Of the four episodes of the 'Ring Cycle' 'Die Walkure' is most often performed ...(+)
Of the four episodes of the 'Ring Cycle' 'Die Walkure' is most often performed separately and may be Wagner's best-loved work. The source of this affection is certainly the sensitive depictions of Siegmund and Sieglinde's loveand the father-daughter relationship of Wotan and Brünnhilde.Siegmund stumbles into an unfamiliar house Sieglinde's for shelter and the two fall for each other quickly. However Sieglinde's husband (from a forcedmarriage) Hunding is a kinsman of Siegmund's foes and challenges Siegmund to a duel. Sieglinde gives Hunding a sleeping potion and the two realise they are brother and sister. Siegmund claims Sieglinde as his bride. Watching Wotan and Fricka tell Brünnhilde that she must defend Hunding's marriage rights. Brünnhilde sets out to observe the lovers. When Sieglinde falls asleep Brünnhilde berates Siegmund but when he argues she decides to help him.Hunding and Siegmund battle when Siegmund is about to win however Wotan appears and shatters his sword; he is killed. Brünnhilde escapes with Sieglinde and the broken sword. Wotan fells Hunding with a wave of his handand leaves to punish Brünnhilde. Sieglinde realises she bears Siegmund's child so takes the pieces of the sword and rushes off into the forest to hide. Brünnhilde herself flees to the Valkyries' Rock to hide but Wotan fins herand sentences her to become a mortal woman: she must lie in sleep to be claimed by any man who finds her but behind a wall of fire that only the bravest hero can pierce. This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto inthe original German with an nglish translation by Stewart Robb.
Taking Thomas Hardy's short story as its starting point, we are transported to t...(+)
Taking Thomas Hardy's short story as its starting point, we are transported to the present for a contemporary take on the novella which explores the power the mind can have over that person's actions. A closed door sparks an obsession so strong that the boundaries between reality and fantasy begin to blur.Ella and her high-finance husband Stephen rent a room in a holiday home on the coast, owned by Susan. Ella discovers that a locked room in the house is rented by a poet - Ben Pascoe - whose work holds a deep fascination for her. The room is held for Pascoe, though he visits rarely.Ella's obsession with Pascoe grows in parallel with the progress of Stephen's biggest City deal. She begins by imagining the poet's voice as she reads his work, but this quickly grows to fantasised encounters with Pascoe in his locked room. Stephen returns from the City and makes love to Ella, but it is not him she wishes for. We see the real Pascoe only once, with Susan.As Stephen's financial dreams are realised and Ella's fantasy consumes her, she learns of Pascoe's death. Despite her changed circumstances, Ella chooses to stay in her new world. / Opéra
Poul Ruders' opera Tycho in 3 Acts was premiered May 15 1987 by Aarhus Symphony...(+)
Poul Ruders' opera Tycho in 3 Acts was premiered May 15 1987 by Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Kaare Hansen (conductor) at Helsingør Theater in Aarhus Denmark. Libretto in Danish by Henrik Bjelke. Vocal score: WH31457C Synopsis: In 1597 the famous Danish astronomer and astrologist the nobleman Tycho Brahe flees his castle cum observatory Uraniburg on one of the small islands off the Danish coast. The newly coronated King Christian the Fourth has a grudge against Tycho who in 1572 discovered a new star Stella Nova by using his naked eye only; the telescopewasn’t invented yet. This discovery gained Tycho tremendous fame among his contemporaries within the European scientific circles. The now weakened and embittered old man moves together with his wife Christina whom he raped when she was an adolescent and Jeppe the Dwarf his fool-servant whose life Tycho once saved to the plague-infested city of Prague. There at the Benatky Castle Tycho encounters the main reason for his departure from Denmark: the young German mathematician Johannes Kepler the only scientist among his contemporaries Tycho acknowledges - Tycho is in severe need of intelligent challenge. Which he gets and with a disastrous result for himself. The encouraging encounter with Kepler turns into Tycho's scientific and earthly death verdict. Slowly Tycho realizes that his own conception of the Earth as the indisputable axes of the Universe is shattered by Kepler s theory about Earth encircling the stationary Sun. The ancient picture of the Universe collapses Tycho feels deceived by Kepler who leaves the castle shaken by Tycho's wrath. But they meet again and reunite in a Romanza a Due at Tycho’s death bed. The opera hovers above immense sadness and extreme ridicule - the cast is most peculiar indeed - so in many ways 'TYCHO' may be described at the best as a'Tragic Operetta'
