Today : world première of 'A Roman on Mars' by Vittorio Montalti in Roma

Today, the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma presents the world première of Un romano a Marte (A Roman on Mars), an opera composed by Vittorio Montalti, with a libretto by Giuliano Compagno.

It is the composer's third opera after Ehi Gio’ – Vivere e sentire del grande Rossini (Firenze, October 16, 2081) and Le leggi fondamentali della stupidità umana (Firenze, May 25, 2019)

Milan, November 23, 1960, on the stage of the Teatro Lirico the 'Compagnia del Teatro Popolare Italiano', led by Vittorio Gassman is struggling to complete a comedy based on a successful story by Ennio Flaiano : 'A Martian in Rome'. Shortly before the end, the audience, already noisy, is inspired by a joke to trigger a resounding protest.
That theatrical defeat that will mark a gap between the Milanese and Roman cultures, between the productive and concrete attitude of one and the listless, cynical and indolent temperament of the other.
But here, with the curtain lowered, the Martian Kunt appears in flesh and blood, on whose existence Ennio Flaiano had kept the secret and that the young Ilaria Occhini greets astonished. From there begins a journey to Italy and Rome that are changing landscape, language and thoughts ; hence the portrait of an original and free European writer, burdened by a private melancholy, that literary conformism will try to reduce to a facetious inventor of quirks. (freely adapted from the Rome Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Rafaela Albuquerque (Ilaria Occhini), tenor Domingo Pellicola (Ennio Flaiano), baritone Timofei Baranov (Kunt il Marziano) and actor Gabriele Portoghese (Il Critico). John Axelrod conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera di Roma. Fabio Cherstich directs.

Today : world première of 'Trilogy in Two' by Andrea Liberovici in Reggio Emilia

Today, the Teatro Cavallerizza in Reggio Emilia presents the world première of Trilogy in Two, an 'opera mosaic' with music and libretto by Andrea Liberovici.

Andrea Liberovici has already composed several works of music theatre, including Children of Uranium (Genova, 2005) and Macbeth Remix (Genova, 2016)

A dramaturgical investigation of three conflicting beauties : the ephemeral beauty of illusions, the profound beauty of solidarity, the ancient beauty of listening. Personalized respectively in three European archetypes: Faust as a fictional character, Florence Nightingale (founder of modern nursing) as an historic personality, and Venice as a listening architecture: the selfishness of the former, the attention to others of the latter (counterposed to the new racisms), the synthesis of the objective and indisputable beauty of the lagoon city, which in its architecture made of water and mosaics preserves the aptitude for listening and meeting. (reproduced from the Schallfeld Ensemble website)

The cast consists of singer Helga Davis, with the Schallfeld Ensemble conducted by Sara Caneva. Andrea Liberovici directs.

Today : world première of 'Winter Journey' by Ludovico Einaudi in Palermo

Today, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo presents the world première of Winter Journey, an opera composed by Ludovico Einaudi with a libretto by Colm Toibin.

It is the composer's first opera.

A journey into the desolate winter of today's Europe, in the desperate solitude of those forced to leave their country to embark on a land in which to beg for a handful of life.
The work is made up of fragments that reveal the depth of an interior landscape at the center of which three fleeing or waiting souls stand out. The protagonists are a man, a woman, a child. Around them, a politician, and a chorus of men and women who state their reasons for rejecting or welcoming foreigners. (freely adapted from the Teatro Massimo website)

The cast includes Rokia Traoré (Woman), Badara Seck (Man) and Mamadou Dioume (Voca Man fuoriscena). Carlo Tenan conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo. Roberto Ando directs.

New programme book in my collection : 'Fin de partie' by György Kurtag in Milano

This afternoon, I have finally received the programme book published by the Teatro alla Scala in Milano for the world première of György Kurtag's Fin de partie, on November 15, 2018.

It is a 156 pages book. It contains :

- the complete libretto, in French with Italian translation ;
- synopsis, in Italian, French, English, German, Japanese and Russian ;
- György Kurtag, by Luciana Galliano ;
- L'Opera in breve, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- La musica, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- Fine del racconto, by Ugo Volli ;
- Lampi di poesia in un'umanità alla deriva, by Gianluigi Mattietti ;
- 'Fin de partie' di Kurtag, by stage director Pierre Audi, translated from the English by Arianna Ghilardotti, in Italian and in English (Kurtag's 'Fin de partie') ;
- biographies of production team members and cast with headshots ;
- several colour photos of rehearsals, sketches for the costumes, pages of the score.

