It is hard to believe, but Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Opus summum et ultimum “Les Boréades”, only premiered in 1975 in London, has never before been heard in a German opera house. This is no doubt because of the problematic access to the posthumously-published work. Long awaited by the music world, and by connoisseurs of Rameau in particular, Bärenreiter has just published a critical new edition meticulously prepared by Sylvie Bouissou, Editorial Director of the “Opera Omnia Rameau”. The enterprising Oldenburg Staatstheater, renowned for its Rameau productions, did not want to miss out on this double chance, and on 2 October presents the first German production of “Les Boréades” – at the same time the first performance using the new edition. Under director Christoph von Bernuth, Rameau’s legacy proves to be a parable of the Enlightenment and of striking timeless relevance. Alexis Kossenko conducts once again, following his triumphant success with Rameau’s comédie-ballet “Les Paladins” two years ago in Oldenburg. A further eleven performances are scheduled until 20 November. This gives opera connoisseurs from the larger musical centres the opportunity to experience the programming policy and high artistic level of one of the smaller German opera houses.

Beat Furrer’s orchestral work “Tableaux” is concerned with deep impacts, with layering and the finest natural and irregular voices emanating from this. The work will be premiered in the opening concert of the Donaueschingen Festival on 14.10.21 by the SWR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Brad Lubman. It is inspired by early paintings by Max Ernst from around 1927; some of them are entitled “Wald und Sonne” in which monolithic configurations of vertically-towering trees can be seen. On closer examination, these branch out into fine structures and are peopled by living creatures. Wien Modern 2021 is devoting six concerts to Beat Furrer’s works from 20–30.11.2021; this major focus in the programme includes premieres of the String Quartet no. 4 performed by the Quatuor Diotima, “Akusmata für Vokalensemble” by Cantando Admont, and “Studie II for piano” by Hsin-Huei Huang. Furrer’s Violin Concerto, “Tableaux” and other works receive their first Austrian performances.

Georg Philipp Telemann’s Orpheus opera for the Gänsemarkttheater in Hamburg stands apart from typical works of its time in its opulence. Unfortunately the surviving sources are incomplete. But now, a basis for effective performances is provided by the volume from the Telemann Selected Edition published by Bärenreiter.
Amongst Telemann’s surviving Hamburg stage works, “Die wunderbare Beständigkeit der Liebe oder Orpheus” (TVWV 21:18) can be regarded as the most unusual, and at the same time the most problematic in its surviving form. Of all the operas produced at the Theater am Gänsemarkt, it was not only unusual but also unique in that the libretto contains a combination of German, Italian and French; the first known performance of the opera as a “concert” on 9 March 1726, staged by the famous singer Margaretha Susanna Kayser (1690–1775), was peculiar and requires further explanation. “Orpheus” was originally conceived as a typical repertoire opera with different set designs, rich action on stage and varied chorus and dance scenes. It is unclear why the piece was only performed as a concert in 1726. But one-off performances of this type presented an opportunity for the opera house to earn some income, despite the theatres being closed during Lent when opera performances were forbidden in Hamburg.

In 1994 René Jacobs made his debut at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin with Telemann’s “Orpheus”. 27 years later the renowned conductor returns to a work he loves, highlighting its uniqueness. He was inspired by Wolfgang Hirschmann’s critical new edition, which was published in the Telemann Edition in 2011. Bärenreiter has now produced performance material for the forthcoming series of concert performances in major European cities. The missing sections of this opera, which survives incomplete, have been added in sympathetic style by Jacobs, including the Overture from Telemann’s opera “Miriways” and music by contemporaries such as Georg Caspar Schürmann and Maurice Green. The conductor discussed the details of his performance version in the accompanying interview. The tour, with specially selected singers and the Belgian early music ensemble B’Rock begins on 21 October in Antwerp (Concertgebouw) and ends on 30 October in Barcelona (Gran Teatre del Liceu), René Jacobs’ 75th birthday. Other venues are Amsterdam (Concertgebouw) on 23 October, Cologne (Philharmonie) on the 25th, and Tourcouing (Théâtre) on 28 October.

Manfred Trojahn has been commissioned to write an instrumental prologue to Verdi’s “Don Carlo” by the Salzburg Easter Festival and the Semperoper Dresden. The orchestral composition “Blick – Traum – Übergang” introduces the four-act Italian version of the opera. Trojahn’s prologue does not recount “the external plot of the Fontainebleau act”, according to director Vera Nemirova, but “it creates a musical space for this encounter and for the short-lived utopia of these two people’s happiness.” Nemirova’s production receives its first performance in Dresden on 22 October 2021 conducted by Ivan Repusic, when Trojahn’s Prologue will finally be premiered.

Verdi’s “La Traviata” newly interpreted. The Italian-born composer and conductor Carlo Ciceri, now based in Switzerland, has created a new interpretation of Verdi’s opera in a reduced orchestration which allows space for unusual and individual sound colours. In this version everything is concentrated on the character of Violetta Valéry. This focussing casts new light on the work as a compelling and tension-laden narrative. Carlo Ciceri’s “L’ultimo sogno. Un immagine di Traviata” is now available in a new edition from Bärenreiter.

Wenn die Opernhäuser und Konzertsäle wieder öffnen, werden klein besetzte Werke sicher eine große Rolle spielen. Aus diesem Grund haben Bärenreiter und Alkor eine Auswahl aus ihrem Repertoire zusammengestellt: Sie reicht von Händels genialischer Minioper Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, die der blutjunge Komponist 1708 in Neapel komponiert hat, über ein zu wenig bekanntes Meisterwerk der Opéra comique, Le Toréador, Adolphe Adams im Theatermilieu spielender Hymnus auf eine nicht ganz reine Liebe zu dritt, bis hin zu Opern des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts, die das Thema Isolation aufgreifen und verarbeiten: Räumlich in Günter Bialas’ Aus der Matratzengruft (nach Heinrich Heine), akustisch in Miroslav Srnkas Make no noise und spirituell in Thomas Daniel Schlees Ich, Hiob.

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Da noch einige Zeit ins Land gehen dürfte, ehe wieder große symphonische Werke der Spätromantik und Moderne in ihren Originalbesetzungen in geschlossenen Räumen erklingen können, suchen Orchester nach Stücken für Streichorchester, Kammerorchester, größere Bläserformationen und klassisches Symphonieorchester, die unter den Bedingungen der Corona-Pandemie ins Programm genommen werden können. Ein neuer Katalog bietet nun eine Auswahl aus den bei Bärenreiter | Alkor erhältlichen Werken. Wie in dem unlängst erschienenen Katalog mit Bühnenwerken in kleiner Besetzung steht hier weniger das wohlvertraute Kernrepertoire im Fokus, sondern Kompositionen, die seltener gespielt werden und damit die Möglichkeit eröffnen, dem starren Aufführungskanon neue Facetten hinzuzufügen.

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