A chamber opera in one act for soprano tenor baritone and bass soli TTBB chor...(+)
A chamber opera in one act for soprano tenor baritone and bass soli TTBB chorus and orchestra commissioned for the Wells 800 Celebration in 1982. Libretto by Peter Porter. Vocal score with piano reduction. Duration: c. 55minutes.Orpheus is a Chamber Opera or perhaps more properly might be described as an ‘Opera-Cantata’. It is designed to be performed as a short opera fully staged and costumed or as a concert piece. Either way itsstructure is dramatic rather than reflective. It tells the story of Orpheus probably the most familiar story in music and en emblem of their art for composers of all periods as a direct narrative. Since the legend is set inthe world of pagan mythology it has been lightly Christianised for its Church setting. The Aeneid has often been seen as speaking of Christ avant la lettre and Renaissance Humanists were always willing to identify forerunnersof Christian types in Classical personages: in this manner Orpheus pursues without undue emphasis musical parallels with St Francis St Cecilia and even Adam and Eve.The work is framed briefly by a prologue and epilogue. ThePrologue introduces the four solo singers Hades (bass) Orpheus (tenor) Eurydice (soprano) and Charon (baritone). It also introduces the chorus who do not only portray at various stages Orpheus’s wedding companions thedenizens of Hell and Blessed Spirits in the Elysian Fields but also comments on the action as it proceeds.
With a libretto written by Judith herself based on the cryptic supernatural sho...(+)
With a libretto written by Judith herself based on the cryptic supernatural short story Der blonde Eckbert by Ludwig Tieck. This one act pocket version of the opera makes use of a Chamber group rather than a fullorchestra and omits the chorus.'Eckbert and his wife Berthe live in seclusion in the Harz Moutains. One stormy night Eckbert's friend Walther arrives and to while away the time Berthe tells him her lifestory.Walther mysteriously knows a great deal about Berthe' s early life and Eckbert's suspicions grow eventually leading him to murder Walther during a hunting expediton.Consumed by terror and suspicion Eckbertretreats into seclusion and revisits the fairy-tale scenes of Berthe's childhood accompanied by a magical singing bird. He encounters the old woman who raised Berthe and at last learns the terrible truth about Walther Berthe and himself.' - Judith Weir
With a libretto written by Weir herself based on the cryptic supernatural short...(+)
With a libretto written by Weir herself based on the cryptic supernatural short story Der Blonde Eckbert by Ludwig Tieck. This one act pocket version of the opera makes use of a Chamber group rather thana full Orchestra and omits the chorus.'Eckbert and his wife Berthe live in seclusion in the Harz Moutains. One stormy night Eckbert's friend Walther arrives and to while away the time Berthe tells him her lifestory.Walther mysteriously knows a great deal about Berthe' s early life and Eckbert's suspicions grow eventually leading him to murder Walther during a hunting expediton.Consumed by terror and suspicion Eckbert retreats into seclusion and revisits the fairy-tale scenes of Berthe's childhood accompanied by a magical singing bird. He encounters the old woman who raised Berthe and at last learns the terrible truth about Walther Berthe and himself.' - Judith Weir
Opera Vocal Score-'More than anything else Margaret Garner is an opera that rem...(+)
