Sunday 10 May 2015

May 10th, 2015 : World première of Beat Furrer's new opera 'La bianca notte / Die helle Nacht' in Hamburg


Today, Beat Furrer's new opera, La bianca notte / Die helle Nacht will be performed at the Opera House in Hamburg.


It is the composer's seventh composition for the musical stage since Die Blinden in 1989. His output includes Narcissus (1994), Invocation (2003) and Wüstenbuch (2010). Beat furrer has written his own libretto after the life and works of Dino Campana.
The protagonist Dino writes and invents stories in order to exist and to conjure his own exitence, his identity, his ego.  He evokes his own real identity by creating counter-realities. Dino Edison lights up the night by inventing stories. He designs his counterpart, the Mephistophelean figure of Regolo, the seducer with an addiction for novelty rooted deep into his heart, he designs Russo, his reflection, a frantic writer who is convinced he could save people by writing stories. (freely adapted from the Bärenreiter publisher e-newsletter).

 The following orchestra is required :
- 3 flutes (doubling 2 piccolos), 2 oboes, 3 clarinets (doubling bass and contrabass clarinet), 1 soprano saxophone, 2 bassoons, contrabasson ;
- 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba ;
- percussion (3 musicians) ;
- piano, accordion, harp ;
- strings (8,8,6,6,4).

The cast includes Golda Schultz (Sibilla, soprano), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (Indovina, messo), Tomas Tomasson (Dino, baritone), Derek Welton (Regolo, bass baritone) and Tigran Martirossian (Il Russo, bass). The Philharmoniker Hamburg and the Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper are conducted by Simone Young. Ramin Gray directs. The first performance will be broadcast live by NDR Kultur.

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