (Victorian Opera), May 16, 2012

- Arnulf Herrmann : Wasser, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 16, 2012 (PDF)

- Eunyoung Kim : Mama Dolorosa, Munich (Gasteig, Biennale), May 5, 2012 (PDF)

- Sarah Nemtsov : L’Absence, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 3, 2012 (PDF)

- Moritz Eggert : All diese Tage, Bremen, April 28, 2012

- Enno Poppe : IQ, Schwetzingen, April 27, 2012 (PDF)

- Jüri Reinvere : Purge, Helsinki, April 20, 2012

- Sidney Corbett : Ubu, Gelsenkirchen, April 14, 2012 (PDF)

- Ludger Vollmer : Border, Köln (Palladium), April 13, 2012

 

- Edward Rushton : Babur in London, Zürich (Theater Rigblick), March 28, 2012

- Jérôme Combier : Terre et Cendres, Lyon, March 10, 2012 (PDF)

- Bruno Giner : Pion prend tour en D9, Paris (Auditorium St. Germain), March 7, 2012

- Enver Yalçin Özdiker : Aufstand, Wuppertal, March 4, 2012

- Betsy Jolas : La Maison qui Chante, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Febuary 9, 2012 (PDF)

- Simon Wills : The Stolen Smells, Luzern, January 29, 2012

- Philippe Fénelon : La Cerisaie, Paris, January 27, 2012

- Manfred Trojahn : Orest, Amsterdam, December 8, 2011
 

  

- Ragnar Söderlind : I Cancelliraadens Dage, Brumunddal, November 17, 2011

- Elzbieta Sikora : Madame Curie, Paris (Unesco), November 15, 2011

- Lera Auerbach : Gogol, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 15, 2011

  

- Anno Schreier : Die Stadt der Blinden, Zürich, November 12, 2011

- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, Minneapolis, November 12, 2011

- Andrew P. MacDonald : Mary’s Wedding, Victoria (BC), November 10, 2011

  

- Nico Muhly : Dark Sisters, New York (Gotham Chamber Opera), November 9, 2011

- Gerhard Wimberger : Heinrich und Kleist, Frankfurt an der Oder, November 4, 2011

- Samu Gryllus : Blaubarts, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Joanna Doderer : Papageno eine Ausflucht, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Karmella Tsepolenko : Heute Abend Boris Godunow, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

  

- Christian Jost : Mikropolis, Berlin (Komische Oper), October 30, 2011 (PDF)

- Marcela Rodriguez : Las cartas de Frida, Heidelberg, October 26, 2011

- Claude Lenners : Der Turm, Luxembourg, October 6, 2011

- Philippe Manoury : La Nuit de Gutenberg, Strasbourg, September 24, 2011

 

- Alessandro Solbiati : Leggenda, Torino, September 20, 2011

- Leo Dick : Der Wunsch, Indianer zu werden, Bern, September 10, 2011

- Christopher Theofanidis : Heart of a Soldier, San Francisco, September 10, 2011

  

- Reinhardt Wagner : René l’énervé, Paris (Théâtre du Rond-Point), September 7 2011

- Santa Ratniece : War Sum Up, Riga, September 2, 2011 (PDF)