Today : world première of Lucia Ronchetti's 'Inferno' in Frankfurt

 

Today, the Oper Frankfurt presents the world première of Lucia Ronchetti's Inferno, an opera with a libretto by the composer based on Dante Alighieri's Divina Commedia with an epilogue by Tiziano Scarpa.

 Lucia Ronchetti has already composed several works of music theatre, including Neumond (Mannheim, 2012), Mise en abyme (Dresden, 2015), Esame di mezzanotte (Mannheim, 2015), Rivale (Berlin, 2017) and Les aventures de Pinocchio (Rennes, 2019).

A man at rock bottom decides to search for the next world, journeying through Hell. (reproduced from the Oper Frankfurt website)

The cast includes actor Sebastian Kuschmann (Dante), mezzo Karolina Makula (Francesca), tenor Alexander Kravets (Ulisse) and bass Alfred Reiter (Lucifero). Tito Ceccherini conducts the Schumann String Quartet, the Opern- und Museumsorchester Frankfurt and a Vocal ensemble. Marcus Lobbes directs.

The performance should last about 1 hour and 45 minutes with no interval. The venue is the Bockenheimer Depot.

Today : world première of Saed Haddad's 'A Wintery Spring' in Frankfurt

Today, the Oper Frankfurt presents the world première of Saed Haddad's A Wintery Spring, a dramatic lament in 3 scenes, with a libretto (in English and Arabic) based on 3 texts by Gibran Khalil Gibran.

It is the Jordanian-born German composer's first opera

While not trying to tell a story about the Arab Spring, the composer's choice of texts and sound world circle around analysis of geography, history, languages, religions and finding new ways of bringing people together. In his dramatic lamento Haddad takes up motives from the last decade of Middle Eastern history, focusing on generally applicable opinions not linked to any specific recent events. (reproduced from the Oper Frankfurt website)

The cast includes soprano Alison King, contralto Deanna Pauletto and bass baritone Brandon Cedel. Franck Ollu conducts the Ensemble Modern. Corinna Tetzel directs.

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

- 1 flute (doubling piccolo, alto flute and bass flute), 1 oboe (doubling English horn), 1 bass horn (doubling clarinets in A and Bb), 1 contrabass clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), 1 bassoon, 1 horn ;
- 1 trumpet in Eb (doubling flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet in Bb), 1 bass trombone (doubling trombone, alto trombone, euphonium and tuba) ;
- 2 percussionists ;
- harp, celesta (doubling piano and harpsichord) ;
- 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass.

The performance should last bout 50 minutes. The venue is the Bockenheimer Depot. Haddad's opera will be followed by Jan Dismas Zelenka's cantata Il Serpente di bronzo (The bronze snake).

4 new recent program books in my collection

I have recently acquired 4 new program books for contemporary operas :

- Arnulf Herrmann, Der Mieter, Frankfurt, November 12, 2017 ;
- Krzysztof Knittel, The Last Judgement, Gdansk, November 9, 2017 ;
- Nico Muhly, Marnie, London (ENO), November 18, 2017 ;
- Salvatore Sciarrino, Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo, Milano (Teatro alla Scala), November 14, 2017.

The first one is a 96 pages book. It contains :

- crew for the production ;
- synopsis of the opera ;
- Das Klopfen der Nachbarn und das zerbrechende Glas, interview of composer Arnulf Herrmann and librettist Händl Klaus by dramatugist Zsolt Horpacsy ;
- Markus Böggemann : Energien, erfahrbar gemarcht (über Arnulf Herrmann) ;
- Kazushi Ono : Ein Gefühl des Schwankens (Anmerkungen zur Musik von Der Mieter) ;
- Alles Falle, interview of director Johannes Erath and set designer Kaspar Glarner by dramaturgist Zsolt Horpacsy ;
- Anja Petersen : Wie im Schwindel ;
- Memoiren eines alten Arschlochs, Portrait von Roland Topor ;
- Alexander Garcia Düttmann : Verwandlung, Gedanken zu Roland Topors Roman Le Locataire chimérique ;
- Georg Hensel : Ein Sonntagsmaler des Grauens ;
- 16 pages of color photos of the production ;
- Händl Klaus : Hausmitteilung, Schutzdichtung für Muriel ;
- the complete libretto.

The programme book is entirely in German. At the end of it, there is a 3 pages synopsis in English. There is a separate 6 pages flyer with the complete cast and crew and a separate 12 pages booklet with biographies of the artists with black and white headshots.

