The theme of the opera can be summarized as “Which is the greater art, poetry or music?” This was a topic of discussion at the time of the setting, as in a 1786 Salieri opera named for the issue, Prima la musica e poi le parole (First the Music and Then the Words). This question is dramatized in the story of a Countess torn between two suitors: Olivier, a poet, and Flamand, a composer. IF YOU CHOOSE ONE YOU LOSE THE OTHER.
Stage Director – Jens-Daniel Herzog
Set Designer – Mathis Neidhardt
Costume Designer – Sibylle Gädeke
Lighting Designer – Fabio Antoci
Chorus Master – André Kellinghaus
Choreographers – Michael Schmieder, Ramses Sigl
Dramatic Advisor – Johann Casimir Eule
Countess Madeleine – Camilla Nylund
The Count, her brother – Christoph Pohl
Flamand, a musician – Daniel Behle
Olivier, a poet – Nikolay Borchev
La Roche, director of a theatre – Georg Zeppenfeld
The Actress Clairon – Christa Mayer
Monsieur Taupe – Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke
An Italian Soprano – Tuuli Takala
An Italian Tenor – Beomjin Kim
The Major-Domo – Torben Jürgens
Eight Servants: Frank Blümel, Friedrich Darge, Alexander Födisch,
Torsten Schäpan, Norbert Klesse, Thomas Müller,
Juan Carlos Navarro, Jörg Reißmann
Male voices of the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Conductor Christian Thielemann
Saturday, October 21st, 7:00pm
Tickets are $20
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