Opera Vocal Score-'More than anything else Margaret Garner is an opera that reminds us that we all belong to the same human family and it demonstrates what can happen when we forget this fundamental truth... - RichardDanielpour This Opera by Grammy-winning composer Richard Danielpour tells the story of Margaret Garner an enslaved African-American woman in pre-Civil War America who gained notoriety for killing her owndaughter to prevent her from suffering the degradation of a life of slavery. In this adaptation of the famous tale Edward Gaines acquires his deceased brother’s Kentucky estate and pledges to let all of the slave familieson the Maplewood Plantation stay together. However when he takes a special interest in one of the slaves Margaret Garner it is not long before her husband Robert is sent away alone to another plantation. One night Robertsneaks back to Maplewood and attempts to escape with Margaret and their children to the ‘Free State’ of Ohio. They are caught and Margaret murders her children in a crime of passion sparing them from a life of slavery. Margaretis condemned to death and although she is granted clemency at the last minute she chooses the freedom of the gallows over life as a slave. The tragic work features a libretto by Toni Morrison and gained highcritical praise at its first performance in Philadelphia in 2006. Watch a clip from the performance here:
Bohemios was based on Henry Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème th...(+)
Bohemios was based on Henry Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème the same source for the operas of both Puccini and Leoncavallo.At its première in 1904 the Chorus of bohemians in Bohemios received such a rapturous response from the audience that three encores were demanded. The piece was performed an average of nine hundred times per year in its first twenty years and a fully operatic version was later produced. Amadeo Vives was a composer conductor and teacher of music in Spain in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a choirmaster of renown and composer of many serious works as well as operettas and zarzuelas of which Bohemios was one of his best works. He broughtto zarzuela a raised standard of harmony Orchestration and taste and he suffered the frustrations of people of serious ambition whose lighter works are the most beloved and remembered.
'Fidelio' Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera takes as its subject a theme close...(+)
'Fidelio' Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera takes as its subject a theme close to the composer's heart: the defeat of tyranny through man's innate desire for liberty. The libretto was fashioned by Joseph Sonnleithner after Jean Bouilly's Leonore (1798) and revised by Leipzig-born playwright and poet Georg Friedrich Treitschke with Beethoven in 1814. It concerns Leonore's attempts to free her political-prisoner husband Florestan from the prison of the evil Pizarro by disguising herself as a man Fidelio and working in the prison. The music in 'Fidelio' is unassailably great and blazes with Beethoven's steadfast commitment to liberty and humanity.This is the Schirmeredition of the Vocal Score and contains an English translation by Theodore Baker and an essay by H.E. Krehbiel.
Opera in tre atti. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. Antonio Salvi's ; Arminio is one...(+)
Opera in tre atti. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. Antonio Salvi's ; Arminio is one of the best-loved operatic librettos of the Baroque period. Against the historical background of the so-called ; Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD in which the Cherusci leader Arminius as ; Liberator of Germany (Tacitus) inflicted a devastating defeat on the Romans, Handel's opera, first performed in 1737, is about the disputes between the Chatti and the Cherusci. Arminius has married the daughter of his arch-enemy Segestes. When he is imprisoned, Segestes, who has conspired with the Romans, sees his opportunity for revenge. - Urtextedition based on the ; Halle Handel Edition - Libretto in Italian with singable German translation - Comprehensive foreword (Ger/Eng) with important information on the history of the libretto as well as on the genesis and the performance history of the work. A detailed resume of the plot is also contained. - Extensive appendix with richly ornamented versions of two arias - Idiomatic piano reduction in the vocal score - Full score (BA4100) and vocal score (BA4100-90) available for sale - Performance material (BA4100-72) for hire/ Répertoire / Opéra
Comédie (Laxenburg 1765) Gluck Complete Works IV/4. Par GLUCK CHRISTOPH WILLIBA...(+)
Comédie (Laxenburg 1765) Gluck Complete Works IV/4. Par GLUCK CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD. The critical edition presents the music to the verse comedy “Soliman second, ou Les Trois Sultanes” by Charles-Simon Favart (1710–1792), which was performed before the Viennese courtly audience in the Schlosstheater Laxenburg by the French troupe of the Burgtheater on 18 May 1765. This is the first time that Gluck’s music to the Favartian comedy has appeared in print.
