# Seeking Librettist for German Opera



## Denerah Bathory (6 mo ago)

Any composers here know of any networking or sites for finding librettists and/or translators specializing in operatic works? Of course, if there are any librettists here that is ideal, as I would rather work with someone who understands the subtle relation between poetry and tone.

I began an opera loosely-based on Isolde Kurz's poem Die Kinder der Lilith (Lilith's Children), and I took original quotes from her work as dialogue/narrative chorus and fleshed out a plot inspired by gnostic insights that quite literally took on a life of their own. I am not quite fluent in German to write something convincing of 19th century opera. I took 3 semesters of language classes but find it tiresome to halt music writing to "proofread" and correct which is counterintuitive to the entire process--which would be seamless if in English--but of course, I do not want to write an English opera--French is the only other language I know however it just doesn't fit with my phrasing.

What this librettist would do is basically take English dialogue/vocal parts and translate them, keeping in mind characterization and poetic nuance.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

You might try the Librettist Network.









Librettist Network | Facebook


The Librettist Network aims to develop the craft of libretto writing, raise the status of librettists, find new voices within opera & develop new work. The Librettist Network is a for librettists,...




www.facebook.com


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## Denerah Bathory (6 mo ago)

RICK RIEKERT said:


> You might try the Librettist Network.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't have social media so I checked out their website via google search. They have a handful of librettists but many are of the post-modern bent, not to mention "progressivist" types...not at all in the spirit of classical music. I find they don't list their credentials clearly, only one mentioned Russian translation. If you're a librettist, the language credentials should be the most important, not whatever leftist values they want to write about. As a result, I'll have to look elsewhere as I will not trust individuals who do not want to just "translate what you're paid to work on, for the composer is king."


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