Wintermärchen

Philippe Boesmans has been composer in residence at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, where he successfully showed Reigen in 1993, a literary opera after the play Reigen by Arthur Schnitzler, on a libretto by Luc Bondy. Now assisted by the writer Marie-Louise Bischofberger, Boesmans and Bondy created Wintermärchen after Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale.[1]

The opera is dedicated to Bernard, Annick Foccroulle, and Harry Halbreich.[2] The premiere on 10 December 1999 at La Monnaie was staged by Bondy on a set by Erich Wonder, conducted by Antonio Pappano and choreographed by Lucinda Childs.[2] It was a great success, selling out eleven times.[3] The production was shown in November 2000 at the Festival d’Automne in Paris.[4]

The opera was performed in 2001 in Braunschweig, in 2002 at the Neue Oper Wien and in Nürnberg, and in 2004 at the Liceu in Barcelona.[5][6][7] A recording of the Brussels performance was recorded,[8] and presented on 29 November 2000 on TV (Arte) and in 2015/2016 on internet TV (ARTE Concert).[9]

The libretto stays close to Shakespeare's play, and is "skilfully abbreviated and adapted", according to one reviewer, but because "neither [Boesmans nor Bondy] could bear to cut Shakespeare's original", they wrote the Sicilian scenes mostly in German, a language in which both librettist and composer were fluent.[3] The scenes on the seacoast of Bohemia, in the third act, are mostly in English, accompanied by jazz-rock music.[3] In the premiere and the first recording this was performed by the Belgian group Aka Moon.[3] They invented the role of Green, who personifies Time and is a Shakespearean jester holding the scenes together.[3]

The music at times alludes to Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Alban Berg.[1] Claudio Monteverdi is quoted literally.[3] Boesmans writes lyrical and singable parts,[3] and finely detailed orchestration.[1] He uses music described as expressionist to characterize Leontes who is insane with jealousy, causing pain and guilt. The music for Hermione, his wife, is full of passion and warmth.[3] A reviewer summarizes that "the sometimes eclectic melodic and harmonic characteristics of his music [are] accessible yet challenging".[1]

• Wintermärchen, Dale Duesing (Leontes), Susan Chilcott (Hermione), Cornelia Kallisch (Paulina), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Polixenes), Franz-Joseph Selig (Camillo), Heinz Zednik (Le Temps), Juha Kotilainen (Antigonus), Johanne Saunier (Perdita), with the jazz band Aka Moon, conducted by Antonio Pappano on Deutsche Grammophon.[1]