A popular comedy which in particular was known for its exotic colour, “Soliman second” quickly made its mark on many European stages. Through the good offices of the court theatre director Count Durazzo, the libretto made its way to Vienna too. As “Direttore della Musica” at Vienna’s Burgtheater and an accomplished writer of French opéras-comiques, Gluck may have been commissioned to compose the vocal numbers – four solo airs and a duet – which were meant to be performed in the comedy. As far as can be established, Gluck’s involvement in incidental music is an exception in his artistic output.
In addition to the detailed introduction to the history of the work, the volume contains the Critical Report providing exhaustive information on the source material, editorial technique and performance practice. The libretto for the premiere performance and illustrative extracts from the sources are reproduced in facsimile./ Répertoire / Opéra
The libretto for Giuseppe Verdi's 'Rigoletto' was adapted by Francesco Maria Pia...(+)
The libretto for Giuseppe Verdi's 'Rigoletto' was adapted by Francesco Maria Piave from Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse which was so controversial it had been banned in Paris after one performance. Le roi here isthe Duke a renowned womaniser who seduces ladies as their husbands are taunted by his hunchback jester Rigoletto. An elderly nobleman Monterone curses them both for seducing his daughter and Ceprano whose wife has been withthe Duke plots with the courtiers to punish him.Rigoletto is suspected of keeping a mistress so while Rigoletto is out the Duke slips into his house and finding Rigolettoâ??s daughter Gilda he proffers his love to herand she is smitten. After he leaves the courtiers break in and carry off Gilda to the Dukeâ??s bedchamber. Soon Rigoletto enters and realises the mistake just in time as the dishevelled Gilda runs in. As Monterone is led to thedungeon Rigoletto vows to avenge them both. Rigoletto pays the assassin Sparafucile to murder the Duke as his sister Maddalena flirts with him. However Maddalena persuades her brother to kill not the Duke but the nextvisitor to the inn instead so overhearing and resolving to sacrifice herself for the Duke Gilda enters the inn and is stabbed. Rigoletto finds Gilda dying and begging forgiveness: Monterone's curse is fulfilled.This isthe Schirmer edition of the Libretto in the original Italian with an English version by Ruth and Thomas Martin.
Par HINDEMITH PAUL. The opera is set in a variety of locations between the years...(+)
Par HINDEMITH PAUL. The opera is set in a variety of locations between the years 1608 and 1630 and throws a spotlight on individual scenes, sometimes presented simultaneously, from the life of the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630); the opera takes its name from Kepler’s theoretical work ‘Harmonices mundi’. Hindemith utilises substantial historical studies as the basis for his sketches of individuals within Kepler’s circle who each accompany the astronomer’s scientific endeavours with a variety of personal ambitions.
The military commander Wallenstein attempts to utilise Kepler’s astrological abilities to realise his own pretensions to power while Kepler’s assistant Ulrich aspires to scientific fame and recognition. Kepler’s mother urges her son to apply his scientific abilities to the services of her black magic and the Lutheran minister Hizler forbids the astronomer to receive communion because Kepler questions the doctrine of Holy Communion in the Lutheran church and expresses sympathy for Calvinist doctrine. The few figures shed in a positive light include Kepler’s wife Susanna who supports her husband’s pursuit of truth and knowledge and the child Susanna who listens to the voices of nature and the moon in her childish naivety, thereby gaining revelatory knowledge.
