THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE OPERA AND BALLET SEASON EVER!!!

In the 2011—12 season, the National Norwegian Opera & Ballet offers 336 performances and concerts.

General manager Tom Remlov at The Norwegin National Opera and Ballet. Foto: Erik Berg

– The upcoming season is the most comprehensive in the history of the National Norwegian Opera & Ballet, says CEO Tom Remlov. – The range is vast, from the 270 performances of opera and ballet, to concerts and guest performances of different genres, bringing us closer to our ambition of every single day offering activities at the Oslo Opera House.

From classics such as Die Zauberflöte and La Bohème, Swan Lake and Giselle, the programme also offers World Premieres of renowned Norwegian works adapted for opera and ballet. The Ibsen opera The Lady from the Sea by Ragnar Søderlind sees its first ever performance, as does German choreographer Christian Spuck’s ballet Woyzeck. The programme also sees a number of large format classical concerts, in addition to the opening concert of Oslo Jazz Festival 2011.
The Norwegian National Opera opens its season on September 1st with Die Zauberflöte, directed by departing Opera Director Paul Curran.

operasjef Paul Curran og Marita Sølberg ved premieren på Tryllefløyten 1. September. Foto: Erik Berg

Inspired by co-producers the National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing and Opera Hong Kong, this new production bears elements of Chinese folklore
. Other new productions are The Barber of Seville directed by François de Carpentries, and Tristan and Isolde by director Daniel Slater. Ole Anders Tandberg returns after his success with L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and directs another Monteverdi opera – The Return of Ulysses. Another renowned Norwegian, Stefan Herheim who recently directed Lulu in Copenhagen and Oslo, and a new production of Salome at Salzburg Easter Festival. creates a new production of La Bohème. Ragnar Søderlind’s Ibsen opera The Lady from the Sea sees its first ever performance in a concert version on the Main Stage, whereas Hans Werner Henze’s El Cimarrón gets its Norway premiere. The season also offers a dark version of Aida, Gisle Kverndokk’s The Fourth Night Watch, Curran’s Peter Grimes, and Stein Winge’s Macbeth.

In the Foyer, Korall Koral offers opera for newborns, whereas Cinderella – a children’s opera, and the World Premiere of Vestly’s Little Brother and Twiglet, make up an inspiring programme for older children at Second House. Two works are presented in-the-making in The Studio, Christian Eggen’s Homecoming and the opera talkshow Un grande spettacolo. In a row of exciting guest productions we find War Sum Up during the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Operation Opera about the construction workers that built the Oslo Opera House, and La finta giardiniera from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Norwegian Academy of Opera.

Espen Giljane

The Norwegian National Ballet with Ballet Director Espen Giljane open the season with several new works. September sees the World Premiere of Woyzeck by the recognized German choreographer Christian Spuck. In Septemberdance 2011 the choreographers Ina Christel Johannessen, Douglas Lee and Andreas Heise create three new pieces. This production will also go on tour, making 13 stops throughout the country. Later in the season Kristian Støvind adapts the late Norwegian novelist Tarjei Vesaas’ modern classic The Ice Palace for the stage, and two dance works by choreographers Paul Lightfoot and Sol León get their Norway premiere.

The company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch makes its first appearance in Norway, with Vollmond by the legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch, coinciding with the 3D tribute film Pina currently playing in cinema theatres. Other renowned dance companies visiting are Nederlands Dans Theater II, featuring works by Jiří Kylián and Alexander Ekman, Wayne McGregor’s company Random Dance with the work F.A.R., and lastly, Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company visiting from Israel. Carte Blanche, the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance, visits twice: with Object Constant by Rui Horta and as part of the CODA festival in October – which also presents a World Premiere by Ingun Bjørnsgaard Prosjekt. From the classical repertoire, the audience may immerse themselves in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle and Cinderella.

John Helmer Fiore, foto: Erik Berg

The Opera Orchestra plays a central role in many performances of opera and ballet, but also presents concerts of its own
. In a free outdoors concert on August 14 the Orchestra and Music Director John Helmer Fiore in fact open the new season in which they also give three concerts on the Main Stage and four chamber music concerts at Second House. The Opera Chorus begins its season on August 4, with Verdi’s Requiem in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, as part of the 2011 St. Olav Festival. Also held at the Oslo Opera House in August is The Queen Sonja International Music Competition.

We warmly welcome guest performers and orchestras such as Faust Quartett, Truls Mørk and Oslo Camerata, Leif Ove Andsnes – both in a Solo Recital as well as with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and Norsk Barokkorkester. The Norwegian National Opera’s soloists Itziar M. Galdos and Kjell Magnus Sandve are also to give their farewell concerts.

In our third season of recitals Casting Director and temporary Opera Director Anne Gjevang has invited several strong voices to Oslo, such as the contra tenor Lawrence Zazzo, the contralto Maria Radner and the sopranos Christine Brewer and Virginia Tola.

Also this season Oslo International Jazz Festival and The Mela Festival open with concerts on the Main Stage. Other guest performances are the play Larache with music by Norwegian composer Maja Ratkje, Sonny from The Rogaland Teater, and The Legends from Nordic Black Theater.