Today : three new short operas in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Opera in Stockholm presents the world première of three short operas composed by three Swedich composers with libretti based on real events :

Viktor Åslund's Value Creation, with a libretto by Hermann Schneider, is a bizarre story, inspired by film noir, that looks deeply into the moral mire of the world of finance.

The cast includes soprano Kristina Hansson Unander (Nora), mezzo Louise Reitberger (Christina), tenor Michael Stenbaek (Charles) and baritone Peter Haeggström (Ed). Natalie Ringler directs.

Malin Hülphers' comedy Jag kommer hem (I’m Coming Home), with a libretto by Lotta Olsson, goes straight into a comical conversation with a marriage counsellor.

The cast includes bass Thorvald Bergström (Mannen), mezzo Therese Badman Stenius (Kvinnan) and tenor Anders Blom (Terapeuten). Ola Eliasson directs.

Andrea Tarrodi's Sigrid H. is inspired by Sigrid Hjertén, a much-loved artist whose paintings never cease to inspire.

The cast includes alto (Katarina Böhm (Sigrid), tenor Simon Petersson (Isaac), bass Thorvald Bergström (Einar) and bass Peter Achrén (Läkaren). Natalie Ringler directs.

For all three operas, James Grossmith conducts musicians of the Royal Swedish Orchestra. The venue is the Rotundan. The performance should last about 90 minutes, with one intermission.

Today : world première of 'Schlagt sie tot!' by Bo Holten in Malmö

Today, the Malmö Opera presents the world première of Schlagt sie tot!, an opera in two acts with a libretto in German by Eva Sommestad Holten.

(c) Agnete Schlichtkrull

Bo Holten has already composed several operas, including Livlægens Besøg (The Visit of the Royal Physician, Copenhagen, March 28, 2009) and Gesualdo Shadows (Copenhagen, November 9, 2014).

The libretto depicts a world of violent change. Our present day, where religion, apocalyptic moods and hard plays are high on the agenda, has clear parallels with Europe 500 years ago. The opera focuses on the dramatic events of the time and puts Luther's theological uprisings in both a human and political perspective. (freely adapted from the Malmö Opera website)

The cast includes baritone Dietrich Henschel (Martin Luther), tenor Thomas Volle (Philip Melanchthon), baritone Jakob Högström (Georg Spalatin / Martin Bucer), bass Reinhard Hagen (Lucas Cranach) and soprano Inger Dam Jensen (Barbara Cranach). Patrik Ringborg conducts the Orchestra, Chorus and Children Chorus of the Malmö Opera. Peter Oskarson directs.

The score is published by Wilhelm Hansen. The libretto and the full score of the 1st act are available for viewing on the Music Sales website.

The required orchestra is the following :

- 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 4 clarinets, 3 bassoons ;
- 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones ;
- percussion (2 players), harp ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

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 'När då då' by Niklas Brommare in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Swedish Opera presents the world première of När då då, a children opera composed by Niklas Brommare, with a libretto by Pija Lindenbaum.

It is the composer's first opera.

Every Saturday, Bobo packs her bag and goes to stay with her dad at Adelsgatan fifty-two/52– along with her cuddly toys Ape and Bunny. Her dad, or daddy, promises to take her to the moon. And did that happen ? No. Then daddy promises to take her to Bollnäs, to see granny. And did that happen ? No. After daddy's promises and promises and promises and promises – Bobo puts her foot down... (reproduced from the Royal Swedish Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Vivianne Holmberg (Bobo 1), soprano Lisa Larsson (Bobo 2), and baritone Ludvig Wallmark Ryberg (Kaninen). Mattias Böhm conducts musicians from the Royal Swedish Orchestra. Kajsa Giertz directs.

The venue is the Rotundan. The performance should last about 55 minutes. The opera will also be performed at the Stadsteater in Helsingborg, starting on November 17, 2018.

Today : world première of 'Tristessa' by Jonas S. Bohlin in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Swedish Opera presents the world première of Tristessa, an opera in two acts, composed by Jonas S. Bohlin, with a libretto in English by Torbjörn Elensky and Jonas S. Bohlin after Angela Carter's The Passion of New Eve.

(c) Anna Gerdén

It is the composer's second opera after Three Sins (1995).