At the end of his life, Kepler takes stock of his situation, succumbs to a state of resignation and considers death as the greatest harmony of all. In his state of agony, music of the spheres can be heard; the constellations appear as allegorical figures in the opera and contradict Kepler’s negative concepts: lying beyond all that can be researched by mankind is a final majestic realm with the powers to ‘permit us to be amalgamated into a gigantic harmony of the spheres.’ / Date parution : 2022-07-20/ Répertoire / Opéra
Phaedra by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a 'concert opera' in two acts wh...(+)
Phaedra by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a 'concert opera' in two acts whose first performance was given at the Berlin State Opera in 2007. Phaedra was Henze's penultimate opera, and this item presents the vocal score, with the entire work lasting around 75 minutes. The parts are for Mezzo-Soprano, Soprano, Tenor, Countertenor, Bass Baritone, as well as a mime.Featuring a unique libretto by Christian Lehnert and sound effects by Francesco Antonioni, this opera presents the wonderful story of Phaedra, filled with drama and fantastic music. This Vocal Score presents the work in German and English language, with German lyrics.Phaedra was co-commissioned and co-produced by Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Alte Oper Frankfurt and Wiener Festwochen. Hans Werner Henze was a hugely prolific composer who drew influences from a wide number of sources. Phaedra is regarded as among his greatest works and would certainly make for a stunning performance. / Chant Et Piano
Phaedra by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a 'concert opera' in two acts wh...(+)
Phaedra by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a 'concert opera' in two acts whose first performance was given at the Berlin State Opera in 2007. Phaedra was Henze's penultimateopera and this item presents the full score with the entire work lasting around 75 minutes. Featuring a unique libretto by Christian Lehnert and sound effects by Francesco Antonioni this opera presents thewonderful story of Phaedra filled with drama and fantastic music. This Full Score?presents the work in German and English language and features detailed instructions for the supplied CD onwhich some sound effects are included that are to be used in conjunction with the instruments. Phaedra was co-commissioned and co-produced by Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin BerlinerFestspiele Thé tre de la Monnaie Brussels Alte Oper Frankfurt and Wiener Festwochen. Hans Werner Henze?was a hugely prolific composer who drew influences from a wide number of sources. Phaedra isregarded as among his greatest works and would certainly make for a stunning performance.
Par PEDRO D.DE / SANCHEZ. El presente manual nace como un intento de dar una res...(+)
Par PEDRO D.DE / SANCHEZ. El presente manual nace como un intento de dar una respuesta lo más ajustada y sintetizada posible a una materia que, como la ornamentación, ha sido y es causa de continuas y numerosas controversias entre los estudiosos de las obras pertenecientes a mportante periodo musical. / Pédagogie / Livre / Opéra Théorique ou Didactique
Cavalleria rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is one of the primary examples of Italian...(+)
Cavalleria rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is one of the primary examples of Italian realism. It was both the best and worst thing that happened to Mascagni for its success - never to be repeated - weighed upon the composer all hislife. Based on Vergaâ??s play of the same name the libretto by Targioni-Tozzetti runs as follows: Lola and Turiddu had been lovers but when Turiddu went away to battle Lola married Alfio. When Turiddu returned he and Lolacontinued their affair secretly while he tried to make Lola jealous by starting a casual affair with Santuzza who fell genuinely in love with him. On Easter Sunday Santuzza realising the affair goes to see Turiddu'smother Lucia who keeps a tavern in the village. She is horrified to learn of her sonâ??s infidelity and leaves for the church just missing Turiddu who saunters in thinking of his night with Lola. He is surprised and annoyed tofind Santuzza there and the two begin to quarrel. Lola makes things worse by appearing and taunting Santuzza. Turiddu finally hits Santuzza and escapes.Santuzza tells Alfio of the illicit affair whereupon Alfio flies intoa rage and swears that he will avenge himself the code of honour requires Turiddu's blood to be shed. According to tradition he refuses a glass of wine from Turiddu indicating the dispute and the two make plans to fight.Rushing into the tavern Turiddu bids his mother her to take care of Santuzza. Mamma Lucia is alarmed and as he rushes off Santuzza enters and throws her arms around Lucia's neck just as a woman screams that Turiddu has beenkilled.This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto in the original Italian with an English translation by Joseph Machlis.
Opera with a Prologue and four Acts (First version) / Opera in five Acts (Second...(+)
Opera with a Prologue and four Acts (First version) / Opera in five Acts (Second version)
Dialogue versions. Par GOUNOD CHARLES. Charles Gounod’s “Faust” secured its international recognition in the version as an entirely sung opera, which from thenceforth has largely obscured the fact that the work was originally composed with spoken dialogues. The early versions staged prior to the 1869 performance at the Paris Opéra containing substantial unknown material and with dialogues and melodramas are the subject of this new edition. (The third version “version opera” was published in a separate edition BA 8713 in 2016.)
