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Georg Friedrich Haas' Melancholia Sees World Premiere at Opéra National de Paris

Jun. 04, 2008

Georg Friedrich Haas' opera Melancholia sees its world premiere at the Opéra National de Paris on June 9 under director Stanislas Nordey and conductor Emilio Pomàrico leading the Klangforum Wien and the Vokalensemble Nova. Based on the novel Melancholie by Jon Fosse, the Norwegian author and librettist for the opera, the opera revolves around the Norwegian landscape painter Lars Hertervig (18301902) and, though fictional, takes much from the biographical accounts of his life. Haas describes his fascination with Hertervig's paintings and his resulting musical approach:

It is a spiritual, lyrical world, a practically frightening photographic realism; but these pictures have a sadness about them, a metaphoric fear and at the same time, a light (albeit indefinable) that has something to do with a transcendental hope. That is what I have tried to capture musically.

The run of Melancholia at the Opéra National de Paris continues on June 12, 15, 18, 22, 24, and 27 with further performances scheduled in Stavanger and Oslo. The Austrian Premiere in Graz takes place on October 24 and 25 as part of the steirischer herbst festival.

For more information on the music of Georg Friedrich Haas, go to www.universaledition.com.

Georg Friedrich Haas
Melancholia (2006/07)
opera in three acts
libretto (DE) by Jon Fosse, after his novel Melancholie
for seven voices, chamber choir and orchestra 1111-2110-2perc.acc.pno.sax-str(4.0.2.3.2)
90'

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