I now have 636 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned and uploaded all the covers to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Fin de partie' by György Kurtag in Milan

Today, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan presents the world première of Fin de partie, an opera in one act composed by György Kurtag, with a libretto based on Samuel Beckett's play.

(c) Andrea Felvégi

It is the composer's first opera.

The setting is a bare, partially underground room, serving as shelter for the four characters: Hamm the master, Clov his servant, and Hamm's father and mother, Nagg and Nell (who live in garbage cans). Hamm is in a wheelchair and makes Clov move him around the room, fetch objects, and look out the window for signs of life. Outside all seems dead and nothing happens. Inside, the characters pass the time mortifying each other and toying with fears and illusions of a possible change, all along sensing the inevitability of their end. (reproduced from Dr. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta's website)

The cast includes bass baritone Frode Olsen (Hamm), baritone Leigh Melrose (Clov), contralto Hilary Summers (Nell) and tenor Leonardo Cortellazzi (Nagg). Markus Stenz conducts the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala. Pierre Audi directs.

The first performance will be broadcast live by Rai Radio 3. The opera will later be performed in Amsterdam in March 2019, with exactly the same cast.

The score is published by Editio Musica Budapest.

New programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired several programme books for contemporary operas :

- Jonas S. Bohlin, Tristessa, Stockholm, October 6, 2018
It is a 28 pages brochure. It contains :
- complete cast and crew with B & W headshots ;
- synopsis (in Swedish and English) ;
- Torbjörn Elensky : Angela Carter satte allt på spel (Angela Carter put everything at stake) ;
- Torbjörn Eriksson : interview with Katharina Thoma ;
- Katarina Aronsson : Operan är scenkonstens moder (Opera is the mother of the performing arts), interview with visual artist Ann-Sofi Sidén ;
- Jonas S. Bohlin : Känslan av att stå utanför är en erfarenhet som påverkat mitt liv (The feeling of standing outside is an experience that has affected my life) ;
- Tiina Rosenberg : Divor är trasiga tanter, excerpt of HBTQ spelar roll (LGBT plays a role) ;
- several color photos.
The brochure is entirely in Swedish, unless otherwise stated.

- Niklas Brommare, När då då, Stockholm, October 13, 2018
It is a 28 pages brochure. It contains :
- complete cast and crew with B & W headshots ;
- color photos of rehearsals and drawings (sketches of characters), with quotes of the libretto.
The brochure is entirely in Swedish.

- Christian Diendorfer, Die Wand, Linz, Septembre 16, 2018
It is a 32 pages brochure. It contains :
- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- Ira Goldbecher : Marlen Haushofer, kurze biografische Einblicke ;
- Hermann Schneider : Zum Libretto ;
- Dialogue with Eva-Maria Melbye (director) and Marcus Olson (set designer) : Eine poetische Neufassung ;
- Composer's biography ;
- several color photos.
The brochure is entirely in German.

 - Adam Gorb, The Path to Heaven, Leeds, June 19, 2018
It is a 20 pages brochure. It contains :
- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- biographies of artists with color headshots ;
- color photos of rehearsals ;
- complete libretto.
The brochure is entirely in English.

- Michael Jarrell, Bérénice, Paris, September 29, 2018
It is a 136 pages book. It contains :
- Complete cast ;
- In Brief (French and English) ;
- Synopsis and Characters (Franch and English) ;
- Timeline (French and English) ;
- Michael Jarrell : Faire chanter le français de Racine ;
- Philippe Albèra : Un portrait de Michael Jarrell ;
- Julia de Gasquet : L'instant et le moment : l'alexandrin métamorphosé ;
- Georges Forestier : Racine et le choix de Bérénice ;
- Christian-Georges Schwentzel : La reine "amie" et l'empereur ;
- Konrad Kuhn : Une pièce contemporaine ;
- Nathalie Azoulai : Tous les cahots de l'abandon (excerpt of Titus n'aimait pas Bérénice) ;
- complete libretto ;
- B & W photos of rehearsals ;
- biographies of the artists, with B& W headshots.
The book is entirely in French, unless otherwise stated.