Even as the rehearsals were taking place at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1858, during the first series of performances at the theatre in 1859, furthermore as the 1862 revival was approaching and during the performances on the smaller stage at the Place du Châtelet, there were constant changes and revisions. It is, thus, impossible to identify manifestly definitive versions. Nevertheless, by drawing on the entire source material now at hand (including fascinating material only recently discovered) and on the whole gamut of aspects communicated by the reception, Paul Prévost systematically presents us with a score laid out in two main versions in whose chronology constancy and change become transparent. With all the musical changes having been documented, the result is a practicable score for performances which reveals a still far too unknown “Faust” – a “Faust” that is rooted in the tradition of the opéra comique.
Quite a few musical numbers are published as a score for the first time in this edition: the trio for Faust, Wagner and Siebel “À l’étude ô mon maître”, the duet of Valentin and Marguerite “Adieu, mon bon frère!”, Méphistophélès’ air “Maître Scarabée”, Siebel’s romance “Versez vos chagrins dans mon âme!”, Valentin’s air with chorus “Chaque jour, nouvelle affaire”, the chorus of witches “Un deux et trois”, and also seven melodramas whose missing or incomplete orchestration has been written for our edition. It was only recently that the long-lost second part of Faust’s original cavatina “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” was unearthed. Only in details of orchestration do other numbers differ from the well-known pieces./ Répertoire / Opéra
Saariaho’s L’armour De Loin is an opera in five acts and was premi...(+)
Saariaho’s L’armour De Loin is an opera in five acts and was premiered in Salzburg in August 2000 with additional productions being staged at the theatre Bern in Switzerland. The story is based on the life ofPrince of Bleye one of the first great troubadours of the 12th century and follows his glowing passion for a woman from the East of whom he has only heard is the central theme of the libretto. Libretto written by AminMaalouf.This is the Full Score of Saariaho’s remarkable opera.
Saariaho's L'armour De Loin is an opera in five acts and was premiered in Salzbu...(+)
Saariaho's L'armour De Loin is an opera in five acts and was premiered in Salzburg in August 2000, with additional productions being staged at the theatre Bern in Switzerland. The story is based on the life of Prince of Bleye , one of the first great troubadours of the 12th century, and follows his glowing passion for a woman from the East of whom he has only heard is the central theme of the libretto. Libretto written by Amin Maalouf. This is the Vocal Score of Saariaho's remarkable opera. / Chant Et Piano
Judith Weir’s work is often inspired by narrative folklore and theatre. ...(+)
Judith Weir’s work is often inspired by narrative folklore and theatre. This creepy-crawly work was inspired by the novel Die Schwarze Spinne by Jeremias Gotthelf a tale about an evil venomous spider including heartless Count heroic village maiden and a truly otherworldly Green Huntsman and a 1983 news story about the mysterious deaths of the archaeologists who opened the tomb of Casimir IV in Krakow in the 1970’s. There are spoken parts bridging the two stories.Weir employs many musical languages in this alternately boisterous and sinister work: patter songs church hymns recitativo among them. Weir is not at all precious about voicing recommending that allthe roles be sung at any convenient octave Altos substituting for basses at the octave if a children’s Chorus is performing the work. The one-act structure works well for young performers.Judith Weir is one of Britain’s most prolific and successful composers widely known for her operas like The Vanishing Bridegroom and A Night At The Chinese Opera and her many Choral works as well as her pieces for Strings and Piano. She was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival and is a professor at Cardiff University.
The Trial is an opera by renowned composer Philip Glass featuring a libretto by...(+)
The Trial is an opera by renowned composer Philip Glass featuring a libretto by Christopher Hampton. The opera is based on Franz Kafka's classic surreal tale of a man arrested by an unknown authority foran unspecific crime. The entire opera lasts around 120 minutes. The Trial is the second opera by Philip Glass based on Franz Kafka's writings the first being 'In ThePenal Colony'. This opera was commissioned by and dedicated to Music Theatre Wales in honour of their 25th anniversary. The vocal parts in the opera are Soprano Mezzo-Soprano 2 Tenors 2 Baritones Bass-Baritone andBass. Glass's operas have received worldwide acclaim adding to the extensive list of musical forms to which he has lent his incomparable compositional talents.
