100 masterpieces of 20th century opera

In his recently-published book “Die Oper des 20. Jahrhunderts in 100 Meisterwerken” (Wolke Verlag), the renowned music critic and former opera director Bernd Feuchtner features several works from the Bärenreiter / Alkor catalogue. Alongside modern classics such as Othmar Schoeck’s “Penthesilea” and Leoš Janáček’s “The Makropulos Case” (the critical new edition of the Brno original version has recently been published in the Janáček Complete Edition), Feuchtner also shines the spotlight on unjustly forgotten operas. These include Ján Cikker’s 1962 setting of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “Resurrection” premiered at the Prague National Theatre, and Georg Katzer’s opera for adults and children “Das Land Bum-Bum” from 1978 to a text by the poet Rainer Kirsch, a “revolt in music in poetry”, according to the authors. Paul Dessau’s “Lanzelot” – masterfully re-interpreted a few months ago by Peter Konwitschny at the National Theatre Weimar – is the second masterpiece of GDR music theatre included by Feuchtner in his listings.