Today : world première of Hannah Lash's 'Beowulf' in Boston

Today, Guerilla Opera presents the world première performance of Hannah Lash's opera Beowulf, with a libretto by the composer, at the Boston Conservatory (Zack Box Theater).

It is the composer's first opera. The libretto is based on the Old English epic poem written between the 8th and early 11th century by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. The libretto investigates what it means to be a hero.

Beowulf is a doctor caring for his elderly mother and suffering from Post-Traumatic Stresses upon his return from a recent war. (reproduced from the Guerilla Opera website)

The cast includes baritone Brian Church (Beowulf), soprano Aliana de la Guardia (Mother) and tenor Brendan Buckley (Nurse). Andrew Eggert directs. The singers are accompanied by clarinet, saxophone, violin and percussion.

The performance of this chamber opera in 2 acts should last about 80 minutes. The production program, synopsis and libretto can be downloaded from the Guerilla Opera website.

In 2006, another opera with a libretto after the same poem was composed by Elliot Goldenthal and directed by Julie Taymor. Commissioned by Los Angeles Opera, it was given its world premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on June 8, 2006.

New program books for contemporary operas in my collection

I have recently acquired several program books (or brochures) for performances (world, national or local premières) of contemporary operas in New York. Here they are :

- Jack Beeson : Lizzie Borden, New York City Opera, March 6, 1999 ;
- Jack Beeson : Sorry, Wrong Number, Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, May 25, 1999 (Elie Siegmeister's Angel Levine was also performed in a double bill) ;
- Richard Danielpour : Margaret Garner, New York City Opera, September 29, 2007 ;

- Carlisle Floyd : Of Mice and Men, New York City Opera, October 14, 2003 ;
- Philip Glass : The Juniper Tree, Alice Tully Hall, March 20, 2007 ;
- Elliot Goldenthal : Grendel, New York State Theater, July 11, 2006 ;

- Osvaldo Golijov : Ainadamar, Rose Theater, January 22, 2006 ;
- John Harbison : The Great Gatsby, Metropolitan Opera, May 7, 2002 ;
- Lowell Liebermann : Miss Lonelyhearts, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, April 26, 2006 ;

 
- Jost Meier : The Dreyfus Affair, New York City Opera, April 2, 1996 ;
- Stephen Paulus : Summer, Kaye Playhouse, June 19, 2002 ;
- Ned Rorem : Our Town, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, April 23, 2008 ;

- Tan Dun : The First Emperor, Metropolitan Opera, December 29, 2006.

I have added to the flickr folder containing scans of the covers several programs I already had, for operas by John Adams, Lera Auerbach, Harrison Birtwistle, Philippe Boesmans, Charles Chaynes, Pascal Dusapin, Peter Eötvös, Graciane Finzi, Carlisle Floyd, René Gerber, Philip Glass, Hans Werner Henze, Marcel Landowski, Marius Felix Lange, György Ligeti, Olivier Messiaen, Marc Monnet, Krzysztof Penderecki, Steve Reich, Aribert Reimann, Wolfgang Rihm, Aulis Sallinen, Elzbieta Sikora, Oscar Strasnoy, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Iannis Xenakis and Bernd Alois Zimmermann.

I now have 346 program books for contemporary operas.