Tristessa is an unattainable movie star. Evelyn is a young man who moves to a future, dystopian New York. There he meets Leilah, a prostitute with whom he starts a relationship. Leilah is also part of a female guerrilla fighter pack, led by the uber matriarch Mother. The fighters kidnap Evelyn and against his will he undergoes a sex change operation and is given the name Eve. After escaping from New York, Eve ends up in the harem of a man called Zero in the middle of the dessert. Zero, just like Eve, is obsessed by Tristessa and together they head for the film star’s palace… (reproduced from the Royal Swedish Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Kerstin Avemo (Leilah / Lilith), soprano Johanna Rudström (Eve / Young Tristessa), soprano Susan Végh (Nurse Sophia), tenor Joel Annmo (Evelyn / Old Tristessa) and bass baritone John Erik Eleby (Zero / Mother). Fredrik Burstedt conducts the Royal Swedish Orchestra and Choir. Katharina Thoma directs.

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

- 2 flutes plus 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets plus 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons plus 1 contrabassoon ;
- 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones plus 1 bass trombone ;
- 4 percussion ;
- 1 celeste, 1 harp, 1 harpsichord ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours, interval included.

New programme book : 'Dracula' by Victoria Borisova-Ollas in Stockholm

Yesterday, I have received in the mail the programme book published by the Royal Swedish Opera for the world première performance of Dracula, composed by Victoria Borisova-Ollas.

It is a 28 pages brochure. It contains :

- black and white headshots of all cast members ;
- several colour photos of the production ;
- complete crew ;
- Detta händer i Dracula (What happens in Dracula), by dramaturgist Katarina Aronsson (there is an English translation of this article by Katarina Trodden at the end of the booklet) ;
- I vampyren ser vi oss själva (In the vampire, we see ourselves), by Bo Eriksson ;
- interview of the librettist Kristian Benkö, by Torbjörn Eriksson ;
- interview of the stage director Linus Fellbom, by Torbjörn Eriksson ;
- interview of the composer Victoria Borisova-Ollas, by dramaturgist Katarina Aronsson ;
- interview of the conductor Karen Kamensek, by Torbjörn Eriksson ;

The programme is entirely in Swedish.

I now have 501 programme books for contemporary operas. All scanned covers are in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Dracula' by Victoria Borisova-Ollas in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm presents the world première of Dracula, an opera in two acts composed in 2013 by Victoria Borisova-Ollas with a libretto by Claes Peter Hellwig and Kristian Benkö.

It is the composer's first opera.

How long can love survive ? What would you do if a stranger shows up from nowhere and says he has been looking for you for 400 years ? A stranger who challenges your dreams, your self-image and your future. Love is surprising. Is eternity a blessing or death a liberator ? And what scares you most, light or dark ? (freely translated from the Royal Swedish Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Elisabeth Meyer (Mina), tenor Joel Annmo (Jonathan), baritone Ola Eliasson (Dracula), mezzo-soprano Katarina Leoson (Elizabetha), soprano Sanna Gibbs (Lucy), mezzo-soprano Susann Végh (Mrs Westenra), tenor Jon Nilsson (Quincey), baritone Kristian Flor (Holmwood), bass baritone Johan Edholm (Dr. Seward) and and bass Lars Arvidson (Dr. Van Helsing). Karen Kamensek conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Swedish Opera. Linus Fellbom directs.

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

- 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon) ;
- 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba ;
- timpani and 3 percussionists ;
- harp, 2 keyboards ;
- strings.

The first performance will be broadcast live by Sveriges Radio P2. It should last about 2 hours.

Today : world première of B Tommy Andersson's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in Vadstena

Today, the Vadstena Akademien presents the world première of B Tommy Andersson's The Importance of Being Earnest, with a libretto by William Relton based on the play by Oscar Wilde.

(c) Jan-Olav Wedin

It is the composer's second opera after William (Vadstena, 2006).

Two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. (reproduced from importanceofbeingearnest.co.uk)

The cast includes baritone Sebastian Duran (Jack Worthing), baritone Hannes Öberg (Algernon Moncrieff), tenor Nils Hübinette (Rev. Fredrick Chasuble), mezzo Ingrid Tobiasson (Lady Augusta Bracknell), mezzo Francine Vis (Gwendolen Fairfax) and soprano Vivianne Holmberg (Cecily Cardew). The composer conducts a chamber orchestra of soloists and the librettist directs.

The required orchestra is the following :

- 1 piccolo, 1 English horn, 1 bass clarinet, 1 double bassoon ;
- 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone ;
- harp, celesta and piano ;
- strings (1.1.2.1.1 or 8.6.6.5.3).

The performance should last about 110 minutes. Another opera with a libretto after the same play was already composed by Gerald Barry in 2011 and first performed the same year by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Today : world première of 'The long, long journey' by Johan Ramström in Stockholm

Today, the Royal Swedish Opera presents the world première of Den långa, långa resan (The long, long journey), a children opera by Johan Ramström, with a libretto by Sigrid Herrault based on the book by Rose Lagercrantz.

 
It is the composer's first opera.