- David Sawer, The Skating Rink, Wormsley (Garsington Opera), July 5, 2018
It is a 128 pages book that contains information on all four operas performed this year. There are actually 10 pages about The Skating Rink, not included the artists' biographies. It contains :
- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- Creative Collaboration, David Sawer and Rory Mullarkey in conversation with Fiona Maddocks ;
- Chris Andrews : Roberto Bolaño and 'The Skating Rink' ;
- Enric's dream of skating, excerpt of Bolañ's The Skating Rink.
Biographies of artists with B & W headshots are included in the general roster for the Festival.

Other new programmes for past operas :

- Thomas Adès, Powder Her Face, Irish National Opera, Wexford, February 24, 2018. The opera was first performed in 1995. I also have the programme book for performances in Bologna (November 2010) ;
- Harrison Birtwistle, The Last Supper, Berlin (Staatsoper Unter den Linden), April 18, 2000 (world première). It contains a leaflet with complete cast and crew and another leaflet with biographies ot the artists ;
- Friedrich Cerha, Onkel Präsident, Munich (Gärtnerplatztheater im Prinzregententheater), June 1st, 2013 (world première) ;

- Silvia Colasanti, La metamorfosi, Firenze (Teatro Goldoni), March 9, 2014. The opera was first performed in the same theatre in May 2012 ;
- Nico Muhly, Two Boys, London (English National Opera), June 24, 2011 (world première) ;

- Hans Schanderl, Der Maschinist, Magdeburg, September 23, 2000. The opera was first performed on September 16, 2000 in Hannover. It contains a separate leaflet with the complete cast and crew ;
- Marco Tutino, Le Braci, Firenze, November 5, 2015. The opera was first performed in Budapest in October 2014.

I now have 599 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded them to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Marco Tutino's 'Miseria e nobilta' in Genova

Today, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova presents the world première of Marco Tutino's new opera, Miseria e nobilta, with a libretto in 2 acts by Luca Rossi and Fabio Cesera, loosely based on Eduardo Scarpetta's homonymous play.

Tutino has already composer a dozen of stage works, including Pinocchio (1983), La Lupa (1990), Le Braci (2011) and La Ciociara (2015) and Le Braci (2015).

The version of Miseria e nobiltà created by Rossi, Ceresa and Tutino makes no claim to be entirely faithful to the original. The events are imagined at a much later date, in the days of the 1946 referendum in Italy, which ousted the monarchy and ushered in the republic. We’ve limited the characters, Scarpetta’s lowly crew is made up of the Sciosciammocca family, and that’s it. As for the plot, we weren’t exactly into settling for 19th-century gags that seem to follow one another in a kind of domino effect, where situations give rise to other situations, oftentimes with no end in sight. Things begin to unfold following a series of more complex events. The characters’ motivation is more connected to a story that delves even further into the psychological context, as well as social and cultural influences. (reproduced from the Ricordi website)

The cast includes soprano Valentina Mastrangelo (Bettina), mezzo Francesca Sartorato (Peppiniello), mezzo Martina Belli (Gemma), tenor Fabrizio Paesano (Eugenio), baritone Alessandro Luongo (Felice Sciosciammocca) and bass baritone Alfonso Antoniozzi (Don Gaetano). Francesco Cilluffo conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Carlo Felice. Rosetta Cucchi directs.

According to the publisher Ricordi's website, the required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes (II. doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (II. doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons ;
- 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones ;
- timpani, percussion, harp ;
- strings.

The full score is available online on the publisher's website.

Today : world première of Giovanni Mancuso's 'Atlas 101' in Treviso

Today, the Teatro Comunale di Treviso presents the world première of Giovanni Mancuso's Atlas 101, a 'matematico-dream spy opera'.

(c) Fotovideolab di Riccardo Spinella

It is the composer's second opera after Obra Maestra (2006).

