The Dead City by Boulanger, N., Instrueret af Déa Julien

Nadia Boulanger is recognized as a teacher, composer, conductor and scholar who shaped an entire generation. Musicians came by the thousands from all over the world to study with her, among them Aaron Copland, John Eliot Gardiner, Benjamin Britten, and Philip Glass. ⁣ ⁣ “When I see a young pupil, my first question is: Can you live without music? If you can live without music thank the Lord and goodbye! Because it’s only if it is unavoidable that you must do music. You can never love music with enough devotion.” ⁣ ⁣ 𝐋𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 was Nadia Boulanger’s sole opera and her last significant work before leaving composition to exclusively devote her time to teaching.⁣ ⁣ 𝐋𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 was scheduled to premiere in 1914, but was indefinitely postponed with the outbreak of World War I. The warehouse which housed the score was bombed and the materials were destroyed, with the exception of the piano-vocal score which had been stored elsewhere. To help bring this piece to life, Catapult Opera has commissioned a new chamber orchestration by Stefan Cwik and Joseph Stillwell, under the supervision of David Conte, who was among Mme. Boulanger’s final protegés.⁣ ⁣ With a symbolist libretto by Gabriele d’Annunzio, 𝐋𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 explores the destructive power of obsession and desire within a quartet of characters.⁣