The second one is a 24 pages booklet. It contains :

- complete cast and crew :
- a short article by composer Krzysztof Knittel ;
- biographies of artists with black and white headshots ;
- synopsis ;
- an article on Hans Memling's painting The Last Judgement, by Alicja Andrzejewska-Zajac and Magdalena Podgorzak.

It is entirely in Polish.

The third one is a 62 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- Nico Muhly : Writing 'Marnie' ;
 - a short excerpt of Winston Graham's original novel Marnie ;
- Paul Cremo ; Exploring 'Marnie' ;
- Winston Graham on 'Marnie', excerpt of Graham's Memoirs of a Private Man ;
- Paul Griffiths : Singing by Other Means : An Introduction to Nico Muhly's Music ;
- biographies of cast and crew, with black and white headshots. 

The fourth and last one is a 156 pages book. It contains :

- La scena, il dramma, il mito, l'oblio ;
- Organico strumentale (orchestral setting) ;
- complete libretto only in Italian ;
- synopsis in Italian by Cesare Fertonani, with translations in French, English, German, Japanese and
Russian ;
- Cesare Fertonani : Salvatore Sciarrino ;
- Cesare Fertonani : L'opera in breve ;
- Gianluigi Mattietti : La musica ;
- Enzo Restagno : Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo ;
- Andrea De Carlo : Stradella, o dell'atemporalità ;
- Raffaele Mellace : Alessandro Stradella ;
- Anna Paniale : Il teatro nel teatro - Alcune riflessioni di Jürgen Flimm ;
- Luca Chierici : Salvatore Sciarrino alla Scala dal 1969 al 2014 (with 'Cronologia') ;
- biographies of the artists with headshots.

With the exception of the translations of the synopsis, the book is entirely in Italian.

I now have 505 programme books for contemporary operas. All covers have been scanned and uploaded to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Der Mieter' by Arnulf Herrmann in Frankfurt

Today, the Oper Frankfurt presents the world première of Der Mieter (The Tenant), an opera composed by Arnulf Herrmann with a libretto by Klaus Händl based on motifs from Roland Topor's novel Le Locataire chimérique.

It is the composer's second opera after Wasser (München, 2012).

Lodgings are scarce, so Georg is delighted to have found a room. The previous tenant is dead. She threw herself out of the window. Not long after he moves in the other people in the house start intruding on his life. It starts with complaints about noise. Then he is expected to help drive other tenants away. Everything takes place in a climate of increasing fear, intimidation and – what weighs most heavily – gradual self-restraint and the need to become increasingly obedient in order to be able keep his room. The extent to how he is free to move and act becomes less and less. His (bio)sphere begins to vanish. In the end it is unclear whether the threat is real or imagined – advanced paranoia. He begins to imagine that he is being forced to suffer the same fate as the previous tenant. And worse: that he should become part of her. Not only does he lose his own identity, he turns into a woman and takes his life. (reproduced from the Oper Frankfurt website)

The cast includes baritone Björn Bürger (Georg), soprano Anja Petersen (Johanna), bass Alfred Reiter (Herr Zenk), mezzo Hanna Schwarz (Frau Bach), mezzo Claudia Mahnke (Frau Greiner), tenor Michael Porter (Körner) and mezzo Judita Nagyova (Frau Dorn). Kazushi Ono conducts the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester and the Philharmonia Chorus Vienna. Johannes Erath directs.

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

- 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 3 bassoons ;
- 6 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- 2 timpani and 5 percussionists ;
- harp and keyboard ;
- strings (12.10.8.8.6).

The performance should last about 1 hour and 50 minutes, without interval.

New in my collection : program book for Navok's 'An unserem Fluss' in Frankfurt

I have received the program book published by Oper Frankfurt for the world première performance of Lior Navok's new opera An unserem Fluss. The world première happened on May 31st.

It is a 44 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast ;
- synopsis ;
- an article on Lior Navok's work until this last operas ;
- an article by Rafik Schami, Angst im eigenen Land ;
- a discussion between stage director Corinna Tetzel, composer Lior Navok and Deborah Einspieler ;
- an article by Chadi Bahouth, Zündstoff Wasser ;
- several articles on the political situation in Israël and Palestine ;
- English synopsis ;
- several colour photos of the production ;

It is entirely in German. Only the synopsis is available in English.
You can see the covers of all program books for contemporary operas I have in this flick folder.

