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world premiere: prisoner of the state

This season, the New York Philharmonic concludes their three-week-long Music of Conscience initiative, as well as their subscription season, with the world premiere of David Lang’s opera prisoner of the state on June 6–8, 2019, conducted by their new Music Director Jaap van Zweden. Co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Rotterdam’s de Doelen Concert Hall, London’s Barbican Centre, Barcelona’s l’Auditori, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, and Bruges’s Concertgebouw, prisoner of the state is the story of a woman who disguises herself as a prison guard to rescue her husband from unjust political imprisonment…

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modern painters (1995) 110'

Text by Manuella Halterhoff

major roles: Bar, lyric Sop, Ten, Mz Sop, dramatic Ten, character Sop, Bass; and 3 Ten, Sop, 2Bar, Bass, silent girl, chorus; 2(pic)2(ca)2(bcl)2/4220/2perc/pf(syn).hp/str

the Santa Fe Opera

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prisoner of the state

David Lang, music/libretto
Elkhanah Pulitzer, director


watch prisoner of state video playlist

[REVIEW] click to read NY Times review of 'prisoner of the state'
de Volkskrant

David Lang’s prisoner of the state — co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, De Doelen, Barbican Centre, l’Auditori, Bochumer Symphoniker, Concertgebouw Bruges and Malmö Opera — premiered in June 2019 with the New York Philharmonic, and received its British premiere in January 2020 at the Barbican Centre in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers and conductor Ilan Volkov…

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