Contemporary opera

187565 Views 805 Replies 82 Participants Last post by schigolch, 3 d ago

schigolch

Discussion Starter · Nov 22, 2011

2

This is a thread to debate about contemporary opera. The opera that is being composed in our own days.

Of course, the obvious question is: "what is the limit of our own days?".

For the sake of this thread, let's define contemporary opera as any opera written after 1980. This gives us more than thirty years, and is a reasonable time for a genre that tends to think in centuries.

Perhaps some TC members that are fans of Opera, are not very familiar with the latest new things in the genre. Or they are afraid only avant-garde Opera is being composed now. We will see that this is not the case, not by any means. There are new operas for (almost) everyone to enjoy, no matter what is our personal taste.

Philippe Manoury, (Tulle, 1952) is a French composer living in the US, with some important success in his career. He has been working with electronic music, as well as large orchestras.

In the field of Opera, his best known piece is K, premiered the year 2001, in Paris. This is relatively short opera, that was the recipient of several awards in France. It's based on Kafka's Der Prozeß (The Trial), and it's quite interesting:

This year Manoury has premiered his fourth opera, La Nuit de Gutenberg, in Strasbourg.

It seems rather nice as far as the instrumental music goes, but the vocal treatment can be suspected, something like the usual sprechgesang for the male singers, and the high coloratura roles for females.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl...ry-opera-national-du-rhin-bande-annonce_music

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SanAntone

· #781 · 3 mo ago

Missy Mazzoli : The Listeners
2021

Maths teacher Claire hears a mysterious low-frequency noise and the pollution is driving her crazy. The constant ‘hum’ drives her away from her family and towards others who also hear the same all-consuming sound. This support group offers compassion but what lies behind their cult-like rituals?

Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's brand new opera is a thriller about social rejection, the abuse of power and echo chambers. Based on an original story by Jordan Tannahill, The Listeners is inspired by an identified phenomenon, the ‘global hum’. Grammy-nominated Mazzoli was the first woman to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and has already successfully collaborated with librettist Vavrek, with whom she wrote the opera Breaking the Waves. Co-commissioned and co-produced with Opera Philadelphia and Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Listeners is streamed from the iconic Norwegian National Opera in Oslo as part of the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival. Here is an opera for our times about our search for belonging, understanding the incomprehensible, and how charismatic leaders can exploit our longing for connection. (Operavision)

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #782 · 3 mo ago

For quite some time, I had one opera CD from American composer Conrad Cummings in my to-listen list: "Photo-Op". I finally did it this week, and it was a nice experience.

It's complete in youtube:

composingmusic

· #783 · 3 mo ago

Kaija Saariaho's opera Innocence is coming to the Royal Opera House in London this spring!

Interestingly, when I went to buy tickets, look at what's come up as the preview image for the programme booklet voucher...

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #784 · 3 mo ago

Not sure I quite understand your meaning...

composingmusic

· #785 · 3 mo ago

schigolch said:
Not sure I quite understand your meaning...

If you look carefully, they've used a different opera as the preview image for the programme booklet...

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SanAntone

· #786 · 3 mo ago

composingmusic said:
If you look carefully, they've used a different opera as the preview image for the programme booklet...

I couldn't tell what the image was depicting - too small.

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #787 · 2 mo ago

"Bigarren sexua" (The Second Sex, the piece is based on Simone de Beauvoir's book) is a chamber opera recently premiered by the Basque composer Asier López Iraola:

ColdGenius

· #788 · 2 mo ago

SanAntone said:
Missy Mazzoli : The Listeners
2021

Maths teacher Claire hears a mysterious low-frequency noise and the pollution is driving her crazy. The constant ‘hum’ drives her away from her family and towards others who also hear the same all-consuming sound. This support group offers compassion but what lies behind their cult-like rituals?

Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's brand new opera is a thriller about social rejection, the abuse of power and echo chambers. Based on an original story by Jordan Tannahill, The Listeners is inspired by an identified phenomenon, the ‘global hum’. Grammy-nominated Mazzoli was the first woman to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and has already successfully collaborated with librettist Vavrek, with whom she wrote the opera Breaking the Waves. Co-commissioned and co-produced with Opera Philadelphia and Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Listeners is streamed from the iconic Norwegian National Opera in Oslo as part of the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival. Here is an opera for our times about our search for belonging, understanding the incomprehensible, and how charismatic leaders can exploit our longing for connection. (Operavision)

I've just watched it. I've enjoyed it much. Two leading ladies were impressive. And the plot is interesting, worthy a movie. It reminded me of Safe with Julianne Moore. Though there is more drama than music. It's like what opera has begun with - singing of a drama. This one definitely should be seen. When listened only it would probably lose a part of its strength.

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #789 · 2 mo ago

Thomas Cunningham is an Scottish composer that premiered back in 2009 his opera "The Okavango Macbeth" in Bostwana, of all places:

ColdGenius

· #790 · 2 mo ago

schigolch said:
Thomas Cunningham is an Scottish composer that premiered back in 2009 his opera "The Okavango Macbeth" in Bostwana, of all places:

Very nice. Is it based on National Geographic series?
I wish someone would write an opera about Jane Goodall, with a coloratura in a title role. First act with a bass as Dr. Leackey and a choir of chimpanzees, second act with lyric baritone as Hugo van Lawick and a choir of hyenas, third act as a return to chimpanzees.

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #791 · 2 mo ago

www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk

Homepage - Alexander McCall Smith

www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk

I'm more of a Diane Fossey kind of guy.

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ColdGenius

· #792 · 2 mo ago

schigolch said:
Homepage - Alexander McCall Smith

www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk

I'm more of a Diane Fossey kind of guy.

She's also a decent candidate to be an opera character. Gorillas should have solo parts, especially Beethoven and Uncle Bert.

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #793 · 2 mo ago

“The Incompetence Opera” is a short, three-act mini-opera performed as part of an annual parody event at Harvard University, a farcical homage to the Nobel Peace Prize award.

Defined as 'a musical encounter with the Peter Principle and the Dunning-Kruger Effect', let's watch the Dunning-Kruger Song, courtesy of Giacomo Puccini and the writers of the event:

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schigolch

Discussion Starter · #794 · 2 mo ago

"Last Days" is a 2022 opera in one act, written by Oliver Leith and inspired in the 2005 film of the same name by Gus van Sant, which was a controversial account of the last days of rock musician Kurt Cobain:

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #795 · 2 mo ago

"La loba negra" is an opera by the Filipino composer Francisco Feliciano, premiered back in 1984, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in Manila:

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #796 · 1 mo ago

The Serbian composer Rudolf Bruči wrote "Gilgameš" back in 1986, based on the Sumerian-Babylonian epic, and was performed on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Serbian National Theater:

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #797 · 1 mo ago

"Le Malentendu" is an opera written by the Argentinian composer Fabián Pasinello. Based on Camus, it was premiered in 2016, at Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires:

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #798 · 1 mo ago

"Cronaca del luogo" was the last opera written by Luciano Berio, back in 1999. With a libretto by his wife, Talia Pecker, it was premiered at the Festival of Salzburg, and it involved a complex orchestra and electronics, including placement in the theater.

schigolch

Discussion Starter · #799 · 24 d ago

"Lokys" (The Bear) is an opera written in the year 2000, by the Lituanian composer Bronius Kutavičius, based on a short story by Prosper Mérimée, of Carmen's fame.

Belowpar

· #800 · 23 d ago

This seems to be the place to record the following.

Out of a sense of loyalty we attend productions of all 'new' Operas presented by the ROH and ENO. I wont argue or spoil the fun for those on here who promote these new Opera's (and I'm glad you do) but for us it mostly feels like a duty rather than an experience to savour.

Innocence recently received its London premier and my wife and I were overcome by it and would heartily recommend it to ANYONE who loves Opera. I would have to go back to Dialogues des Carmélites for an Opera that made that strong an impression on me and that was first performed the year before I was born. Both are devastating to experience in the theatre.

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