May 31st, 2015 : world première of Lior Navok's 'An unserem Fluss' in Frankfurt

Today, Lior Navok's new opera, An unserem Fluss (By our river), with a libretto by the composer (translated in German by Kristian Lutze) will be performed in Frankfurt, at the Bockenheimer Depot.

It is Navok's second opera, after The Bet (2012, based on Chekhov).

One country, two nations, a story about uprooting, expulsion, return, freedom and boundaries – and the longing for freedom.
People are on the run. They organise themselves and fight to preserve their identity. 15 year old Lucia is sent to look for water and meets Sipho, who is the same age. She likes him immediately. At their second meeting they realise that he is one of »the others« – the enemy and supposed murderers of her parents. The uncertainty felt by both teenagers is great, but the desire for a future together is stronger. Questions are raised, plans made: at »their river« happiness seems within reach. But how to combat the powers that be? Maintaining a picture of the enemy is necessary for survival and influences how people see themselves. The boundaries between reality and fiction blur. Lucia and Sipho look for a way out of a vicious circle which reaches far beyond the boundaries of countries and national interests. (reproduced from the opera house website)

The cast includes soprano Kateryna Kasper (Lucia), baritone Daniel Schmutzhard (Allendorf), baritone Davide Damiani (Fred Bucksmann), soprano Elizabeth Reiter (Klara Bucksmann), alto Stine Marie Fischer (Sinya), tenor Alexander Mayr (Chicken Heart) and bass Alfred Reiter (Zachary R.). Sebastian Zierer conducts and Corinna Tetzel directs.

Received in the mail : Rolf Riehm, 'Sirenen', program book

This Monday morning, I have received the program book for the world première performance of Rolf Riehm's Sirenen from Frankfurt in the mail.

The 72 pages book (in German) contains :

- a detailed chronology of the conception, composing, producing and staging the opera ;
- a plot summary ;
- some samples of the composer's writings about his music ;
- texts and poems that have inspired the composer in writing his libretto ;
- color pictures of the staging ;
- a separate booklet with the complete cast, photos and biographies of the artists ;
- a short synopsis in English.

Today : World première of Rolf Riehm's 'Sirenen' in Frankfurt

Today, Rolf Riehm's new opera, Sirenen - Scenes of Desire and Destruction will receive its world première performance in Frankfurt.

 

It is the composer's second opera, twenty years after Das Schweigen der Sirenen, with a libretto after Franz Kafka. This time, the composer wrote his own libretto based on Homer's Odyssey.

The orchestra consists of 16 woodwinds, 12 brass, 4 percussionists, piano, accordion, keyboard and 32 strings. There will be no interval and the opera should last about 95 minutes.

Here is how the opera house presents the work, quoting the composer :

A passionate twist to the Odyssey, something which could happen to anyone at some point in their life. When nothing promises safety, nothing can be trusted any more, but is real. Circe, knowing she must let her beloved Odysseus leave, devises a plan. She sends his ship past the sirens, knowing all too well that his survival will inevitably mean their death. "The main theme in the opera," said the composer, "is Odysseus, his encounter with the goddess Circe and the mesmerising, lethal, song of the sirens. I would be delighted if my music could make it clear that we, like Circe, the sirens and Odysseus, could also find ourselves in danger when caught up in conflicts of love, betrayal, leave taking and desire." (reproduced from the website)

The cast is the following : Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (Kirke), Lawrence Zazzo (young Odysseus), Michael Mendel (old Odysseus), Dominic Betz (Telegonos) and 8 sirens. Martyn Brabbins conducts and Tobias Heyder directs.

Radio HR2 dedicated part of its breakfast program to the composer yesterday, but there seems to be no broadcast of the opera planned yet.

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 articles in the mail :

- Atlanta, Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Avignon, Opéra : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Braunschweig : October 2014 leaflet ;
- Bremen, Theater : September 2014 leaflet and brochure :
- Chemnitz, Theater : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Darmstadt, Staatstheater : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Dresden, Semperoper : 2014-2015 Semper ! Magazin No. 1 ;
- Frankfurt, Oper : September October 2014 leaflet ;
- Göteborg, Operan : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Magdeburg, Theater : September 2014 leaflet ;
- Montréal, Opéra : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Vilnius, Lietuvos nacionalinis teatras : 2014-2015 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.

