Great Scott: Munich to premiere South Pole opera

Great Scott: Munich to premiere South Pole opera

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norman lebrecht

February 19, 2015

Bavarian State Opera has announced a date for its most challenging commission. It’s an opera by a Czech composer, Miroslav Srnka, on the fateful 1911-12 race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian team and Robert Falcon Scott’s British expedition. Amundsen won by 33 days. Scott died on the return to base.

Rolando Villazon will sing the role of Scott. Thomas Hampson will play Amundsen.

Hans Neuenfels directs. Kirill Petrenko conducts.

Luxury casting. Opens January 2016.

Scott_Pole

Comments

  • Simon S. says:

    A highly interesting subject.

    However, I will probably never understand why the man who not only arrived second at the pole, but also terribly failed in planning his expedition properly and is thus responsible for the death of his crew members and his own has recieved much more glory afterwards than the man who not only arrived first but also planned properly and returned his entire crew safely to civilization.

    • Greg Hlatky says:

      It’s the quaint British trait of celebrating heroic failure (see also: Charge of the Light Brigade, Gordon at Khartoum, Dunkirk).

  • Cornelia says:

    is there a recorded version (of the opera or parts of it) I could get in order to listen before I visit the performance?

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