Hedy Lamarr, the Austrian actress who won Hollywood in the 1930s, and composer George Antheil, famous for his avant-garde experiments, contributed to the struggle against Nazism by conceiving the Secret Communication System, a method of intercepting radioactive torpedoes, similar to the perforated paper rolls used for mechanical pianos, which constantly changed the frequency of radio controls to prevent enemies from intercepting the signals. But their project exceeds any expectation by coming to the idea of ​​a universal Atlas of Relationship, a kind of ultimate theory that makes it possible to understand the nature of things and events. (freely adapted from the Teatro Comunale di Treviso website)

The cast includes Fernanda de Araujo (Hedy Lamarr), bass Francisco Bois (George Antheil), baritone Francesco Basso (Ganesh), soprano Sara Fanin (Maria, cameriera di Hedy), bass Luca Scapin (Vescovo), Lucas Lopes Pereira (Generale Spy) and Veniero Rizzardi (John Conway). The composer conducts the Chironomids Outerspace Group and directs.

Today : world première of 'Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo' by Salvatore Sciarrino in Milan

Today, the Teatro alla Scala in Milano presents the world première performance of Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo (To see you, to feel you, to lose me), an opera in two acts composed by Salvatore Sciarrino, with a libretto by the composer.

(c) Luca Carrà

Salvatore Sciarrino has already composed 15 works for the theatre, including Lohengrin (Milano, 1983), Luci mie traditrici (Schwetzingen, 1998), Macbeth (Schwetzingen, 2002), Da gelo a gelo (Schwetzingen, 2006), La porta della legge (Wuppertal, 2009), and Superflumina (Mannheim, 2011).

The subtitle of Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo is Waiting for Stradella. This alludes to the fate of Alessandro Stradella, a highly prominent Italian composer during his time, who died in mysterious circumstances in 1682 – the victim of a violent crime. The work is set in the home of Cardinal Colonna in baroque Rome, where a singer, a writer, a musician, a choir and an instrumental ensemble are on stage awaiting the arrival of the composer. But instead of the promised new aria, they receive news of Stradella’s death. In the lead-up, the music and life of this controversial, original artist – a legend during his lifetime – are extensively reported and reflected upon. Different perspectives and values play a role, as do thoughts on human nature, the body, the senses and passion – in other words, the very essence of opera as an art form. (reproduced from the Staatsoper Unter den Linden website)

The cast includes soprano Laura Aikin (La cantatrice), tenor Charles Workman (Musico), bass baritone Otto Katzameier (Letterato), soprano Sonia Grané (Pasquozza), mezzo Lena Haselmann (Chiappina), countertenor Thomas Lichtenecker (Solfetto) and baritone Christian Oldenburg (Finocchio). Maxime Pascal conducts the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala. Jürgen Flimm directs.

The first performance will be broadcast live by Rai Radio 3. This commission is a coproduction with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where the opera will be performed in July 2018.

Today : world première of Mauro Montalbetti's 'Haye : le parole, la notte' in Reggio Emilia

Today, the Teatri di Reggio Emilia presents the world première of Mauro Montalbetti's new opera "Haye" : le parole, la notte, with a libretto di Alessandro Leogrande.

It is the third part of a trilogy dedicated to 'civil theater' that started with Il sogno di una cosa (Reggio Emilia, October 2017) and Corpi eretici (Reggio Emilia, 2015).

'Haye' means ‘Forward’ in Tigrino, a language diffused between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and sums up in a word the survival philosophy of the migrant : keep going, never go back. The theme of the work is that of the migrations, the tragedy of our time treated in parallel with our Italian emigrant past : a sort of reflection that changes the point of view of the problem, compared to the one offered by the media. (freely translated from the theater website)

The cast includes Cristina Zavalloni (Yasmina), Elizangela Torricelli (Luam), Gabriele Mari (Karim) and Alessandro Albertin (Politico). Francesco Bossaglia conducts the Orchestra, the Quartetto Mirus and the Zero Vocal Ensemble. Alina Marazzi directs.

The venue is the Teatro Ariosto.

Received this morning : programme book for Perocco's 'Aquagranda' in Venezia

This Monday morning, I have received in the mail the programme book published by Teatro La Fenice di Venezia for the world première of Filippo Perocco's Aquagranda.

