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Organization

Singer

Bass

Pavel Daniluk

Wesener

Soprano

Susanne Elmark

Marie

Mezzo-soprano

Julia Riley

Charlotte

Contralto

Cornelia Kallisch

Wesener\'s Old Mother

Baritone

Michael Kraus

Stolzius

Hanna Schwarz

Stolzius\' Mother

Reinhard Mayr

Colonel Obrist

Tenor

Peter Hoare

Desportes

Michael Laurenz

Pirzel

Cheyne Davidson

Eisenhardt

Yuriy Tsiple

Captain Haudy

Oliver Widmer

Captain Mary

Sunnyboy Dladla

1. young officer

William Lombardi

2. young officer

Carlos Noguiera

3. young officer

Noëmi Nadelmann

Gräffin De La Roche

Dmitry Ivanchey

The young Count

Silent

Beate Vollack

Madame Roux

Conductor

Marc Albrecht

Stage director

Calixto Bieito

Costume designer

Ingo Krügler

Set designer

Rebecca Ringst

Lighting designer

Franck Evin

Video designer

Sarah Derendinger

Choreographer

Dramaturge

Beate Breidenbach

Opernhaus Zürich

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

German

Die Soldaten -  (The Soldiers)

Zurich

Switzerland

Opernhaus

Die Soldaten Zimmermann,B

Public

The Soldiers

English

Approved

Die Soldaten
Expressiv bis zum Schreiklang, ausserordentlich komplex, multimedial und nicht weniger als totales Theater: Bernd Alois Zimmermanns Oper Die Soldaten sprengt sämtliche Dimensionen. Zunächst als unaufführbar abgelehnt, erlebte die Oper 1965 ihre spektakuläre Uraufführung in Köln und gilt seither als eines der zentralen Werke des Musiktheaters im 2O. Jahrhundert. Die gleichnamige Komödie von Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz, entstanden 1774/75, lieferte Zimmermann eine zeitlose Vorlage; sein Interesse entzündete sich, wie er selbst beschrieb, daran, «wie alle Personen unentrinnbar in eine Zwangssituation geraten, unschuldig mehr als schuldig, die zu Vergewaltigung, Mord und Selbstmord und letzten Endes in die Vernichtung des Bestehenden führt». Die  Bürgerstochter Marie wird zur Soldatenhure (gemacht); am Schluss erkennt sie nicht einmal mehr der eigene Vater. Zimmermann radikalisierte und verdichtete das Stück zu einer apokalyptischen Vision – die Vergewaltigung Maries steht als pars pro toto für die physische und psychische Gewalt aller gegen alle. Ex-treme Inhalte forderten extreme Mittel: Eine riesige Orchesterbesetzung mit einem gigantischen Schlagzeugapparat, Zuspielbänder mit Panzergeräuschen und eine Collage-Technik, die neben der zwölftönigen Kompositionsweise auch das Dies Irae, einen Choral von Bach und eine Jazz-Combo mit einbezieht, sind zu einer vielschichtigen Partitur verwoben. Simultanszenen brechen die lineare Chronologie auf und führen zu einer völlig neuen Zeitstruktur – die Oper spielt «gestern, heute, morgen».
Marc Albrecht übernimmt die musikalische Leitung der Soldaten, deren Realisierung bis heute eine grosse Herausforderung bedeutet. Für die szenische Umsetzung konnten wir den katalanischen Regisseur Calixto Bieito gewinnen, der bekannt ist für seine starke, emotionale Bildsprache; er inszeniert zum ersten Mal am Opernhaus Zürich. Die halsbrecherische Partie der Marie singt Susanne Elmark.

Deutsch

The soldiers
Expressive to the point of screaming, extraordinarily complex, multimedia and no less than total theatre: Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera The Soldiers breaks all dimensions. Initially rejected as unperformable, the opera had its spectacular premiere in Cologne in 1965 and has since been considered one of the central works of music theater in the 2O. Century. The comedy of the same name by Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz, created in 1774/75, provided Zimmermann with a timeless template; his interest was sparked, as he himself described, by "how all persons inevitably fall into a compulsive situation, innocent more than guilty, which leads to rape, murder and suicide and ultimately to the annihilation of the status quo". The burgher's daughter Marie is (made) a soldier's whore; in the end not even her own father recognizes her anymore. Zimmermann radicalized and condensed the piece into an apocalyptic vision – the rape of Marie is the pars pro toto for the physical and psychological violence of everyone against everyone else. Extreme content required extreme means: A huge orchestra with a gigantic drum set, tapes with tank noises and a collage technique, which, in addition to the twelve-tone composition, also includes the Dies Irae, a chorale by Bach and a jazz combo, all come together multi-layered score interwoven. Simultaneous scenes break up the linear chronology and lead to a completely new time structure - the opera plays "yesterday, today, tomorrow". Zimmermann radicalized and condensed the piece into an apocalyptic vision – the rape of Marie is the pars pro toto for the physical and psychological violence of everyone against everyone else. Extreme content required extreme means: A huge orchestra with a gigantic drum set, tapes with tank noises and a collage technique, which, in addition to the twelve-tone composition, also includes the Dies Irae, a chorale by Bach and a jazz combo, all come together multi-layered score interwoven. Simultaneous scenes break up the linear chronology and lead to a completely new time structure - the opera plays "yesterday, today, tomorrow". Zimmermann radicalized and condensed the piece into an apocalyptic vision – the rape of Marie is the pars pro toto for the physical and psychological violence of everyone against everyone else. Extreme content required extreme means: A huge orchestra with a gigantic drum set, tapes with tank noises and a collage technique, which, in addition to the twelve-tone composition, also includes the Dies Irae, a chorale by Bach and a jazz combo, all come together multi-layered score interwoven. Simultaneous scenes break up the linear chronology and lead to a completely new time structure - the opera plays "yesterday, today, tomorrow". A huge orchestra with a gigantic percussion apparatus, tapes with tank noises and a collage technique, which, in addition to the twelve-tone composition, also includes the Dies Irae, a chorale by Bach and a jazz combo, are woven into a multi-layered score. Simultaneous scenes break up the linear chronology and lead to a completely new time structure - the opera plays "yesterday, today, tomorrow". A huge orchestra with a gigantic percussion apparatus, tapes with tank noises and a collage technique, which, in addition to the twelve-tone composition, also includes the Dies Irae, a chorale by Bach and a jazz combo, are woven into a multi-layered score. Simultaneous scenes break up the linear chronology and lead to a completely new time structure - the opera plays "yesterday, today, tomorrow".
Marc Albrecht takes over the musical direction of the soldiers, the realization of which is still a great challenge today. For the scenic implementation we were able to win over the Catalan director Calixto Bieito, who is known for his strong, emotional imagery; he is staging for the first time at the Zurich Opera House. The breakneck role of Marie is sung by Susanne Elmark

The Soldiers by Zimmermann, B. A., From (2013/2013), Directed by Calixto Bieito,, Conductor Marc Albrecht, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

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