Today : World première of 'Der goldene Drache' (Peter Eötvös) in Frankfurt

Today, the new opera by Peter Eötvös, Der goldene Drache (The Golden Dragon), with a libretto by Roland Schimmelpfennig after his own play, will be performed in Frankfurt at the Bockenheimer Depot.

According to the composer's own website, it is his 11th stage work, after, among others, Three Sisters (1997), Le Balcon (2002), Angels in America (2004) and Love and other Demons (2007).

Here is the introduction to this opera, reproduced from the opera house's website :

The parallel worlds of locals and immigrants converge in an Asian take-away. A young man from China, looking for his sister, has no means of identification and suffers from terrible toothache. His tooth is removed – with a wrench - and lands in a Thai soup and then, in the mouth of a stewardess who lives just around the corner. And the others? A man is growing old and longs for something that nobody can give him. A woman becomes pregnant, but her husband does not want the child. Another is left by his wife. A cricket works for an ant who unfairly takes advantage of him...

The cast is the following : Kateryna Kasper (Die junge Frau), Hedwig Fassbender (Die Frau über sechzig), Simon Bode (Der junge Mann), Hans-Jürgen Lazar (Der Mann über sechzig), Holger Falk (Der Mann). The composer conducts the Ensemble Modern and Elisabeth Stöppler directs. The performance should last about 90 minutes without intermission.

New Season 2014-2015 at the Oper Frankfurt

With 11 new productions, 2 operas in concert and 14 revivals (in 4 languages), Oper Frankfurt has announced a great 2014-2015 season.

The 11 new productions (including 2 world premières) present a great variety of styles and genre :

- Rolf Riehm : Sirenen, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, directed by Tobias Heyder (world première), with a libretto after Homer's Odyssey ;
- Engelbert Humperdinck : Hänsel und Gretel, conducted by Sebastian Weigle, directed by Keith Warner ;
- Vincenzo Bellini : La Sonnambula, conducted by Eun Sun Kim, directed by Tina Lanik ;
- Claudio Monteverdi : L'Incoronazione di Poppea, conducted by Simone Di Felice, directed by Ute .M Engelhardt ;
- Antonio Cesti : L'Orontea, conducted by Ivor Bolton, directed by Walter Sutcliffe ;
- Mieczyslaw Weinberg : Die Passagierin, conducted by Leo Hussain, directed by Anselm Weber ;
- Carl Maria von Weber : Euryanthe, conducted by Roland Kluttig, directed by Johannes Erath ;
- Richard Strauss : Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by Sebastian Weigle, directed by Claus Guth ;
- Lior Navok : An unserem Fluss, conducted by Sebastian Zierer, directed by Corinna Tetzel (world première) ;
- Bohuslav Martinu : Julietta, conducted by Sebastian Weigle, directed by Florentine Klepper ;
- Bohuslav Martinu : The Tears of the Knife, Comedy on the Bridge and Alexander bis, conducted by Hartmut Keil, directed by Beate Baron.

The following productions will be revived :

- Giacomo Puccini : La Bohème, directed by Alfred Kirchner ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Falstaff, directed by Keith Warner ; Otello, directed by Johannes Erath ; Simon Boccanegra, directed by Christof Loy ;
- Richard Strauss : Die Frau ohne Schatten, directed by Christof Nel, Ariadne auf Naxos, directed by Brigitte Fassbaender ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Entführung aus dem Serail, directed by Christof Loy ; Don Giovanni, directed by Christof Loy ;
- Benjamin Britten : Owen Wingrave, directed by Walter Sutcliffe ;
- Antonin Dvorak : Rusalka, directed by Jim Lucassen ;
- Richard Wagner : Parsifal, directed by Christof Nel ;
- Gioachino Rossini : La Cenerentola, directed by Keith Warner ;
- Ildebrando Pizzetti : Murder in the Cathedral, directed by Keith Warner (in English) ;
- Engelbert Humperdinck : Königskinder, directed by David Bösch.

Received in the mail this Monday morning

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

- program book for the world première of Philippe Hurel's Les Pigeons d'argile, in Toulouse, April 15th

- Antwerp, Vlaamse Opera : magazine Nr. 26, June-August ;
- Brno, Narodni divadlo : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Frankfurt, Oper : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Hamburg, Staatsoper : 2014-2015 season program book, with May and June leaflets ;
- Klagenfurt, Stadttheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Koblenz, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book, with May-June and July-September leaflets.