There is unrest in the land. Ilon and her dog move to her grandmother’s house in a little town by the sea. But war breaks out and she has to flee the country alone. She packs her bag and ends up on a boat crossing the stormy sea. She arrives safely in Sweden, and joins her colourful aunt. War forced Ilon to leave her crayons behind, but now the vibrant sketches return. (reproduced from the Royal Swedish Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Sanns Gibbs (Ilon), baritone Linus Flogell (Sammeli), mezzo Ingrid Tobiasson (Farmor) and mezzo Ulrika Skarby (Elsa / Faster). Musicians of the Kungliga Hovkapellet are conducted by Anna Christensson. Ellen Lamm directs.

The performance takes place at the Rotundan of the opera house. It should last about 50 minutes.

Today : world première of 'Medea' by Daniel Börtz in Stockholm

Today, the Swedish Royal Opera presents the world première performance of Medea, an opera composed by Daniel Börtz, with a libretto adapted from Euripides by Agneta Pleijel and Jan Stolpe. Since Backanterna (Marie Antoinette, 1997), Börtz has composed several operas, including The Bacchae (already after Euripides, in 1999), Svall (2003), Magnus Gabriel (2006) and Goya (2009).

Since Marc-Antoine Charpentier in 1693, the story of Medea has inspired numerous composers : Georg Benda, Giovanni Simone Mayr, Saverio Mercadante, Luigi Cherubini and more recently Rolf Liebermann, Pascal Dusapin, Michèle Reverdy, Aribert Reimann.

Medea, a mother who kills her own children, has abandoned her own family, sacrificed everything for her husband Jason and arrived as a refugee in a new country. (reproduced from the Swedish Royal opera website).

The cast includes soprano Emma Vetter (Medea), baritone Karl-Magnus Fredriksson (Jason), mezzo Marianne Eklöf (Amman), bass-baritone John Erik Eleby (Kreon) and tenor Niklas Björling Rygert (Aigeus). Patrik Ringborg conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Swedish Royal Opera. Stefan Larsson directs. The performance should last about 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 25 minute interval.

The opera will be recorded by Swedish Radio and broadcast on February 20th.

New program books in my collection : 'Notorious' by Hans Gefors (Göteborg) and 'Penthesilea' by Pascal Dusapin (Strasbourg)

This Wednesday morning, I have received two program books in the mail :

- Pascal Dusapin : Penthesilea, (first performed in Brussels), from Strasbourg (first performance on September 26th ;
- Hans Gefors : Notorious, first performance in Göteborg, September 19th, 2015.

I have already described the program book for the world première performance of Penthesilea in Brussels. The 100 pages French program book contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- introduction on the opera in the carrier of Pascal Dusapin ;
- Beate Haeckl : synopsis, trilingual (French, German, English) ;
- an article by the composer, reproduced from the Belgian book ;
- an interview with the conductor Franck Ollu ;
- the orchestra setting ;
- interview with the director Pierre Audi ;
- Antonin Artaud : Le Théâtre et la Cruauté, from Le Théâtre et son double (1938) ;
- Marie Faucher : Pascal Dusapin : l'invention musicale à fleur de peau ;
- Ruth Orthman : J'ai dit un mot à la place de l'autre (Aux origines du livret) ;
- Meroe's monologue from the play by Heinrich von Kleist ;
- Marie Lenormand : Sanglante fête des roses ;
- excerpt from The Bacchae by Euripides ;
- Murat Alat : Les vertus d'une existence en vitrine ;
- an excerpt of Oscar Wilde's Salome ;
- complete libretto in German and French ;
- biographies of the artists, with B&W headshots ;
- several colour photos from the original production.

The 144 pages program book for Notorious is in Swedish. It contains :

- complete cast and crew ;
- introduction and synopsis (with English translations) ;
- Hans Gefors : The Genesis of the opera (with English translation) ;
- biographies of composer Hans Gefors and librettist Kerstin Perski ;
- Kerstin Perski : The Notorious libretto (with English translation) ;
- an article by the conductor Patrik Ringborg ;
- biographies of cast and crew with B&W headshots ;
- an article by Paul Duncan on the Hitchcock movie ;
- an interview with Hans Gefors ;
- complete and detailed chronology from the commission of the opera early 2009 to the world première in 2015 ;
- complete libretto in Swedish with English translation ;
- several colour photos from the original production.

Scanned covers of all the program books I have (almost 400) in my collection are available in this flickr folder.

Today : world première of 'Notorious' by Hans Gefors in Göteborg

Today, the new opera composed by Hans Gefors, Notorious, with a libretto in Swedish by Kerstin Perski after Alfred Hitchcock's movie, will be performed in Göteborg.