Luis Tinoco (Composer) and Stephen Plaice (Libretto) wrote 'Paint Me' and Opera...(+)
Luis Tinoco (Composer) and Stephen Plaice (Libretto) wrote 'Paint Me' and Opera for six singers and Chamber Orchestra.Rui Horta and Joana Carneiro are responsible for the stage direction and the musicaldirection.'My idea in writing Paint Me was to bring together six characters all of whom have a prolific imaginative interior life and to explore what they would make of each other in the confines of a railwaycompartment. The model for my libretto is Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The travellers in Paint Me are also on their way to Canterbury but they are strangers thrown together by the randomness of modern travel. Theirtales are not told publicly but in their own imaginations. Most journeys in the modern age are anonymous and conducted in silence. We have only a visual or perhaps manneristic impression of the people sitting opposite us. Thisintrospection in public opens up a private fantasy space in which our fellow travellers can become the characters in instant psychological dramatisations.I wanted to formalize each character’s fantasy into a full narrative. Theresult is a kind of anthology of operatic short stories surrounded by the framework of an ordinary journey.' - Stephen Plaice
Par LERNER A. / LOEWE F.. Camelot is a popular Musical, which also received a fi...(+)
Par LERNER A. / LOEWE F.. Camelot is a popular Musical, which also received a film adaptation in 1967. Available here is the Libretto for the Musical, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The show is based on the King Arthur legend as based on the T.H. White novel The Once and Future King ./ Recueil / Livret
Lyric opera in two acts. Libretto by David Pountney.Commissioned?jointly by the ...(+)
Lyric opera in two acts. Libretto by David Pountney.Commissioned?jointly by the Royal Academy of Music London UK and The Juilliard School New York USA.UK premiere: 18th March 2011 - Royal Academy of MusicOpera and Sinfonia at the Royal Academy of Music London conducted by Jane Glover.US premiere: 16th November 2011 - Students of The Julliard School at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre New York conducted by AnneManson.Overview.The piece consists of three interlocking stories of students involved in political action in three different situations.?Die Weiße Rose? was the name taken by a group of students atthe University of Munich led by Sophie and Hans Scholl. They produced leaflets protesting against the National Socialist government of Germany in 1942-3 until they were arrested and guillotined.?Soar to Heaven? follows twocharacters Wu and Zhou involved on opposite sides of the Cultural Revolution in China.?The Oxford Revolution? tells the story of James Meredith who fought a lonely battle against segregation and racial prejudice to becomethe first black student to enrol at ?Ole Miss? the University of Mississippi in the USA.Librettist's Note.There are inevitably and properly some differences between the original libretto and whatMax ultimately set to music. Most of these are insignificant but all the Latin texts in the opera were added by Max and texts for the alternating black / white choruses (Scene 19) and final chorus (Scene 28) were written by him.
An Opera in Three Acts-Adès's third opera The Exterminating Angel premiered at...(+)
An Opera in Three Acts-Adès's third opera The Exterminating Angel premiered at the Salzburg Festival in July 2016. Based on Luis Buñuel's surrealist classic El ángel exterminador the opera sees a collection of society's grandees inexplicably trapped in a room.The libretto adapted from the original Buñuel-Alcoriza screenplay by the composer together with the director Tom Cairns brilliantly captures their descent into anarchy. Featuring a jaw-dropping 15 principals (who remain on stage for the majority of the piece) The Exterminating Angel is a true ensemble opera and the skill with which Adès delineates the many intricacies and undercurrents present over itsdensely-packed span (just under two hours plus interval) is breathtaking. Like the shipwrecked characters of The Tempest the cast of this new opera are held in a state of entrapment and dramatic stasis. Like the glittering high-society world of Powder Her Face the dinner party guests are denizens of a nightmarish world of aristocratic pretension.
Español