It is a 152 pages book. It contains :

- color photos of rehearsals ;
- complete cast and crew ;
- Per una riflessione, cinquanta anni dopo, by Paolo Petazzi ;
- In breve, a short introduction to the opera ;
- the complete libretto by Roberto Bianchin and Luigi Cerantola ;
- Una conversazione con Damiano Michieletto, by Valerio Cappelli. Dialogue with the director ;
- Acqua granda, il romanzo dell'alluvione, by Roberto Bianchin, with lots of black & white photos of the 1966 flood.

There is a separate 10 pages leaflet with the cast and the biographies of the artists.

It is the 439th programme book for contemporary opera in my collection.

Today : world première of Filippo Perocco's 'Aquagranda' in Venezia

Today, the Teatro La Fenice in Venezia presents the world première performance of Filippo Perocco's new opera, Aquagranda, with a libretto by Roberto Bianchin and Luigi Cerantola.

It is the composer's first opera.

On 4 November 1966 Venice was struck by terrible floods. That day saw the highest high water ever recorded since the systematic recordings of the phenomenon had begun: at 18.00 the mareograph at Punta della Salute showed 194 cm. The consequences of the flood were terrible. The worst hit area was Pellestrina, the island where the new opera by Filippo Perocco is set. At that time the protagonist, Ernesto Ballarin was twenty-five years old when the sea broke through the Murazzi and flooded his house up to the roof so that he had no choice but to leave his house and island, together with another three thousand people.(reproduced from the opera house's website).

The cast includes bass Andrea Mastroni (Fortunato), tenor Mirko Guadagnini (Ernesto), soprano Giulia Bolcato (Lilli) and mezzo Silvia Regazzo (Leda). Marco Angius conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice. Damiano Michieletto directs.

The performance should last about 80 minutes. A recording of the first performance will be broadcast later on the same evening by Rai Radio 3. Culturebox will have a video recording of the opera available for viewers starting on November 12.

Today : world première of 'Il Labbro della Lady' by Carlo Galante in Modena

Today, Carlo Galante's new opera, Il Labbro della Lady, with a libretto by Stefano Valanzuolo after Arthur Conan Doyle's The Case of Lady Sannox, will be performed at the Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena.

Carlo Galante has already composed several works for the stage including Corradino (Bologna, 1991), Ghost Café (Bergamo, 2000) and La Tempesta, after Shakespeare (Torino, 2006).

An arrogant and successful surgeon is in love with the married Lady Sannox, one of the most beautiful women in the world. He is asked by a Turkish man to operate on the latter's wife, who has cut her lip with a poison envenomed scimitar. The surgeon goes ahead with the operation on the heavily drugged wife, whose face is obscured by a veil. After he has performed the opera, the surgeon realizes his patient is Lady Sannox, and the Turk her husband, who believes the disfigurement will be morally good for his wife. (reproduced from the wikipedia article)

The cast includes soprano Francesca Tassinari (Lady Petula), tenor Mirko Guadagnini (Narcison silican 'El prestigiador'), bass Matteo Ferrara (Lord Sannox) and the actor Toni Contartese (Il giornalista). Carlo Boccadoro conducts the Ensemble della Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Modena, Stefania Panighini directs. The opera should last about 75 minutes, with no interval.

July 15th : world première of Marco Tutino's 'LeBraci' in Martina Franca

Today, the new version of Marco Tutino's opera, Le Braci, with a libretto by the composer after Hungarian Sándor Márai's novel, will be performed for the first time, at the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca.

Marco Tutino has already composed several operas since Pinocchio (1985). His last stage works are The Servant (2008), Senso (2011) and Two Women (2015).

The libretto tells the meeting in 1940 of two old childhood friends who first met each other at the Military Academy of Vienna: Henrik (the son of a Hungarian prince) and Konrad (belonging to a Polish lower middle class family). They loved the same woman, Krisztina, but she married Henrik. Konrad suddenly left for the tropics and the colonies, after a hunt that threatened to turn into a murder and, forty years later, the two men see each other again one last time to evoke the past and talk again of Krisztina, dead many years ago.(reproduced from the Opera di Firenze website)

The cast includes soprano Angela Nisi (Kristina), mezzo Romina Tomasoni (Nini), tenor Davide Giusti (Young Konrad), baritone Pavol Kuban (Young Henrik), baritone Alfonso Antoniozzi (Konrad) and bass Roberto Scandiuzzi (Henrik). Francesco Cilluffo conducts the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia and Leo Muscato directs.

