Three new programme books in my collection

I have recently acquired the following programme books for contemporary operas :

- David T. Little, JFK, Augsburg, March 24, 2019 (European première) :
- Richard van Schoor, Alp Arslan, Giessen, May 4, 2019 (world première) ;
- Ludger Vollmer, The Circle, Weimar, May 4, 2019 (world première).

 The first one is a 28 pages booklet. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- introduction by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek ;
- synopsis ;
- Sophie Walz : Inzenierter Mythos ;
- several color photos of the production by Jan-Pieter Fuhr (March 18) ;
-  Familie & Politik ;
- biographies of authors and production team with black and white headshots.

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

- complete cast and crew ;
- Zum Inhalt (synopsis) ;
- Willem Bruls : Zur Entstehung einer Oper - Vom historischen Hintergrund zur Idee, with biography of librettist Willem Bruls ;
- Richard van Schoor : Eine Komposition entsteht - Vom Text zur Musik, with biography of composer Richard van Schoor ;
- Amin Maalouf : Historische Schlaglichter ;
- Die historischen Figuren ;
- Der Granatapfel, Powerfrucht aus dem Orient ;
- biographies of singers, with black and white headshots ;
- color photos of rehearsals by Rolf K. Wegst.

The third one is a 52 pages booklet. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- Hans-Georg Wegner : Die Macht, die sie haben, ist die Macht, die wir Ihnen geben, interview with Dave Eggers, author of the original novel ;
- Ludger Vollmer : Ausbeutung durch Verführung ;
- Tiina Hartmann : Literatur.Oper ;
- Hans-Georg Wegner : Mercer muss nicht sterben ;
- Kate Knibbs : 'The Circle' ist eine krude Warnung ;
- color photos of rehearsals by Candy Welz.

The three programmes are entirely in German.

I now have 678 programme books for contemporary operas. I have scanned all the covers and uploaded the images to this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'The Circle' by Ludger Vollmer in Weimar

Today, the National Theater Weimar presents the world première of The Circle, an opera composed by Ludger Vollmer, with a libretto by Tina Hartmann based on the novel by Dave Eggers.

It is the composer's 8th opera after Gegen die Wand (Bremen, November 28, 2008), Lola rennt (Regensburg, February 28, 2013), Crusades (Freiburg, January 21, 2017) and Tschick (Hagen, March 18, 2017).

A young woman named Mae is climbing the career ladder at the company 'The Circle'. She devotes herself wholeheartedly and with great moral cognizance to the new possibilities and the power these give her over other people. But not only does this entail destroying the notion of the 'individual', but also the relationship to one's friends and acquaintances in favour of a community which regulates itself through total transparency. The question is, who profits from this totality ? (reproduced from the Theater website)

The cast includes mezzo Sayaka Shigeshima (Mae), soprano Heike Porstein (Annie), baritone Oleksandr Pushniak (Mercer), tenor Jörn Eichler (Francis), bass Daeyoung Kim (Earnon Bailey) and bass baritone Sebastian Kowski (Tom Stenton). Kirill Karabits conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsches National Theater. Andrea Moses directs.

The work is published by Schott Music. The required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons ;
- 2 horns, 2 trombones, 2 trumpets, 1 bass tuba ;
- percussion (3 players), including glockenspiel, xylophone and vibraphone ;
- piano (doubling organ and harpsichord), guitar ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Today : world première of Ludger Vollmer's 'Tschick' in Hagen

Today, the Theater Hagen presents the world première of Ludger Vollmer's opera Tschick, with a libretto by Tiina Hartmann after Wolfgang Herrndorf's novel.

(c) Müller

It is the composer's seventh opera after Paul und Paula (Nordhausen, 2004), Gegen die Wand (Bremen, 2008), Schillers Räuber (Jena, 2009), Border (Köln, 2012), Lola Rennt (Regensburg, 2013) and Crusades (Freiburg, 2017).

