“Edgar,” Giacomo Puccini’s second opera, initially flopped upon its premiere at La Scala in Milan in 1889. However, the piece about love, fidelity and betrayal was then revised several times by the highly talented young composer at the insistence of his publisher, Ricordi. It wasn’t until the final version of 1905 that the work and its creator finally won international recognition. Bertelsmann and the Berliner Operngruppe, led by conductor Felix Krieger, presented this version to a Berlin audience for the first time in February 2019, thereby continuing their series of performances of rare operas from the Ricordi Archive in Milan. In preparation for the performance, Krieger traveled to Milan specifically to study the original documents on “Edgar.”

The Blue Sofa – one of Germany’s most successful literary formats, and hosted by Bertelsmann, ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and 3sat – was all but ubiquitous in 2019. At the Leipzig and Frankfurt Book Fairs and accompanying reading festivals, stars and newcomers of the literary scene met every half hour to talk about their new books on the iconic blue piece of furniture. The discussions were sometimes profound, sometimes exciting, mostly personal and always revealing. And once again everyone was there, from Nobel Literature Laureate Olga Tokarczuk to former German President Joachim Gauck; from crime-thriller star Sebastian Fitzek to audience-favorites-turned-authors like Thomas Gottschalk and the YouTube stars “Die Lochis.” The Blue Sofa also made an appearance at the Goethe-Institut’s cultural symposium in Weimar in June, as well as twice at the Gütersloh Theater with Dörte Hansen and Elke Heidenreich as guests. It also served as the venue for an “Architecture Summit” in the new James Simon Gallery on Berlin’s Museum Island in November.