Today : world première of Volker David Kirchner's 'Gutenberg' in Erfurt

Today, the new opera composed by Volker David Kirchner, Gutenberg, with a libretto by the composer, will be performed in Erfurt.

Volker David Kirchner has already composed several operas, including Belshazar (Munich, 1985), Gilgamesh (Hannover, 2000) and Savonarola (Kiel, 2011).

Who was Johannes Gutenberg ? He is a symbol of permanent strugle against church authorities and princes. Until now, he is mainly famous for inventing the printring press with movable type. It revolutionized the terms of knowledge and power. Five centuries later, the digital technologies made the world a village, broadened our horizons to infinity and unleashed unexpected treasure of human creativity. Ultimately, the opera ends with an 'epilogue in (cyber)Heaven' where Gutenberg meets Apple founder and Internet guru Steve Jobs. (freely adapted from the Theater Erfurt website)

The cast includes baritone Siyabulela Ntlale (Gutenberg), tenor Julian Freibott (Probst), baritone Nils Stäfe (Becher), tenor Won Whi Choi (Drizehn), mezzo Katja Bildt (Haushälterin) and actor Mark Pohl (Steve Jobs). Samuel Bächli conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Theater Erfurt. Martina Veh directs. The first part of the evening consists of Digitale Revolution, excerpts from Johann Sebastian Bach's St John Passion and Mass in B minor combined with electronic sounds by Gunnar Geisse.

In 2011, Philippe Manoury already composed an opera about Gutenberg : La Nuit de Gutenberg, first performed in Strasbourg on September 24th.

Received in the mail this Thursday morning : program book for François Fayt's 'Das schwarze Blut' in Erfurt

This Thursday morning, I have received in the mail the program book published by Theater Erfurt for the world première performance of François Fayt's opera Das schwarze Blut. It is entirely in German.

It is a 32 pages brochure and it contains :
- photos of the production ;
- synopsis ;
- chronology of Louis Guilloux's life (French writer who wrote the original novel) ;
- the year 1917 in Europe ;
- biography of the composer ;
- an article on François Fayt's music ;
- the complete cast and crew ;
- an article on adapting the novel ;
- an article on the opera, written by the dramaturge in charge of the production ;
- biographies of performers with photos.

Today : world première of 'Das schwarze Blut' by François Fayt in Erfurt

Today, François Fayt's third opera, Das schwarze Blut (literally Black Blood, but usually translated as Bitter Victory), with a libretto (in German) by Marcel Maréchal after Louis Guilloux will be performed for the first time in Erfurt.

 

It is the composer's third opera, after L'Arbre de Mai (1993) and Le Dernier repas (1997). The original 1935 novel concentrates on the psychological alienation of an individual. It is based in Guilloux's memories of his philosophy tutor, Georges Palante, an anarchist thinker who eventually killed himself in 1925.

One day in 1917 an aging philosophy tutor, nicknamed Cripure (contraction of Critique of Pure Reason), feels unable to give advice to a student who is departing for the front in World War I. Amidst the horror of the war, he feels increasing disgust at life. He remembers how, years ago, he lost his wife. He is now living alone, supported only by Maia, his lazy housekeeper. His youthful promise as a writer and thinker has long since evaporated, and his body is becoming disturbingly abnormal as his feet become excessively large due to an illness. He hates himself, his colleagues and his students. He takes a class at which the students play up. In the afternoon he consoles himself with drink.
As the evening wears on he learns about disasters and local tragedies, deaths, robberies and betrayals which convince him of the irredeemable corruption of humanity. French soldiers are becoming mutinous as the war continues without hope of an end. Cripure becomes involved in an altercation at the railway station as disaffected soldiers riot. He hits a jingoistic "patriot" and is challenged to a duel, which he accepts. Convinced that he will be killed, he writes a will. To his surprise local people rally round to support him, including his housekeeper and old friends. Cripure's challenger is discovered to be a hypocrite and is forced to back off.
Saved from death, Cripure is more disturbed by the new evidence of human solidarity than he was by the consolation of despair. Unable to imagine a new life, he shoots himself. (from wikipedia)

The opera will be conducted by Jean-Paul Penin and directed by Marc Adam. The cast includes Maté Solyom-Nagy (Cripure), Jörg Rathmann (Nabucet), Katja Bildt, Marwan Shamiyeh, Daniela Gerstenmeyer, Juri Bakutov and Nils Stäfe.

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.