With his mother in rehab and father away on a business trip with his young lover, Maik is home alone in his parents’ villa. It’s the first day of the summer holidays. Together with Tschick, a German-Russian from the tower blocks on the wrong side of the tracks in Hellersdorf, Maik shows up in a stolen Lada at Tatjana’s birthday party, a girl he’s head over heels in love with. Soon after, they’re tearing through the German countryside in the blazing sunshine, heading ever further south east, to Walachei, where Tschick’s grandfather lives.(reproduced from the rowohlt website)

The cast includes baritone Andrew Finden (Maik), bass Karl Huml (Tschick), mezzo Kristine Larissa Funkhauser (Isa), soprano Marilyn Bennett (Mutter Maik) and bass Rainer Zaun (Vater Maik). Florian Ludwig conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Theater Hagen. Roman Hovenbitzer directs.

The score is published by Schott. A perusal score is available on their website. According to the full score, the required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo, alto flute), 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets in Bb (2nd doubling bass clarinet in Bb and Eb clarinet), 2 bassoons (2nd doubling double bassoon) ;
- 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in Bb, 2 trombones, contrabass tuba in Bb ;
- timpani ;
- percussion (3 players) : glockenspiel, crotales, xylophone, vibraphone, tubular bells, 2 pairs of cymbals, tam-tam, bongos, 2 snare drums, tom-toms, bass drum, drum set, cuica, metal chimes, wooden chimes, templeblocks, bits and pieces ;
- electric guitar, piano (doubling harpsichord, rock organ) ;
- strings : 9.7.5.4.3.

The performance should last about 100 minutes.

Two new programme books in my collection : 'Südseetulpen' and 'Crusades'

Last week, I have received two programme books for contemporary opera :

- Benjamin Schweitzer : Südseetulpen, Chemnitz, January 14, 2017 ;
- Ludger Vollmer : Crusades, Freiburg, January 14, 2017.

The first one is a 36 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- color photos of rehearsals ;
- synopsis ;
- Einmal eine Operette, dialogue with the composer Benjamin Schweitzer ;
- biographies of composer and librettist ;
- a short excerpt of the libretto ;
- Eine Blumenzwiebel für 87.000 Euro, by Winand von Petersdorf ;
- Die Südseeblase kam auch Isaac Newton teuer zu stehen, by Kerstin Papon ;
- biographies of the characters ;
- biographies of the artists (cast and crew).

The second is a 24 pages brochure. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- synopsis ;
- detailed plot ;
- Oper über Spätfolgen der Kreuzzüge, notes by composer Ludger Vollmer ;
- color photos of rehearsals ;
- 2 short texts by Simon Sebag Montefiore and Nizar Qabbani ;
- Wie soll Oper aktuell und politisch erzählen ? an article by Tiina Hartmann ;
- Von Glaubensdingen, Anmerkungen zur und von der Patenklasse.

Both brochures are entirely in German. I now have 437 programme books for contemporary operas, not including several books I only have as PDF. You can see all the covers in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of Ludger Vollmer's 'Crusades' in Freiburg

Today, the Theater Freiburg presents the world première performance of Ludger Vollmer's new opera, Crusades, with a libretto by Tina Hartmann.

It is the composer's sixth opera, after Gegen die Wand (Bremen, 2008), Border (Köln, 2012) and Lola rennt (Regensburg, 2013).

Jerusalem as a religious field of conflict that has lasted over thousands of years as well as the history of the destructive crusades form the foundation for a passionate love story that goes beyond religious borders – a story that could take place in the cultural mix of any European city today. (reproduced from the Theater Freiburg website)

The study score is available for perusal on the Schott music website. According to their website, the required orchestra is the following :

- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons ;
- 2 horns (2. doubling Schofar), 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- 3 percussions ;
- piano, oud ;
- strings.

