(Following French translation)
Mr. Punch (derived from the Italian character Pulcinella) and his wife Judy are puppet characters, who are popular in England and occupy a status comparable to that of the Kasperltheater genre in Austria. Typically, a hand puppeteer will present several brief sequences that usually lead to conflicts of a somewhat rough and naive nature. These usually include violence, and it was this violence in Harrison Birtwhistle’s opera Punch and Judy that sparked off heated debate in the wake of its 1968 world premiere. To this day, the opera has retained its polarizing effect.
Just a few minutes into the action, Mr. Punch brutally murders his own child and Judy –and as the plot progresses, he ends up killing almost everyone else he encounters. He allows only Pretty Polly -whom he practically worships -/to stay alive. But eventually, Punch is overcome by horrible nightmares and the music begins to change in character…
Paul Griffiths once wrote that Birtwistle’s Mr. Punch is the diametric opposite of Petrushka in Stravinsky’s eponymous ballet. While Petrushka is a puppet, which behaves more and more like a human being, Mr. Punch is a human being, who treats those surrounding him like puppets –carelessly, brutally, and devoid of conscience.
Harrison Birtwistle and his librettist Stephen Pruslin created a stylized tragedy full of grotesque moments. The music is as capable of portraying a monstrous being as it is of portraying love. Their work opens up a positively other-worldly realm, with insane twists and the atmosphere of the marketplace.Written commissioned by Aldeburgh Festival, the work is presented as a tragic comedy, focuses on the adventures of Punch, a mad man suffering from severe personality disorders.
The opera, in the production of Neue Oper Wien (Wien, Austria), in october 2014 won the great prize of the jury at the ARMEL FESTIVAL and the audience prize at ARTE LIVE TELEVISION, in Budapest.
A tragical comedy or comical tragedy in one act. Scenario and libretto written by Stephen PRUSLIN, Director: Leonard PRINSLOO, Conductor: Walter KOBÉRA
Punch – Richard RITTELMANN (Hungary)
Judy; Fortune teller – Manuela LEONHARTSBERGER
Choregos; Jack Ketch – Till VON ORLOWSKY
Pretty Polly; Witch – Jennifer YOON
Lawyer – Lorin WEY
Doctor – Johannes SCHWENDINGER
Dancer – Evamaria MAYER
WITH:
amadeus ensemble-wien
Set and costume – Monika BIEGLER
Video design – Bernd PREIML
Lighting design – Norbert CHMEL
Language coach – Stephen CHAUNDRY
Musical coach – Anna SUSHON
Musical assistant – Jack RIDLEY
Dramaturgy – Axel PETRI-PREIS
Stage manager – Lucija DEDIC
Assistant – Thomas WAHL
Production manager – Su PITZEK
Technical director – Norbert CHMEL
Make-up artist – Henriette ZWÖLFER
Assitant director – Barbara PREIS
Orchestra management – Wolfgang TROJAN
Stage construction – winter artservice
This Opera’s production will be performed at the theatre Opera of Avignon on june 2015
Richard RITTELMANN (baritone, Hungary) – Punch
Richard Rittelmann debuted at the age of 22 at the Opéra National de Lyon in Doktor Faust (Busoni). Since then he has been a winner at various international competitions. His discography covers a wide repertoire, from baroque to classical, romantic, 20th-century and contemporary repertoire, including some world premieres. His most memorable roles include Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss), Le Bret in Cyrano de Bergerac (Alfano), Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Danilo in The Merry Widow (Lehár), Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia (Britten), and Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy), for which he gained worldwide reputation…
NEUE OPER WIEN
The Neue Oper Wien was founded in 1990. The company specialises in modern music theatre, with the uncompromising policy of selecting only works from the 20th and 21st centuries. New discoveries as well as world and local premieres are central to the company’s work. Its objective is to revive modern opera repertoire. The Viennese audience enthusiastic about the works of Benjamin Britten was impressed by the Neue Oper Wien, when they staged Billy Budd for the first time in Austria in 1996. The first performance of Lachenmann’s Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern was also put on stage by the Neue Oper Wien in 2003 – this production was a sensational success and drew much international attention. Lacking its own venue or a constant company, the Neue Oper Wien could remain flexible; it regularly changes the venue of its performances. It selects stages for the work to be to be performed, with the constant modification of the space, the scenery is adapted closely to the space, aiming at the best acoustic effect possible. Under the leadership of Walter Kobéra, the Neue Oper Wien has demonstrated that innovation and popular success are not mutually exclusive, and that modern opera and innovative stagings need not distract lovers of music from this genre, but rather lead to intense discussions between audience and artists. The Neue Oper Wien considers the music theatre as a laboratory of “new music,” a forum to discuss timely social issues.
