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Miroslav Srnka's South Pole in World Premiere Production at the Bayerische Staatsoper

Jan. 06, 2016

Miroslav Srnka's <em>South Pole</em> in World Premiere Production at the Bayerische Staatsoper

Miroslav Srnka’s South Pole: A double opera in two parts receives its world premiere production on January 31 at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Telling the legendary story of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott’s race to the South Pole, the opera simultaneously recounts the journey of each man and his team. Srnka explains:

There are two musical layers, which always run parallel and asymmetrically in their tempi, because, with a few exceptions, we always have the two teams parallel on the stage. But in reality they are separated. For in fact, they never met in the Antarctic. Each took a different route, and the only point in common was the South Pole, which they both approached from different directions.

The libretto, written by Tom Holloway, concentrates on the psychological development of the two main protagonists as well as the men in the teams.

Thomas Hampson and Rolando Villazón star as Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott alongside mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and soprano Mojca Erdmann with musical direction by Kirill Petrenko, stage direction by Hans Neuenfels and design by Neuenfels and Katrin Connan. The production runs through February 11, with an additional performance on July 5 as part of the Munich Opera Festival.

For more on Miroslav Srnka, visit baerenreiter.com. 

For details on the production visit staatsoper.de and check out the Bayerische Staatsoper's South Pole blog here.

Miroslav Srnka
South Pole (2015)
A double opera in two parts
libretto (Eng) by Tom Holloway
for soprano, mezzo-soprano, 5 tenors, 5 baritones
4(2/3.pic, 4.bfl).3.2(2bcl).3(2/3.cbsn)-2.4.3.1-4perc-acc.hp.pno(4-hands)-str (on stage: 6cl, 6hn, 2 gramophones)
120’

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