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Opera in two parts after William Shakespeare arranged by Claus H. Henneberg - 1978

Composer Aribert Reimann
In German with German and English surtitles | New Production

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Cast for all dates

Conductor
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Production
Christoph Marthaler
Set Design
Anna Viebrock
Costume Design
Dorothee Curio
Lighting
Michael Bauer
Choruses
Stellario Fagone
Dramaturgy
Benedikt Stampfli, Malte Ubenauf
König Lear
Christian Gerhaher
König von Frankreich
Christian Rieger
Herzog von Albany
Ivan Ludlow
Herzog von Cornwall
Michael Colvin
Graf von Kent
Thomas Blondelle
Graf von Gloster
Georg Nigl
Edgar
Andrew Watts
Edmund
Matthias Klink
Goneril, Tochter König Lears
Angela Denoke
Regan, Tochter König Lears
Ausrine Stundyte
Cordelia, Tochter König Lears
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
Narr
Graham Valentine
Bedienter
James Ley
  • Bayerisches Staatsorchester
  • Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper
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King Lear intends to distribute his kingdom among his three daughters. Those that love him the most will receive the most. As Cordelia only describes her love in plain, simple words, she disappoints her father and leaves empty-handed. The kingdom is divided between the other two, and discord and scheming set in immediately. Lear is broken by it, becomes a powerless beggar and loses his sanity.
Aribert Reimann composed his opera Lear based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear, with a libretto by Claus H. Henneberg. It celebrated its world premiere at the Nationaltheater in the 1978 as a work commissioned by the Bayerische Staatsoper. Reimann’s composition illustrates a dramaturgy that moves the game of power obsession along at breakneck speed. Lear’s vocal line, characterised by exorbitant virtuosity, illustrates the broken King with his manner of speaking only appearing confused on the surface. The instrumental cluster structures of this monumental work create a breath-taking atmosphere, and are the reason why, as an opera classic of the 20th century, this metamorphosis is an indispensable mirror image of our age.

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Biographies

Jukka-Pekka Saraste studierte an der Sibelius-Akademie in Helsinki Dirigieren. Er war u. a. Chefdirigent beim Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, beim Toronto Symphonoy Orchestra und beim Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra sowie Principal Guest Conductor des BBC Symphony Orchestra. Als Gastdirigent leitete er u. a. das London Philharmonic Orchestra, das Orchestre de Paris, das Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, das Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, das Symphonieorchester des BR, die Staatskapelle Dresden, das New York Philharmonic Orchestra sowie das Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal und ist aktuell Chefdirigent des WDR Sinfonieorchesters Köln. In seiner künstlerischen Arbeit widmet er sich u. a. insbesondere dem zeitgenössischen Musikrepertoire. (Stand: 2018)

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