Bruno Mantovani's second opera, Akhmatova, will be premiered at the Opéra national de Paris on 28 March. I shall be there for its second performance, on 31st. Fresh from the reported success of his ballet, Siddharta, which received its first performances at the same house last season - perhaps there is hope after all for Fantasy Opera and even Fantasy Ballet! - Mantovani, his librettist, Christophe Ghristi, and his conductor, Pascal Rophé, speak here of their collaboration to date. The online journal, we are promised, will be updated as time goes on...
For those wanting a taste of Mantovani's music, here is a performance of his L'Incandescence de la bruine, for saxophone and piano:
Forthcoming commissions include a piece for the Ensemble Modern, to be conducted by Pierre Boulez, another for the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly, and a violin concerto for Renaud Capuçon. For the composer's website, click here.
I should hate to jinx the work, but I think we may rest assured that it will turn out rather better than Anna Nicole...