Opera News

April 19, 2007 DRESDEN — A series of performances in April 2007 of Jake Heggie’s opera Dead man walking, libretto by Terence McNally, this time conducted by the American Stefan Lano, was the excuse for a quick trip to the “Florence of Germany” – Dresden.

After its world premiere in October 2000 at the San Francisco Opera, this opera has been successfully taken up by several theaters. In 2006-2007 alone, it will be played more than 50 times, including the Klangbogen Festival in Vienna (October 2007) and has recently had its Scandinavian premiere in Malmö, Sweden. Based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, it tells the story of her initial pen pal contact to the prisoner Joseph de Rocher, convicted of two murders and awaiting his death sentence. She agrees to accompany him on this last stage of his life. A friendship develops between them, whereby Sister Prejean keeps insisting “admitting the truth in life will set you free”. In the end, de Rocher does admit, as much to himself as to others, that he is guilty, that he did commit the murders and asks for forgiveness. (more…)

Share This

Zypressen Handschrift Dvorak - Courtesy of National Museum Prague

23/04/07

LUDWIGSHAVEN — Antonin Dvorak was only 24-years old when he wrote his Lieder Cycle “Cyprise” – or “Cypress Trees.” The impoverished young Czech musician in was in love with Josefina Cermakova – an unrequited love that the young actress did not return. He chose 18 poems from a collection called “Cypresses “ by Gustav Pfleger-Moravsky and set them to music. Although Dvorak returned to the cycle 20 years later and made substantial changes to the songs, the lieder in their original form, were neither published nor publicly performed until now. The premiere was in Ludwigshaven, Germany on April 22. (more…)

Share This

February 9, 2007

MUNICH — Reinhard Keiser’s Baroque opera “Fredegunda” had its premiere in Hamburg in 1715 and was the most performed opera at the “Oper am Gänsemarkt” for more than 20 years. But the opera has seldom seen the stage in modern times. Now, nearly 300 years after its premiere, the Theater Academy August Everding in Munich has put on a new production of the work. It is the first time Keiser’s opera is being performed in Munich. (more…)

Share This

LOS ANGELES – Esa-Pekka Salonen ends his tenure as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the end of the 2008/09 season. The Finnish conductor says he wants to devote more time to composing.

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will succeed Salonen. The 26-yea-old musician comes on board as Music Director Designate during the 2008/09 season but begins his five-year contract as Music director on September 21, 2009. (more…)

Share This

VALENCIA – The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is all about light, reflecting from the pools around it and bouncing off the ceramic tile mosaic called trencadis, that covers every surface of the new opera house. So it’s not surprising the new production of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” takes its cue from light shimmering on the blue-green water just off Valencia’s shore.The America’s Cup races, which take place in the Spanish coastal city this spring and summer, inspired director Lluis Pasqual and set designer Ezio Frigerio to create the incandescent play of light and shadow mirroring the light and dark aspects of the libretto.
After last season’s disappointing productions of Verdi’s notoriously difficult opera in Amsterdam and Paris, it is an inspired mix of maritime myth and music. (more…)

Share This