September 2018
Bockenheimer Depot
Frankfurt, Germany
Opera by Olga Neuwirth
Libretto by Elfriede Jelinek
The Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek based this opera, first performed in 2003, on David Lynch's film, a fascinating combination of psychothriller, horror, and film noir. Throughout the "case study of a person who cannot cope with his fate" (Barry Gifford) runs very ambitious storytelling, which constantly leads to dead ends. Scene changes are feverish, time and space unstable, as are identities and sound worlds. Neuwirth's score is intermedial and full of complex notation: fadeouts are altered sound spaces, lavish live electronics and varied vocal expression are confronted with visual dimensions. The integration of video makes reality more virtual, leaving the protagonists and audience feeling as if they are being left at the mercy of something. The staging confronts the tension between extreme artificiality and hyper-reality.
Karsten Januschke, conductor
Jason H. Thompson, set, video, and lighting designer
Markus Noisternig and Gilbert Nouno, live electronics
Norbert Ommer, video
Doey Lüthi, costume designer
Stephanie Schulze, dramaturg
John Brancy, Pete
Hugo Armstrong, Fred
Elizabeth Reiter, Renee/Alice
David Moss, Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent
Rupert Enticknap, Mystery Man
Samuel Levine, Andy/Warder/Arnie
Juanita Lascarro, Pete's Mother
Jörg Schäfer, Pete's Father
Nicholas Bruder, Ed/Detective Hank
Ensemble Modern