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There's the Gounod we know from 1818-1893 and now according to Palazetto Bru Zane on the front cover of their new recording of the first version of Faust we have Charles Gounod version 1859! Some mischievous imp has placed the first version date direct under the name of the composer rather than under the title or a placing where it would be clear that the opera is meant and not the composer.

I've uploaded three recently discovered ballet pieces from Jacques Offenbach's Opéra féerie ,,Orphée aux enfers" from 1874.

You'll find:
Ballet  -  Le Royaume de Neptune (31:50)
Ballet  -  Pastorale (10:04)
Divertissement des songes et des heur (8:54)

All part of a Deutschlandfunk Kultur broadcast on 15th June 2019 in a coproduction with cpo.

Othmar Schoeck's "Das Schloß Dürande" has been subject to a total revision to "denazify" it. A concert performance was presented in Bern last year and the new CD recording stems from that. All the details about background to the new edition and the new recording, together with the plot, all in English, can be found here:

https://www.claves.ch/products/othmar-schoeck-das-schloss-durande

The first stage performance of the new edition is scheduled for 16th March in Meiningen, Thuringia and will be broadcast on Deutschlandfunk Kultur on 30th March 2019 at 19:05 CET.

[The Golden Age of Danish Opera]

The Golden Age of Danish Opera

Such is the title of an exhibition in the foyer of the Musikhuset in Aarhus where August Enna's Kleopatra was recently given. It was the first in a series of Danish operas that will follow in coming seasons. The next will be Paul von Klenau's Michael Kohlhaas which will be premiered on 21st August 2019 with further performances on 22nd and 24th August 2019. It will be a Scandinavian premiere.

Kleopatra will tour Denmark until 12th April and somewhere along the line the opera is to be recorded for release on Dacapo.
The overture on CPO gives a good impression of how the whole opera sounds and on youTube there is an aria from an open air concert with Tanja Christine Kuhn and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfK1po5Uodw

The composer posters in the exhibition include:
Hakon Børresen
August Enna
Asgar Hamerik
Ebbe Hamerik
Emil Hartmann
Gustav Helsted
C F E Hornemann
Paul August von Klenau
P E Lange-Müller
Ludolf Nielsen
Paul Schierbeck
Hilda Sehested

I have photographed the posters. The texts are in Danish and English and I can post the posters here or forward them to interested parties.

A Fond Farewell from Allegro Music!
After just over 34 years in business, Allegro Music is closing its music retail doors to the general public on Friday 8th February 2019

The Saint-Saëns opera discoveries continue with performaces of L'ancêtre in Munich in a collaboration between the Theaterakademie August Everding  und Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romatique française
L'ancêtre is a drame lyrique in three acts to a libretto by Lucien Augé de Lassus
The performance dates in the Prinzregenten Theatre are:
20. March 2019 – 19.30
22. March 2019 – 19.30
26. March 2019 – 19.30
30. March 2019 – 19.30
Booking starts on 19. January 2019

There was no consumptive audience at last night's glorious performance of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

While it's a shame that Deutschlandradio Kultur may not be broadcasting the opera, it was filmed for release as a DVD on the Naxos label.

The cast was as follows:
Heliane                            Sara Jakubiak
Der Herrscher, ihr Gemahl    Josef Wagner
Der Fremde                    Brian Jagde
Die Botin                            Okka von der Damerau
Der Pförtner                    Derek Welton
Der blinde Schwertrichter    Burkhard Ulrich
Der junge Mann                    Gideon Poppe
6 Richter                            Andrew Dickinson
                                            Dean Murphy   
                                            Thomas Florio
                                            Clemens Bieber
                                            Philipp Jekal
                                            Stephen Bronk
2 Seraphische Stimmen    Sandra Hamaoui
                                            Meechot Marrero
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Conductor    - Marc Albrecht

Link to the DOB homepage trailer:

https://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/de_DE/home-live

Another performance of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane (that from concert performances last June in Freiburg) should be released this year by CPO.

RTE's homepage version of Franco Alfano's Risurrezione is complete without the live transmission fault.
Acts 1 & 2 (48:36) are followed by act 3 (40:11) and act 4 (25:37) without a noticeable break.

[[I've moved the first two posts from the Hallstrom: Vikingarna thread - Mark]]

[I've moved the first two posts from the Hallstrom: Vikingarna thread - Mark]:

At the end of the opera broadcast there was a rewarding symphony by a Norwegian composer completely unknown to me: Alf Hurum.

The symphony in question is in D minor and was composed in 1927 and is in three programmatic movements:
1-The Great Forest
2-A Winter Night on the Plains
3-The Viking Ship
Played by the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Alexander Dmitriev

The Simax CD is deleted but so long as Swedish Radio 2 leave the feed live it's well worth a listen for some late romanticism. It starts at 2:28:50 just after the guitar music and lasts 28 minutes.

