Category Archives: Zeitopern

Erwin Schulhoff’s Flammen returns to the stage 90 years after its debut

Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff’s only opera, Flammen is returning to the stage in the original Czech for the first time since its premiere in 1932. The opera is a part of the National Theatre of Prague’s Musica non Grata series—translation: unwelcomed music—“revives the artistic legacy of male and female composers important to the musical lifeContinue reading “Erwin Schulhoff’s Flammen returns to the stage 90 years after its debut”

Opera Streams of the Week, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs on 5/6/2022 and more…

The Atlanta Opera is livestreaming The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs by Mason Bates this Friday, May 6th at 8 pm ET. Originally commissioned by the Sante Fe opera, this production The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is a coproduction with the Austin Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Calgary Opera, and the Utah Opera. Tickets toContinue reading “Opera Streams of the Week, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs on 5/6/2022 and more…”

The Voxman Project: Kenneth Tse features theatrical works by Weill and Milhaud

During the darkest days of the pandemic, good art was hard to find. Opera houses, once bustling with activity were empty. Gone were the spectacles of Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner. Fortunately, this pause in the usual fare allowed new voices and new musicians to fill the silence. At the University of Iowa, alto saxophonist KennethContinue reading “The Voxman Project: Kenneth Tse features theatrical works by Weill and Milhaud”

New works added to the database from PWM, Peer Music, and Oxford University Press

The database keeps growing each day, now it’s up to 656 entries. I added works by the publishers PWM, Peer Music, and Oxford University Press. The publisher PWM is located in Poland and publishes works by Polish composers. Their catalog includes works by Juliusz Łuciuk, Ryszard Bukowski, and Augustyn Bloch. The earliest work in theContinue reading “New works added to the database from PWM, Peer Music, and Oxford University Press”

Mahagonny Songspiel streaming from La Scala 3/18

Tomorrow, Teatro alla Scala in Milan is streaming a duo of operas from Kurt Weill. First up is Die Sieben Todsünden, then Mahagonny Songspiel. These performances will be available on Thursday, March 18th at 8 pm CET. You can find the livestream here. https://www.teatroallascala.org/en/season/2020-2021/opera/die-sieben-todsunden-mahagonny-songspiel.html Mahagonny Songspiel debuted in 1927. This scenic cantata is a collectionContinue reading “Mahagonny Songspiel streaming from La Scala 3/18”

Part 4: Modern productions of Jonny Spielt Auf, the Good, the Bad, and the Cringeworthy

In part 1, I show how blackface is a still a tradition used in modern opera productions. Part 2 covers the minstrel roots of Jonny Spielt Auf. Part 3 covers the Nazi reaction to Jonny Spielt Auf and how it became the face of Entartete Musik (degenerate music). With this problematic background, how modern operaContinue reading “Part 4: Modern productions of Jonny Spielt Auf, the Good, the Bad, and the Cringeworthy”

Part 3: How Jonny Spielt Auf became the face of Entartete Musik (Degenerate Music) in the Third Reich

In Part 2, I covered how Jonny Spielt Auf is directly related to the American Minstrelsy and blackface traditions. But before we can get into the details of Nazi’s reaction to this opera, we have to cover the plot. From the poster and all material, it seems like the opera is centered on Jonny, theContinue reading “Part 3: How Jonny Spielt Auf became the face of Entartete Musik (Degenerate Music) in the Third Reich”