TAGE DER KATALANISCHEN OPER
Days of Catalan Opera
2-20 October 2007
If there is one musical genre that Catalonia has always loved, it is the opera. At the hand of the
most outstanding composers, musicians and singers, and nurtured by the Liceu, one of the most
important theatre houses in Europe, opera is truly a strong point in Catalan musical culture. Its
vitality is not restricted, however, to performances of the classical European repertoire, as can be
seen by the energy, quality and originality of contemporary opera. Recognising this energy, every year Barcelona hosts a festival to promote pocket opera and new compositions, an extraordinary laboratory for chamber opera and small-format musical theatre.
Now, some of this vibrant creativity travels to Frankfurt, represented by five outstanding composers.By Enric Palomar (Badalona, 1964), Juana, a highly personal work that, very much in line with musical traditions in the Iberian Peninsula, narrates the story of Queen Joanna, "the mad", of Castile. Carles Santos (Vinar�s, 1940), perhaps the most brilliant, eclectic and unclassifiable of Catalan artists today, gives us El fervor de la perseveran�a, an original master
class in musical and visual theatre. Joan Albert Amarg�s (Barcelona, 1950) blends magic and cabaret in his opera El Sal� d'Anubis o l'Acad�mia de Lil� i Dant�. And, finally, the world premiere of La Cuzzoni, a comic opera by Agust� Charles (Manresa, 1960) based on the legendary 18thcentury singer Francesca Cuzzoni.
www.staatstheater-darmstadt.de
JUANA
Music by Enric Palomar with libretto by Rebecca Simpson
Co-produced by: Opera Halle / Gran Teatre del Liceu / FOBNC
Venue: Staatstheater Darmstadt Grosses Haus
Date: 2 October 2007 (7.30 .m.)
EL FERVOR DE LA PERSEVERAN�A
Directed by Carles Santos, music by Carles Santos, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Frederik Chopin, Hugo Wolff. Performed by Carles Santos
Co-produced by: Companyia Carles Santos, Teatre Lliure, Temporada Alta 2006, FOBNC, Les Nuits de Fourvi�re 2007 and the Festival Internacional de las Artes de Castilla and Le�n 2007
In cooperation with: L'Estruch - Ajuntament de Sabadell
Venue: Staatstheater Darmstadt Kammerspiele
Dates: 6 (8.00 p.m.) and 7 (6.00 p.m.) October 2007
EL SAL� D'ANUBIS
Music by Joan Albert Amargos, libretto by Toni Rumbau, performed by Companyia La Fanfarra
and Grup Instrumental 216
Co-produced by: La Fanfarra, Bit� Produccions (Lola Dav�) and FOBNC
In cooperation with: Teatre Nacional de Catalunya
Venue: Staatstheater Darmstadt Kleines Haus
Dates: 18 (7.30 p.m.) and 20 October 2007 (7.30 p.m.)
LA CUZZONI
Music by Agust� Charles, libretto by Marc Rossich, performed by the Staatstheater Darmstadt
Ensemble
Co-produced by: Staatstheater Darmstadt, FOBNC
In cooperation with: L'Auditori Barcelona
Venue: Staatstheater Darmstadt Kammerspiele
Dates: 12 (8.00 p.m.), 14 (6.00 p.m.) and 19 (8.00 p.m.) October 2007