Franz von Suppé's lost opera Il Ritorno del Marinaio - in a forthcoming recording from CPO:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/franz-von-suppe-il-ritorno-del-marinaio/hnum/6100122

Details of its resurrection can be gleaned here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Matrosen_Heimkehr

To be broadcast on So. 28. Januar 2018 at 19.00 CET from the
PRINZREGENTENTHEATER

LE TRIBUT DE ZAMORA
Oper in vier Akten (konzertant) von Charles Gounod

Judith van Wanroij SOPRAN
Caroline Meng MEZZOSOPRAN
Jennifer Holloway MEZZOSOPRAN
Edgaras Montvidas TENOR
Artavazd Sargsyan TENOR
Tassis Christoyannis BARITON
Boris Pinkhasovich BARITON
Jérôme Boutillier BARITON

Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Hervé Niquet LEITUNG

Does anyone know if the opening concert of the English Music Festival in Dorchester tomorrow (26.5.17) is being broadcast? It's a very mouth-watering concert!
I can only find entries to past events on the BBC Radio 3 homepage.

There's no information about a recording or a broadcast at the moment, but suffice to say that on November 24th & 26th this year a concert performance of Saint-Saëns' Ascanio will be performed at the Grand Théâtre Genève. It will be the first performance following the original manuscript.

Here's an extract from the Grand Théâtre's home page:

Ascanio

Opera in five acts and seven tableaux by Camille Saint-Saëns

Libretto, by Louis Gallet, is based on the 1852 play Benvenuto Cellini by Paul Meurice. First performed on March 21, 1890, at the Académie Nationale de Musique in Paris.

Concert version
In coproduction with the Haute école de musique de Genève

Sung in French with English and French surtitles

Of the thirteen operas by Saint-Saëns, just one, Samson, remains in the repertoire, while another, Ascanio, is yet to be showcased in its complete, original version. And yet the eponymous play by Paul Meurice, based on the memoires of Benvenuto Cellini, inspired the composer to produce an extraordinary work, blending – in a masterful tapestry of leitmotifs – the sensuality of French music, the passionate accents of Italian lyricism and the refinement of the melodies and dances of the Renaissance repertoire. Far from the hieratic style of Samson, Ascanio is a true lyrical drama during which Benvenuto Cellini, envied for his genius, prestige and the power he holds over the King of France, triumphs over the court intrigues by saving his disciple Ascanio, whose life is in danger...

After the elsewhere mentioned Mascagni/Tasca opera double bill the "Special Recording" is a broadcast of Reznicek's string quartet in C minor. I assume this is the unnumbered quartet from 1880-1882 because in the printed version of the programme no number is assigned to the quartet. The #1 I have on Nimbus (NI 5506) is in C sharp minor.
I'd be grateful if someone could record it because I'll be in my Scottish retreat where mobile internet is far from reliable.

Deutschlandradio Kultur
Die besondere Aufnahme - 22 April 2017 at 22:30 (CET)

Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek
Streichquartett Nr. 1 c-Moll

Minguett Quartett:
Ulrich Isfort, Violine
Annette Reisinger, Violine
Aroa Sorin, Viola
Matthias Diener, Violoncello

Produktion: Deutschlandradio Kultur 2015

Here's what appears to be a wonderful new issue. It took me completely by surprise and have ordered as the sound bites are really tantalising - especially the Danse macabre. I wasn't aware that most of these orchestral mélodies existed. A real romantic wallow

https ://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/melodies-avec-orchestre/hnum/6070556

It seems to be the way of things these days. I attend a performance on the day it is broadcast. Therefore, I hope someone out there will record the following. Despite its date the opera appears to be in the romantic vein.

Atterberg's fairytale opera for adults in three acts
Deutschlandradio Kultur
Saturday, 11th March 2017 at 19:05 CET
Live aus dem Staatstheater Braunschweig

Kurt Atterberg
"Aladin", Märchenoper für Erwachsene in drei Akten op. 43
Libretto: Bruno Hardt-Warden

Michael Ha, Tenor - Aladin
N.N., Bass - Nazzredin, Sultan von Samarkand
Solen Mainguené, Sopran - Laila, seine Tochter
Oleksandr Pushniak, Bariton - Muluk, Großwesir
Selçuk Hakan Tiraşoğlu, Bass - Der blinder Bettler / Dschababirah
Andreas Sebastian Mulik, Tenor - Balab, Muluks Freund / 1. Ausrufer
Patrick Ruyters, Bariton - Derim, Muluks Freund / 2. Ausrufer
Yuedong Guan, Bariton - 1. Muslim
Tadeusz Nowakowski, Bariton - 2. Muslim
Chor und Orchester des Staatstheaters Braunschweig
Conductor: Jonas Alber

