Gerard Mortier talks to the New York Sun about his first season at New York City Opera in 2009-10. The repertory will include, believe it or not, The Rake's Progress, Einstein on the Beach, Nixon in China, Saint Francis, and Death in Venice (with Ian Bostridge). Einstein, Nixon, and Francis will all be receiving their first performances as repertory items on New York opera stages (as opposed to BAM presentations or the 1976 booking of the Met for Einstein). Mortier also seems to have signed up Anselm Kiefer as a set designer. Peter Sellars's name does not appear, but he will almost certainly be involved. For anyone who cares about twentieth-century and contemporary music, all this is a dream come true — production choices pending, of course. Last year I expressed hope that such repertory would appear at the Met, but Mortier has seized the initiative. The challenge now will be to sell modern masterpieces to a wide public. Mortier seems to have some good ideas in that direction, too. (Via AJ.)