The opera is in four acts and an epilogue. The cast includes baritone Alejandro Lárraga Schleske (Bernhard von Clairvaux / Omar), tenor Ünüsan Kuloglu (Maciel), , tenor Christoph Waltle (Hl. Franziskus / Gabriel), mezzo Sirin Kilic (Tamar), soprano Kim-Lillian Strebel (Safiye / Rabia von Basra) and bass Jin Seok Lee (Papst Urban II / Imam Ibrahim / Oberrabiner von Israel). Daniel Carter conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Theater Freiburg. Neco Celik directs.

The opera should last about two hours.

New productions of recent operas (3)

Here are more performances (new productions or revivals) of recent contemporary operas scheduled in the 2014 festivals or the 2014-2015 season :

- Michel van der Aa : Sunken Garden, conducted by Etienne Siebens, directed by the composer, in Villeurbanne (as part of the Opéra de Lyon season), in March 2015. First performed in London (English National Opera) in April 2013, it is the French première (revival) ;
- Luciano Berio : Un Re in ascolto, conducted by Alexander Hannemann, directed by Paul Esterhazy, in Kassel (new production). There has been only 5 performances since the production by Rosamund Gilmore in Frankfurt (2003), in Münster in 2008 ;
- Daniel Catan : Florencia en el Amazonas, conducted by Dean Williamson, directed by John Hoomes, in Nashville (Jmaes K. Polk Theater), in January 2015 (new production) ;
- Luca Francesconi : Quartett, conducted by Franck Ollu, directed by Stefan Johansson, in Malmö, in April 2015 (new production, Scandinavian première). The opera was first performed in Milano in April 2011, and subsequently performed in Vienna, Strasbourg, Lille and London. It is the fourth production of this opera ;
- Detlev Glanert : Nijinskys Tagebuch, conducted by Darrell Ang, directed by Carolyn Sittig, in Bordeaux, January 2015 (French première, new production). The opera was first performed in Aachen in April 2008 ;
- David T. Little : Dog Days, conducted by Alan Pierson, directed by Robert Woodruff (revival). This is the first ever production of the opera, first performed at the Kasser Theater, Montclair (NJ) in September 2012 ;
- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, conducted by David Charles Abell, directed by Eric Simonson, in Cincinnati, this month (July 2014). It is the original production, designed for St. Paul in November 2011. This opera will also have a new production in Kansas City in February 2015, with the same conductor, but Octavio Cardenas directing ;
- Ludger Vollmer : Lola rennt, conducted by Martin Hoff, directed by Michael Dissmeier, in Weimar (new production, opera first performed in March 2014 in Hagen).

Program books for new operas, 2011-2012 season

During the 2011-2012 season, I managed to collect program books for the following new operas : 

- Markus Fagerudd : Free Will, Savonlinna, July 21, 2012 (PDF)

- Detlev Glanert : Solaris, Bregenz, July 18, 2012

- George Benjamin, Written on Skin, Aix-en-Provence, July 7, 2012

 - Lucia Ronchetti : Neumond, Mannheim, July 1, 2012

  
- Toshio Hosokawa : The Raven, Luxembourg, June 27, 2012

- Jennifer Walshe : Die Taktik, Stuttgart (Kammertheater), June 14, 2012

- Anno Schreier : Mörder Kaspar Brand, Düsseldorf, June 14, 2012

 
- Robin de Raaff : Waiting for Miss Monroe, Amsterdam, June 9, 2012

- Olga Neuwirth : The Outcast, Mannheim, May 25, 2012 (PDF)

- Silvia Colasanti : La Metamorfosi, Firenze (Teatro Goldoni), May 22, 2012 (PDF)

- Marco Stroppa : Re Orso, Paris (Opéra-Comique), May 19, 2012

- Gordon Kerry : Midnight Son, Melbourne (Victorian Opera), May 16, 2012

- Arnulf Herrmann : Wasser, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 16, 2012 (PDF)

- Eunyoung Kim : Mama Dolorosa, Munich (Gasteig, Biennale), May 5, 2012 (PDF)

- Sarah Nemtsov : L’Absence, Munich (Muffathalle, Biennale), May 3, 2012 (PDF)