New in my collection : program books from Teatro alla Scala : Battistelli's 'CO2' and Maazel's '1984'

This morning, I have received two program books published by the Teatro alla Scala in Milano for two contemporary operas :

- Giorgio Battistelli : CO₂, world première on May 16th, 2015 ;
- Lorin Maazel : 1984, world première in London (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) on May 3rd, 2005, first performed in Milan on May 2nd, 2008.

The program book for Battistelli's opera is a 180 pages book. It contains :

- an introduction by librettist Ian Burton (in English and Italian) ;
- the complete libretto (in English and Italian) ;
- the synopsis (in Italian, French, English, German, Japanese and Russian ;
- a detailed biography of the composer, by Giulia Accornero (in Italian) ;
- The opera : a brief overview, by Cesare Fertonani (in Italian and English) ;
- The music, by Marco Moiraghi (in Italian and English) ;
- L'opera oggi, al servizio di una malata terminale, interview with the composer (in Italian) ;
- A climate change opera, by Ian Burton (in Italian and English) ;
- 24 pages of color photographs of landscapes damaged by human activities ;
- Un soggetto per la nostra epoca, by Robert Carsen (in Italian) ;
- detailed biographies of the members of the production team ;
- black and white portraits of the singers.

The program book for Maazel's opera is a 210 pages book. It contains :

- complete libretto (in English and Italian) ;
- color photos of the 2005 production in London ;
- the synopsis (in Italian, French, English, German and Japanese) ;
- L'opera in breve, by Cesare Fertonani ;
- The music, by Marco Moiraghi ;
- Come ho scritto 1984, by Lorin Maazel ;
- 1984, Maazel, Orwell : dal totalitarismo alla dittatura dei media, by Michele Porzio ;
- George Orwell e l'indagine letteraria sull'autoritarismo, by Angelo Arciero ;
- interview with the director Robert Lepage (originally published in the London program book) ;
- B& W photos of London rehearsals ;
- detailed chronology of Lorin Maazel's life, with lots of photos.

This book is mainly in Italian. The CO₂ book is mostly bilingual Italian / English, most likely because the performances of the opera (a commission of the Teatro alla Scala) are connected to the Expo Milano 2015.

May 16th, 2015 : world première of Giorgio Battistelli's 'CO₂' in Milan

Today, Giorgio Battistelli's new opera, CO₂, with a libretto in English by Ian Burton, will be performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It is a commission by the Theatre as a contribution to the theme of Expo Milano 2015, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

 

  

Since the 1980s, Battistelli has composed several works for the theater, including Prova d'Orchestra (1995), Richard III (2005) and Divorcio all'italiana (2008). 

The opera is divided into nine scenes, plus a prologue and an epilogue. The dramatic structure centres on the lecture given by a climatologist whose name is emblematic of the entire human race : David Adamson. As he attempts to explain the risks facing the planet and endangering the survival of humanity, he himself comes to realise the absolute necessity of loving the environment in which we live and for which we are all personally responsible, and not merely of respecting its ecology. In scene after scene, Adamson’s lecture is interrupted by and interspersed with episodes or insights, according to a postmodern narrative logic that generates a whirlwind of “short-circuits” in time and space. So, alongside David Adamson appear a range of diverse characters : four archangels (Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel and Michael) ; scientists and ecologists ; Adam, Eve and the Serpent ; Gaia, the ancient Greek goddess of the earth ; MrsMason, the sister of a survivor of the tsunami, and Mr Changtalay, a Thai hotel manager ; and also young people, travellers, women doing their shopping. (reproduced from the Scala website).

The cast includes soprano Pumeza Matshikiza (Eve), counter-tenor David DQ Lee (Serpent), mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnston (Gaia), tenor Sean Panikkar (Adam), baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore (D. Adamson), bass Dennis Wilgenhof (Archangel Raphael), bass Alain Coulombe (Archangel Uriel). Cornelius Meister conducts and Robert Carsen directs. The opera should last about 90 minutes. The first performance is to be broadcast live by Italian Rai Radio 3.

