Detlev Glanert, born 1960 in Hamburg, is one of the most successful and prolific German opera composers to emerge in the late 20th century, but Caligula is the first of his operas to receive a complete recording. Commissioned by the opera companies of Frankfurt and Cologne, this live recording comes from its 2006 Frankfurt world premiere. With a libretto by Hans-Ulrich Treichel, a frequent collaborator with Henze, the opera is based on a grim 1939 play by Albert Camus depicting the cruelties (and probable insanity) of the ...
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Detlev Glanert, born 1960 in Hamburg, is one of the most successful and prolific German opera composers to emerge in the late 20th century, but Caligula is the first of his operas to receive a complete recording. Commissioned by the opera companies of Frankfurt and Cologne, this live recording comes from its 2006 Frankfurt world premiere. With a libretto by Hans-Ulrich Treichel, a frequent collaborator with Henze, the opera is based on a grim 1939 play by Albert Camus depicting the cruelties (and probable insanity) of the Roman emperor Caligula. While Glanert is best known for his 2001 comic opera Jest, Satire, Irony, and Deeper Meaning, Caligula is relentlessly dark. Glanert was a student of Henze's, and his style mirrors his teacher's eclecticism. There is a similar angularity in the vocal writing, although it is more minimally accompanied, with sparser orchestration overall, and textures that are considerably more austere. While much of the music of Caligula pretty thorny, Glanert is obviously a...
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