World Premiere Recording on DVD!

Thanks to the new Cherubini Edition, the composer’s unknown comic opera Koukourgi was staged for the first time in celebration of his 250th anniversary in 2010.

The premiere production of Luigi Cherubini‘s opera Koukourgi at the Klagenfurt Stadttheater revealed a work that combines a tale from ancient China with the sensibility of the French Revolutionary times of its composition. The three act opera sees a young Chinese man battling for the hand of his sweetheart against the Tartar mandarin Koukourgi, the not unlikeable anti-hero described as a large pumpkin.

The turmoil in Paris led to Cherubini’s librettist Honoré-Nicolas-Marie Duveyrier being imprisoned in the Bastille and fleeing to Denmark. The opera was left with the finale incomplete and has remained unperformed for over two centuries. Koukourgi’s finale was completed by Heiko Cullman and the new performing edition has allowed the opera to reclaim its rightful place on the stage.

“Now the musical world knows that with Koukourgi Cherubini composed a work anticipating Offenbachiana. It is the comic situations here which give occasion for clever, pointed, amusing music ... running along with lively tempi, snappy numbers, rousing marching rhythms, with tone painting effects (the storm music), experimental ensembles and a novel simultaneous triple dream sequence...” - Salzburger Nachrichten

“For the dawning era of the War of Nations, Cherubini’s comic marches, in which you can already hear some of Rossini’s stretti, offer extremely far-sighted commentaries. This war opera does not culminate in cheerful ensembles and love duets, but in a monumental sleep and dream scene accompanied by snarling and farting in the woodwind ... Without Cherubini a whole generation of composers from Rossini to Auber would have turned out differently. This Italian-French composer simply deserves to be heard more often.” - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Live recording from the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, 2010.

Cast:
- Fohi, Lord of the Castle: Stefan Cerny
- Zulma, his daughter: Çigdem Soyarslan
- Zamti, Chinese General: Leonardo Galeazzi
- Koukourgi, his son: Daniel Prohaska
- Phaor, Koukourgi's servant: Peter Edelmann
- Amazan, orphan: Johannes Chum
- Sécuro, his teacher: Daniel Belcher

Stage Director: Josef E Köpplinger

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9
DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC
Subtitle Languages: FR (Original Language), GB, DE, IT, ES, Korean
Running Time: 115 mins
FSK: 0
Region Code: 0
Worldwide available