A Google translation of the text on the DRK home page:
Swedish Opera with a miracle lamp. A fairy-tale opera, as you do not necessarily imagine, because Kurt Atterberg's Aladin does not lose himself in the exotic, no, his late-romantic sound language puts the fairy tale into our world. Aladdin is captivated by the beauty and splendor of Princess Laila. Laila's appearance is staged correctly, everyone has to flee from the street when she is on the way to Hamam. Whoever sees Laila unveiled is punished with death. But Aladin cannot help himself - he throws himself at the feet of the beauties and what nobody expects: they fall in love. Aladdin is, as a rule, discharged from the palace guard. A blind beggar reports and prophesies to the Grand Vizir Muluk, who, of course, has also succumbed to the fascination of the beautiful princess. If you release Aladdin, I will lead you into a subterranean treasure vault where an eternal wonder lamp burns. The lamp has the property of fulfilling every wish to its owner ... The works of the Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg works are rarely performed here, performing the symphonies, suites or concerts, but his operas are completely forgotten. The Opera House Braunschweig dares a revival of the fairy tale opera, at which Atterberg worked from 1936 to 1941.

Does anyone know, especially our Scandinavian members, if any of the following three concert performances of rare Swedish operas is being broadcast or even better, recorded for media release?

26th January 2017
Stockholm Opera
Wilhelm Petersen-Berger's Adils och elisiv
Opera in three acts

26th February
Gothenburg Opera
Ture Rangström's Kronbruden
Opera in four acts

9th June 2017
Berwald Hall, Stockholm
Helen Munkell's I Firenze
Opera in one act

Deutschlandradio Kultur in association with CPO have recorded more of George Schumann's orchestral works and these will be broadcast on Saturday October 22nd at 21:30 (CET). Hopefully a third CD will eventually come with the remaining orchestral works.

Georg Schumann
Sinfonie f-Moll op. 42
Ouvertüre zu einem Drama op. 45
"Lebensfreude" Ouvertüre op. 54

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Conductor: James Feddeck

[Francesca da Rimini]

Saverio Mercadante's two act opera Francesca da Rimini is being transmitted from Martina France on RAI 3 radio at 21:00 CET on Saturday 30th July. I hope someone else can record it as my RAI reception is not always good and I may not get a good copy. My last attempt from Cagliari was only fit for the waste bin.

This opera was scheduled in Wexford a few years ago but was cancelled because the performing material was in a poor state. Perhaps they will reconsider now there is a new critical edition.

Saverio Mercadante
Francesca da Rimini
Dramma per musica in due atti di Felice Romani
Edizione critica a cura di Elisabetta Pasquini
Ut Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna
Prima rappresentazione assoluta

From Palazzo Ducale, Martina Franca

Francesca    Leonor Bonilla
Paolo    Aya Wakizono
Lanciotto    Merto Sungu
Guido    Antonio Di Matteo
Isaura    Larisa Martinez
Guelfo    Ivan Ayon Rivas
Coro della Filarmonica di Stato "Transilvania" di Cluj-Napoca
Maestro del coro Cornel Groza
Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia
Direttore d'orchestra Fabio Luisi

[Franco Faccio]

Franco Faccio's rediscovered opera Amleto was performed in Europe for the first time in over 130 years at the Bregenz Festival last week. I attended the last performace and IMHO it's a hitherto lost masterpiece that I can't stop listening to. Pavel Černoch as Amleto is a joy to watch and listen to.

Apparently the funeral march for Ofelia in Act 3 is performed by a brass band every Easter Saturday on Corfu!

Franco Faccio
(* 8 March 1840 in Verona; † 21 July 1891 in Monza)

Amleto
Opera in four acts
Libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Première: Teatro Carlo Fenice, Genoa, 30 May 1865

Amleto    Pavel Černoch
Claudio   Claudio Sgura
Polonio   Eduard Tsanga
Orazio   Sébastien Soules
Marcello   Bartosz Urbanowicz
Laerte   Paul Schweinester
Ofelia   Iulia Maria Dan
Gertrude   Dshamilja Kaiser
Der Geist | Ein PriesterGianluca Buratto
Ein Herold | Der König Gonzaga   Jonathan Winell
Die Königin   Sabine Winter
Luciano | Erster Totengräber   Yasushi Hirano
Prager Philharmonischer Chor
Wiener Symphoniker
Paolo Carignani, conductor

The following link to a video of the performance on the German/French Arte Channel may only be available for a short time. Enjoy while you can:

http://www.swr.de/swr2/musik/video-mitschnitt-der-premiere-hamlet-oper-von-franco-faccio/-/id=661124/did=17831130/nid=661124/1tzah0r/index.html

For anyone who would like a sound only copy I have recorded it in wave format. Just let me know.