Longborough Festival Opera will present the UK premiere of German composer Avner Dorman's 2016 opera Wahnfried this month, running from May 27 - June 14. The production follows a hugely succesful World Premiere in 2017 when it was nominated for a prestigious International Opera Award in the Best New Opera category.
The Opera, with a libretto by acclaimed playwrights Lutz Hübner and Sarah Nemitz begins with the death of Richard Wagner and spans forty years of history. We witness the Wagner family's determination to construct the myth of the composer, their brutal infighting and their disturbing political affiliations.
Musically, Dorman’s sound world has affinities with Kurt Weill and Dmitri Shostakovich. Biting satirical writing gives way to lyrical arias and powerful choruses, while the action is propelled relentlessly forwards by the virtuosic percussion-heavy score.
It will be conducted by Justin Brown (Die tote Stadt 2022), who commissioned the opera as the Music Director of Karlsruhe State Theatre. Longborough’s production will feature a cast of leading British singers including Susan Bullock CBE as Cosima Wagner, and Mark Le Brocq as Houston Stewart Chamberlain, and will be directed by our artistic director Polly Graham.
Find out more information about the production and book tickets here.