>>> French translation
M. Punch (tiré du caractère italien Pulcinella) et sa femme Judy sont des personnages de marionnettes, qui sont très populaires en Angleterre et occupent un statut comparable à celui du genre Kasperltheater en Autriche. Typiquement, un marionnettiste de main présentera plusieurs brèves séquences qui conduisent généralement à des conflits d’une nature un peu rude et naïve. Ceux-ci comprennent généralement la violence, et ce fut cette violence dans l’opéra de Harrison Birtwhistle Punch et Judy qui a déclenché un débat houleux à la suite de sa première mondiale en 1968. À ce jour, l’opéra a conservé son effet polarisant.
A quelques minutes de l’action, M. punch assassine brutalement son propre enfant et Judy, alors que l’intrigue progresse, il finit par tuer presque tout le monde qu’il rencontre. Il épargne seulement Pretty Polly qu’il adore, pratiquement pour rester en vie. Mais finalement, Punch est surmonté par d’horribles cauchemars et la musique commence à changer de caractère …
Paul Griffiths a écrit que M. Punch de Birtwistle est diamétralement opposé à Petrouchka dans le ballet éponyme de Stravinsky. Alors que Petrouchka est une marionnette, qui se comporte de plus en plus comme un être humain, M. Punch est un être humain dépourvu de conscience qui traite ceux qui l’entourent comme des marionnettes, négligemment, brutalement…..
Harrison Birtwistle et son librettiste Stephen Pruslin ont créé une tragédie stylisée pleine de moments grotesques. La musique est aussi capable d’incarner un être monstrueux que de dépeindre l’amour. Leur travail ouvre une vision positive d’un autre monde, avec des rebondissements insensés et traduit l’atmosphère de la Marketplace. Commandé par le Festival d’Aldeburgh, l’oeuvre présentée comme une comédie tragique, se concentre sur les aventures de Punch, un fou qui souffre de troubles sévères de la personnalité.
Le baryton Richard Alexandre Rittelman fier comme Artaban…
L’opéra, dans la production de Neue Oper Wien (Vienne, Autriche) obtient en octobre 2014 le grand prix du jury au festival ARMEL et le prix du public au ARTE TV en direct, à Budapest.
Une comédie tragique ou une tragédie comique en un acte. Scénario et livret écrit par Stephen Pruslin, Réalisateur: Leonard PRINSLOO, Chef d’orchestre: Walter Kobera
Punch – RICHARD ALEXANDRE RITTELMANN (Hongrie)
Judy; Fortune teller – Manuela Leonhartsberger
chorège; Jack Ketch – Jusqu’à VON Orlowsky
Pretty Polly; Witch – Jennifer YOON
Avocat – Lorin WEY
Doctor – Johannes Schwendinger
Dancer – Evamaria MAYER
AVEC:
Ensemble Amadeus-Wien
Décors et de costumes – Monika BIEGLER
Conception de la vidéo – Bernd PREIML
Conception de l’éclairage – Norbert CHMEL
Entraîneur de la langue – Stephen CHAUNDRY
Entraîneur Musical – Anna SUSHON
Assistant musical – Jack RIDLEY
Dramaturgie – Axel PETRI-Preis
Régisseur – Lucija DEDIC
Adjoint – Thomas WAHL
Directeur de production – Su PITZEK
Directeur technique – Norbert CHMEL
Maquilleuse – Henriette Zwolfer
Directeur adjoint – Barbara PREIS
Gestion d’orchestre – Wolfgang trojan
Construction de la scène – Artservice d’hiver
La production de cet opéra sera joué au Théâtre Opéra d’Avignon sur juin 2015
Natalia Di Bartolo
link to the complete opera on Youtube