Watch FEDORA’s first President, Rolf Liebermann’s “Leonore 40/45” on OperaVision!

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30 May 2022

Experience Opera and Ballet Online


Did you know that FEDORA’s first President and Founder composed operas?

In addition to being a renowned opera house administrator, FEDORA's first president Rolf Liebermann was also a talented composer. He served as the Director of the Hamburg State Opera (from 1959 to 1973 and again from 1985 to 1988) and as General Administrator of the Paris National Opera (from 1973 to 1980). Prior to this he studied composition and conducting with Hermann Scherchen and later with Wladimir Vogel, and during his career, he produced works of several different musical genres, including chansons, classical, light music, and opera.

Watch “Leonore 40/45” on OperaVision

“Leonore 40/45” is an opera whose style belongs to the 1950s, rooted in the 12-tone tradition of Schoenberg and Berg but lightened by lyric interludes and ‘semiseria’ sending up. The 1952 premiere in neutral Basel was a success but the subject matter proved too sensitive for audiences in Germany in the 1950s for whom reconciliation evoked collaboration. This October 2021 staging is part of Fokus ‘33, an ambitious programme by Theater Bonn to revive forgotten works from the first half of the 20th century. Liebermann was active in bringing opera nations together as the first President of FEDORA, our European initiative. He might have approved of OperaVision sharing this first staging of his opera for over 60 years with audiences online across the world.

“Leonore 40/45” is available on OperaVision from
27.05.2022 at 19h00 CET until 27.11.2022 at 12h00 CET


The video will be made available herehttps://operavision.eu/en/library/performances/operas/leonore-4045-theater-bonn


About the story

Albert and Yvette fall in love in Paris but at a bad time. It’s 1941. He is an occupying German soldier and clarinettist. She is a young French-Czech pianist. When the post-war authorities declare ‘No marriage between enemies!’ who can help the young lovers? Enter Emile: part Emcee, part guardian angel.



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