The orchestra is the following :

- 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 4 bassoons ;

- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 tubas ;

- timpani and 4 percussionists ;

- amplified bass guitar, 2 samplers

- strings

(according to the Ricordi website)

New productions or revivals of recent operas (5)

During the 2014-2015 season, several recent operas will be performed, sometimes with new productions.

- John Adams : A Flowering Tree, conducted by Joana Carneiro, directed by Nicola Raab, in Göteborg, in January 2015 (Scandinavian première). The opera was first performed in Vienna in 2006, and has been staged several times, in Cincinnati and in Paris, among others ;
- John Adams : I was looking at the ceiling and then I saw the sky, in Roma in September 2015, conducted by Alexander Briger and directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti. This is a revival of the original production from Paris, first performed in June 2013 ;
- Daniel Catan : Florencia en el Amazonas, conducted by Carolyn Kuan, directed by Francesca Zambello, in Washington (DC), in September 2014. This is the original production from 1996 in Houston. It has been performed several times in Los Angeles, Seattle, Cincinnati, Denver and Salt Lake City ;
- André Previn : A Streetcar Named Desire, conducted by Joseph Mechavich, directed by José Maria Condemi, in Louisville, KY, in February 2015. Since the world première in San Francisco in September 1998, this opera has become a classic, with a number a productions in North America, Europe and Asia ;
- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, conducted by Joseph Mechavich and directed by David Gately, in Calgary, in November 2014. This new production will mark the Canadian première of this work already performed in several American opera houses and in Wexford. Another production will be staged in Montréal in May 2015.

Received in the mail this Saturday morning

Today, I have received the following items in the mail :

- Calgary, Opera : 2014-2015 season leaflet ;
- Detmold, Landestheater : October 2014 leaflet ;
- Freiberg, Mittelsächsisches Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Nürnberg, Staatstheater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Parma, Teatro regio : Festival Verdi 2014 program book ;
- Portland, Opera : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Roma, Teatro dell'Opera : 2014-2015 program brochure.

Wanted ! 2014-2015 season programs of opera houses

To complete my collection, I am still expecting paper copies of the 2014-2015 season program for the following opera houses :

- Canada : Calgary, Victoria (BC) ;
- Croatia : Zagreb ;
- Finland : Helsinki ;
- France : Caen, Compiègne, Lille, Monte-Carlo, Montpellier, Reims ;
- Germany : Staatstheater Darmstad, Theater Erfurt, Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg, Theater Magdeburg, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Opernhaus Wuppertal ;
- Hungary : Budapest ;
- Italy : Bari, Bolzano, Cagliari, Catania, Firenze, Genova, Milano, Palermo, Parma, Roma, Trieste, Venezia ;
- Latvia : Riga ;
- Netherlands : Enschede, Maastricht ;
- Poland : Warsaw ;
- Portugal : Lisboa ;
- Slovenia : Ljubljana ;
- Switzerland, Bern : Konzert Theater ;
- USA : Anchorage, Central City, Charlotte (Opera Carolina), Dallas, Denver (Opera Colorado), Detroit (Michigan Opera Theatre), Honolulu (Hawaii Opera Theatre), Houston, Indianapolis, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville (Kentucky Opera), Miami (Florida Grand Opera), Milwaukee (Florentine Opera Company), Minneapolis (Minnesota Opera), New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Saint Louis, San Diego, Sarasota, Washington (DC).

I hope I will receive them before the end of the year. I guess I will have to write to them again.

Received in the mail this week

Since Tuesday, I received the following in the mail :

- Berlin, Komische Oper : September October 2014 brochure ;
- Bonn, Theater : August September and Octobre 2014 leaflets ;
- Fort Worth : 2014 Opera Festival Experience Guide ;
- Regensburg, Theater : 2014-2015 season program book ;
- Stuttgart, Staatstheater : September October 2014 brochure ;
- Torino, Teatro Regio : 2014-2015 season program brochure ;
- Versailles, Centre de Musique Baroque : 2014-2015 season program book.