Previous opera by Hans Gefors include Christina (1986), Der Park (1991), Clara (1998) and Skuggspel (2004).

During World War II, the CIA agent Devlin persuades the American Alicia, daughter of a notorious Nazi, to become a spy in Rio de Janeiro. They grow attracted to each other, but the mission compels Alicia to seduce a man on the enemy side. Blinded by jealousy, Devlin is forced to watch Alicia give herself to another man. (reproduced from the Göteborg Opera website)

The cast includes soprano Nina Stemme (Alicia Hauser), baritone John Lundgren (Devlin), tenor Michael Weinius (Alex Sebastian), mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus (Madame Sebastian), tenor Jón Ketilsson (Prescott), bass Anders Lorentzson (Alicia's Father), and tenor Jonas Olofsson (Emil Hupka). Patrik Ringborg conducts the Chorus and Orchestral of the Göteborg Opera. Keith Warner directs.

The orchestral setting is the following :

- 3 flutes (3rd also piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 baritone saxophone ;
- 4 French horns, 3 trumpets (1st also piccola trumpet), 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 cimbasso ;
- 4 percussionists ;
- harp, electric guitar ;
- strings.

The opera should last about 150 minutes. The first performance will be broadcast live by Swedish Radio SR P2. Two further performance will be recorded by the Swedish Television. Let's hope a DVD will be published.

July 17th : world première of Moto Osada's 'Son of Heaven' in Vadstena

Today, Moto Osada's new chamber opera, Son of Heaven, with a libretto in English by Kerstin Perski, will be performed in Vadstena, Sweden.

It is the composer's second opera after Four Nights of Dream (2008), also composed for the International Vadstena Academy.

The opera is in 3 acts and 17 scenes. The cast includes baritone Jakob Högström (The First Emperor), tenor Wiktor Sundqvist (Huhai), Countertenor Daniel Carlsson (Zhao Gao), baritone Richard Hamrin (Li Si), Mezzo Johanna Rudström (The Fool), and mezzo Karin Osbeck (The Warrior). David Björkman conducts and Nils Spangenberg directs.

The opera deals with the first Emperor of China, the creator of the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall of China. In the opera, he pursues eternal life in vain and is forced to simultaneously engage in a bitter power struggle with his sons. (reproduced from the Vadstena Academy website)

The orchestra is the following :

- flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, bass trombone ;
- percussion (2 musicians) ;
- keyboard, electric guitar ;
- string quintet : 2 violins, viola, violoncello, double bass.

The performance should last 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one pause. The opera will be broadcast live by Swedish Radio P2 on August 2nd.

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.

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).

New season 2014-2015 at the Kungliga Operan in Stockholm

During the 2014-2015 season, the Kungliga Operan in Stockholm will perform the following operas :

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Idomeneo, conducted by Lawrence Renes, directed by Tobias Theorell (new production) ;
- Francis Poulenc : Dialogues des Carmélites, conducted by Thomas Søndergård, directed by Johanna Garpe (revival, first performed in October 2011) ;
- Giacomo Puccini : Madama Butterfly, conducted by Lawrence Renes, directed by Kirsten Harms (new production) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Don Giovanni, conducted by Lawrence Renes, directed by Ole Anders Tandberg (revival, first performed last March) ;
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Alexander Joel, directed by Ole Anders Tandberg (revival, first performed in October 2012) ;
- Richard Wagner : Tristan und Isolde, conducted by Lawrence Renes, directed by Hans-Peter Lehmann (revival, first performed in March 2004) ;
- Georg Friedrich Haendel : Serse, conducted by George Petrou, directed by Daniel Slater (revival, first performed in October 2009) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : La Traviata, conducted by Andrea Battistoni, directed by Kasper Holten (revival, first performed in January 2007) ;
- Gaetano Donizetti : Maria Stuarda, conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, directed by Ann-Margret Petterson (revival, first performed in October 2000) ;
- George Benjamin : Written on Skin, conducted by Lawrence Renes, directed by Kay Metzger (production originally staged in Detmold in April 2014, Scandinavian première) ;
- Giuseppe Verdi : Otello, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov, directed by David Alden (new production).

There is nothing really exciting happening there : 11 operas in 4 languages, only 3 new productions, and 1 Scandinavian première of a recent opera.

Received in the mail this Friday morning

This Friday morning, I have received the following in the mail :

- Angers and Nantes, Opéra : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Hamburg, Staatsoper : July 2014 leaflet ;
- Hannover, Staatstheater : July 2014 leaflet ;
- Stockholm, Operan : 2014-2015 season brochure ;
- Wiesbaden, Theater : July 2014 leaflet and June-July magazine.