- Moritz Eggert : All diese Tage, Bremen, April 28, 2012

- Enno Poppe : IQ, Schwetzingen, April 27, 2012 (PDF)

- Jüri Reinvere : Purge, Helsinki, April 20, 2012

- Sidney Corbett : Ubu, Gelsenkirchen, April 14, 2012 (PDF)

- Ludger Vollmer : Border, Köln (Palladium), April 13, 2012

 

- Edward Rushton : Babur in London, Zürich (Theater Rigblick), March 28, 2012

- Jérôme Combier : Terre et Cendres, Lyon, March 10, 2012 (PDF)

- Bruno Giner : Pion prend tour en D9, Paris (Auditorium St. Germain), March 7, 2012

- Enver Yalçin Özdiker : Aufstand, Wuppertal, March 4, 2012

- Betsy Jolas : La Maison qui Chante, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Febuary 9, 2012 (PDF)

- Simon Wills : The Stolen Smells, Luzern, January 29, 2012

- Philippe Fénelon : La Cerisaie, Paris, January 27, 2012

- Manfred Trojahn : Orest, Amsterdam, December 8, 2011
 

  

- Ragnar Söderlind : I Cancelliraadens Dage, Brumunddal, November 17, 2011

- Elzbieta Sikora : Madame Curie, Paris (Unesco), November 15, 2011

- Lera Auerbach : Gogol, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 15, 2011

  

- Anno Schreier : Die Stadt der Blinden, Zürich, November 12, 2011

- Kevin Puts : Silent Night, Minneapolis, November 12, 2011

- Andrew P. MacDonald : Mary’s Wedding, Victoria (BC), November 10, 2011

  

- Nico Muhly : Dark Sisters, New York (Gotham Chamber Opera), November 9, 2011

- Gerhard Wimberger : Heinrich und Kleist, Frankfurt an der Oder, November 4, 2011

- Samu Gryllus : Blaubarts, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Joanna Doderer : Papageno eine Ausflucht, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

- Karmella Tsepolenko : Heute Abend Boris Godunow, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), November 4, 2011

  

- Christian Jost : Mikropolis, Berlin (Komische Oper), October 30, 2011 (PDF)

- Marcela Rodriguez : Las cartas de Frida, Heidelberg, October 26, 2011

- Claude Lenners : Der Turm, Luxembourg, October 6, 2011

- Philippe Manoury : La Nuit de Gutenberg, Strasbourg, September 24, 2011

 

- Alessandro Solbiati : Leggenda, Torino, September 20, 2011

- Leo Dick : Der Wunsch, Indianer zu werden, Bern, September 10, 2011

- Christopher Theofanidis : Heart of a Soldier, San Francisco, September 10, 2011

  

- Reinhardt Wagner : René l’énervé, Paris (Théâtre du Rond-Point), September 7 2011

- Santa Ratniece : War Sum Up, Riga, September 2, 2011 (PDF)

Program books for new operas, 2012-2013 season

In the 2012-2013 season, I have managed to acquire the program books for the following new operas :

- Timo Juhani Kyllönen : The Seal, Savonlinna, July 20, 2013
- André Tchaikowsky : The Merchant of Venice, Bregenz, July 18, 2013
- Vasco Mendonça : The House Taken Over, Aix-en-Provence, July 6, 2013 (PDF)
- Mark Adamo : The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, San Francisco, June 19, 2013

 
- D. J. Sparr : Approaching Ali, Washington, June 8, 2013 (PDF)
- Diego Collatti : Die Ballade von El Muerto, Vienna (Festwochen), June 6, 2013
- Matthias Heep : Momo, Stuttgart, June 6, 2013
- David Lang : The Whisper Opera, Chicago (International Contemporary Ensemble), May 31, 2013

 
- Georg Friedrich Haas : Thomas, Schwetzingen, May 24, 2013
- Adam Roberts : Giver of Light, Boston (Guerilla Opera), May 23, 2013
- Cristobal Halffter : Schachnovelle, Kiel, May 18, 2013

