3 new programme books in my collection : Battistelli, Fairouz and Nemtsov

I have recently received three new programme books for contemporary operas :

- Giorgio Battistelli : Lot, Hannover, April 1, 2017 ;
- Mohammed Fairouz : The New Prince, Amsterdam, March 24, 2017 ;
- Sarah Nemtsov : Sacrifice, Halle, March 5, 2017.

 The first one is a 64 pages book. It contains :

- synopsis ;
- Klaus Angermann : Experiment mit offenem Ausgang - Vorläufige Bemerkungen zu Giorgio Battistellis Oper Lot ;
- Umberto Eco : Projekt einer Apokalypse ;
- Pier Paolo Pasolini : Ach, meine nackten Füsse... ;
- Julia Kristeva : Toccata und Fuge für den Fremden ;
- Klaus Lelek : A und O ;
- Pier Paolo Pasolini : Die Zerstörung der Selbsteinschätzung ;
- biographies of composer and librettist with black and white headshots ;
- complete libretto in German ;
- complete cast for the first performance (on the last page) ;
- several colour photos of the piano dress rehearsal on March 22.

The programme book is entirely written in German.

The second is a 88 pages book. It contains :

- complete cast ;
- Marijke Schouten : Machiavelli's wijsheid van de straat (Machiavelli's wisdom of the street) ;
- Frans van Dooren : Machiavelli's ideeënwereld (Machiavelli's world of ideas) ;
- Mark de Boorder : Eigentijdse figuren (Contemporary figures) ;
- Eelco Runia : Het Ancien régime zag de revolutie ook niet aankomen (The Ancient Regime did not se the Revolution coming) ;
- Edward Said : Het gezag de waarheid zeggen (Speaking Truth to Power) ;
- Fabienne Vegt : Korte inhoud (Synopsis) ;
- complete libretto ;

The entire programme book is in Dutch. The libretto is bilingual, Dutch and English.

The third and last one is a 16 pages leaflet. It contains :

- the complete cast ;
- May I be Sacrificed - Möge ich geopfert sein, by Michael v. zur Mühlen.

It is entirely in German.

I now have 472 programme books for contemporary operas. All the scanned covers have been uploaded to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Giorgio Battistelli's 'Lot' in Hannover

Today, the Staatsoper Hannover presents the world première of Giorgio Battistelli's new opera, Lot, with a libretto by Jenny Erpenbeck.

Giorgio Battistelli has composed several operas including Prova d'Orchestra (Strasbourg, 1995), Richard III (Antwerpen, 2005), Divorzio all'italiana (Nancy, 2008) and Il Medico dei pazzi (Nancy, 2014).

God wants to destroy the city of Sodom because of its moral depravity, but Abraham worries about his nephew, Lot, who is a god-fearing man. Abraham haggles with God about the minimum number of innocents that Sodom must have in order that the city be spared. But the angels of God find only one, Lot, whose family they want to save before the city is razed to the ground. For a single "righteous" is not enough for divine power to prevent the massacre of others. The salvation proves to Lot as a curse. His way leads to uncertainty, where his wife can only hesitantly follow him and is therefore also destroyed. Alone left by his God, he escaped with his two daughters to the mountains, where he lived in social isolation with them like a wild beast, and bears children with them. (freely adapted from the Staatsoper Hannover website)

The cast includes baritone Brian Davis (Lot), soprano Dorothea Maria Marx (1st Daughter), mezzo Stella Motina (2nd Daughter), contralto Khatuna Mikaberidze (Woman), bass Franz Mazura (Abraham) and mezzo Renate Behle (Sara). Mark Rohde conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Staatsoper Hannover and Frank Hilbrich directs.

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

- piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons ;
- 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 tubas ;
- timpani, percussion (3 players), piano, harp ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 90 minutes. The first performance will be broadcast live by NDR Kultur.

2014-2015 season at the Staatsoper in Hannover

The following operas will be performed in Hannover during the 2014-2015 season :

- Giorgio Battistelli : Lot, conducted by Karen Kamensek, directed by Frank Hilbrich (world première) ;
- Georges Bizet : Carmen, conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, directed by Monique Wagemakers (revival, first performed in June 2013) ;
- Arrigo Boito : Mefistofele, conducted by Karen Kamensek (in concert) ;
- Engelbert Humperdinck : Hänsel und Gretel, conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, originally directed by Steffen Tiggeler (before December 2011) ;
- Leos Janacek : Jenufa, conducted by Karen Kamensek, directed by Floris Visser (new production) ;
- Pietro Mascagni : Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo : Pagliacci, conducted by Mark Rohde, directed by Philipp Himmelmann (revival, from last January) ;
- Jules Massenet : Werther, conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, directed by Bernd Mottl (new production) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Don Giovanni, conducted by Benjamin Reiners, directed by Benedikt von Peter (revival, production to be premièred later this month) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, directed by Ingo Kerkhof (revival) ;
- Giacomo Puccini : Tosca, conducted by Mark Rohde, directed by Alexandra Szemerédy and Magdolna Parditka (new production) ;
- Jean-Philippe Rameau : Castor et Pollux, conducted by Benjamin Reiners, directed by Alexander Charim (revival, production to be premièred next June) ;
- Johann Strauß : Die Fledermaus, conducted by Benjamin Reiners, directed by Martin G. Berger (new production) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : La Traviata, directed by Benedikt von Peter (revival) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Un ballo in maschera, conducted by Mark Rohde, directed by Olivier Tambosi (revival, first performed in September 2013).

15 operas will be performed in only 4 different languages (German, Italian, French and Czech). There is only one opera composed since 1914, but it is a world première. The season consists of 9 revivals, 1 opera in concert and 5 new productions, including the new Battistelli opera.