John Adams's 1990 opera The Death of Klinghoffer will receive its London premiere in the 2011/12 season of the English National Opera. Director Tom Morris (War Horse) leads the London stage premiere of this retelling of the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking. The ENO says the season aims to show "the unique way in which opera can explore the politically and socially charged issues of our day." The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis performs the work month. Adams will receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Juilliard this Friday and will deliver the school's commencement address.
John Adams's second opera, 1990's The Death of Klinghoffer, will receive its London premiere in the 2011/12 season of the English National Opera, announced yesterday. The award-winning director Tom Morris (War Horse, now on Broadway) leads the London stage premiere of this poetic retelling of the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, with a libretto by Alice Goodman. Followings its 1991 premiere, directed by Peter Sellars with choreography by Mark Morris, the New York Times said the work “transmutes contemporary history into operatic poetry.” Nonesuch Records released the first recording of the work in 1992.
The ENO's 2011/12 season—which also includes performances of Detlev Glanert’s Caligula, Wolfgang Rihm’s Jakob Lenz, and Damon Albarn’s Doctor Dee, part of the London 2012 Festival marking the London Olympic and Paralympic Games—aims to show "the unique way in which opera can explore the politically and socially charged issues of our day," says the ENO.
For more information, visit eno.org. For additional coverage of the announcement and the history of Death of Klinghoffer productions, see reports on the BBC and in the Guardian, Independent and Evening Standard.
The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will perform The Death of Klinghoffer at the Loretto-Hilton Center in St. Louis, Missouri, next month as part of its 2011 Festival Season. The production, performed with members of the St. Louis Symphony, will be staged by OTSL artistic director James Robinson and conducted by Michael Christie. The performances begin June 15 and run through June 25. For more information and tickets, visit opera-stl.org.
---
John Adams will receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Juilliard School at the conservatory's 106th Commencement Ceremony this Friday, May 20. Adams will also deliver this year's commencement address. Also receiving honorary doctoral degrees are Herbie Hancock, Derek Jacobi, and Twyla Tharp.
Adams’s latest Nonesuch album, Son of Chamber Symphony / String Quartet, is due out on May 31 and is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.
- Log in to post comments