 
- Knut Vaage : Khairos, Oslo, May 10, 2013
- Franz Koglmann : Join !, Vienna (Festwochen), May 8, 2013
- Helmut Schmidinger : Lynx, der Luchs, Linz, May 1, 2013 (PDF)
- Anno Schreier : Wunderland, Würzburg, April 18, 2013 (PDF)
- Kamran Ince : The Judgement of Midas, Milwaukee, April 12, 2013
 

 
- Michel van der Aa : Sunken Garden, London (English National Opera at the Barbican), April 12, 2013
- Thierry Escaich : Claude, Lyon, March 27, 2013
- Sidney Corbett : Das grosse Heft, Osnabrück, March 16, 2013

 
- Claire Renard : Orimita, Reims, March 8, 2013 (PDF)
- Michel Fourgon : Lolo Ferrari, Rouen, March 8, 2013
- Helmut Oehring : Sehnsuchtmeer oder vom fliegenden Holländer, Düsseldorf, March 8, 2013
- Benoît Mernier : La Dispute, Brussels, March 5, 2013
 

 
- Christian Jost : Heart Sutra, Taipei, March 2, 2013 (PDF)
- Nolan Gasser : The Secret Garden, San Francisco, March 1, 2013 (PDF)
- Ludger Vollmer : Lola rennt, Regensburg, February 28, 2013 (PDF)
- Alois Bröder : Die Frauen der Toten, Erfurt, February 2, 2013
- Lin Wang : Oh, wie schön ist Panama, Berlin (Deutsche Oper), January 26, 2013
- Priit Pajusaar : The Prince and the Pauper, Tallinn, January 26, 2013
 


- Douglas J. Cuomo : Doubt, St. Paul, January 26, 2013
- Peter Androsch : Spiegelgrund, Vienna (Federal Assembly Chamber of Austrian Parlament), January 25, 2013
- Philip Glass : The Perfect American, Madrid (Teatro Real), January 22, 2013

- Richard Gill : Sleeping Beauty, Melbourne, January 17, 2013
- Cristian Carrara : Oliver Twist, Modena, December 16, 2012
- Hans-Jürgen von Bose : Verkehr mit Gespenstern, Vienna (KammerOper), December 5, 2012

- Oscar Strasnoy : Slutchaï, Bordeaux, November 26, 2012
- Andres Reukauf : Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse, Hagen, November 25, 2012
- Frank Schwemmer : Die Schatzinsel, Zurich, November 17, 2012

  
- Margret Wolf : Refidim Junction, Würzburg, November 10, 2012 (PDF)
- Matthew Harris : The Mark of Cain, Chelsea, November 8, 2012 (PDF)
- Jörg Widmann : Babylon, Munich, October 27, 2012
- Thomas Beimel : Vom guten Ton, Wuppertal, October 21, 2012
- Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini : Der Sandmann, Basel, October 20, 2012

 
- Peter-Jan Wagemans : Andreas weent, Amsterdam, October 20, 2012 (PDF)
- Gareth Williams : The Elephant Angel, Giffnock (Scottish Opera), October 19, 2012
- Jens Michael Müller (Sagardia) : Josefine, Mönchengladbach, October 13, 2012
- Carl Unander-Scharin : The Elephant Man, Umeå , October 6, 2012 (PDF)
- Felix Leuschner : Sprung in die Leere, Gelsenkirchen, October 6, 2012 (PDF)
- Victoria Bond : Mrs. President, Anchorage, October 5, 2012

  
- Olga Neuwirth : American Lulu, Berlin (Komische Oper), September 30, 2012
- Tristan Schulze : Premiere, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), September 26, 2012
- Stefano Gervasoni : Limbus-Limbo, Strasbourg (Musica Festival), September 22, 2012

  
- Elena Kats-Chernine : Orpheus / Odysseus / Poppea, Berlin (Komische Oper), September 16, 2012
- Philippe Fénelon : JJR (Citizen of Geneva), Geneva, September 11, 2012