Today, the Theater Osnabrück presents the world première of San Paolo, an opera composed by Sidney Corbett, with a libretto by Ralf Waldschmidt, inspired by Pier Paolo Pasolini's project of a film on Saint Paul.
It is the composer's fifth opera, following X und Y (Stuttgart, 2002), Noach (Bremen, 2001) and Das Große Heft (Osnabrück, 2013).
Pasolini's Paul is a tattered man, a fascinating mystic, an inspiring teacher of his disciples, and at the same time a dogmatist consumed with doubts and fears, founder of the institution of the church, which already carries the betrayal of itself. 'San Paolo' will ask questions to the city of peace in Osnabrück, in which tolerance and lived ecumenism will be tested again and again. (freely adapted from the Theater Osnabrück website)The cast includes baritone Jan Friedrich Eggers (Paolo), tenor Daniel Wagner (Stefano / Timoteo), bass baritone Genadijus Bergorulko (Anania / Barnaba), baritone Rhys Jenkins (Pietro) and soprano Susann Vent-Wunderlich (Giovanni detto Marco). Daniel Inbal conducts the orchestra, chorus and children chorus of the Theater Osnabrück. Alexander May directs.
According to the full score shared onlie by Edition Peters, the required orchestra is the following :
- 2 flutes (doubling piccolo and alto flute), 2 oboes (doubling English horn and oboe d'amore), 3 clarinets in A (doubling bass clarinet in B and clarinet in E flat), 2 bassoons (doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba ;
- harp, accordion ;
- percussion (3 players) ;
- strings.
The libretto is in Italian. The performance should last 90 minutes, no intermission.
