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Anna Prohaska

Silvia

Elsa Dreisig

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Gyula Orendt

Georg Nigl

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Otto Katzameier

Jacques

Martina Gedeck

Tanja

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Matthias Pintscher

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Claus Guth

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Violetter Schnee

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Staatsoper Unter den Linden

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Violetter Schnee Furrer

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Violetter Schnee I Spielzeit 2019/20 I Oper (2019) I Musik von Beat Furrer I Text von Händl Klaus basierend auf einer Vorlage von Vladimir Sorokin in der Übe...

Martina Gedeck describes in the role of Tanja in the prologue of Beat Furrer's VIOLETTER SCHNEE Pieter Bruegel's iconographic painting »Hunters in the Snow«, which depicts idyll and danger at the same time. In the opera, which will be premiered on January 13, 2019, the picture is a central element. Painting: "Hunters in the Snow", February, 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder / akg-images / Erich Lessing season 2018/19 | Opera (2019) | Music by Beat Furrer | Text by Händl Klaus based on a template by Wladimir Sorokin in the translation by Dorothea Trottenberg | Commissioned by the State Opera Unter den Linden Season 2018/19 | Opera (2019) | Music by Beat Furrer | Text by Händl Klaus based on a work by Vladimir Sorokin, translated by Dorothea Trottenberg | commissioned work of the Staatsooper Unter den Linden The world in a state of emergency. Five people are trapped in a ceaseless drift of snow. Time seems to stand still. Will this ever end? Jacques stays to himself in the middle of the group, he affirms the snowfall like the nothing to which he dedicates himself - by communicating with the snow, approving of his uncanny work. Peter and Silvia, on the other hand, are depressed, anxious, pessimistic. Jan and Natascha try to keep track of things, keep hoping and stay active in the belief in a new time. The ability to communicate is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone. What happens namelessly alienates everyone; they have no language for it. As a stranger appears and speaks - Tanja, who walks through the landscape as if in a picture - she initially triggers euphoria, followed by deep loneliness. Like a projection body it acts as a memory space; Jacques thinks he will meet his deceased wife in it - he touches the membrane between life and death. But nothing is stronger than the sun. The group experiences its extinction in the purple glow of the snow. The Swiss composer Beat Furrer - recently awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize - is considered one of the most important contemporary composers. In his numerous music theater works, the relationship between language and sound is particularly central. »Violetter Schnee« reflects the existential experiences of becoming alien and the loss of language in the face of an impending catastrophe and translates this into a suggestive musical-linguistic structure. The world is in a state of emergency. Five people are trapped in perpetual snowdrifts. Time appears to stand still.

Martina Gedeck's description of the picture from VIOLET SNOW | State Opera Unter den Linden

Die Welt im Ausnahmezustand. Fünf Menschen sind eingeschlossen in einem unaufhörlichen Schneewehen. Die Zeit scheint stillzustehen. Jacques bleibt inmitten der Gruppe für sich, er bejaht den Schneefall wie das Nichts, dem er sich weiht. Peter und Silvia dagegen sind bedrückt, ängstlich, pessimistisch. Jan und Natascha versuchen, die Übersicht zu behalten, weiterhin zu hoffen und tätig zu bleiben.

Zusehends schwerer fällt allen die Fähigkeit, sich mitzuteilen. Was da namenlos geschieht, befremdet alle; sie haben keine Sprache dafür. Als eine Fremde erscheint und spricht – Tanja, die wie in einem Bild durch die Landschaft geht – löst sie zunächst Euphorie aus, gefolgt von tiefer Vereinsamung. Wie ein Projektionskörper, als ein Erinnerungsraum wirkt sie; Jacques meint, in ihr seiner verstorbenen Frau zu begegnen – er rührt an die Membran zwischen Leben und Tod. Nichts aber ist stärker als die Sonne. Im violetten Aufleuchten des Schnees erfährt die Gruppe ihre Auslöschung. Basierend auf einer Vorlage des russischen Schriftstellers Vladimir Sorokin reflektieren der Schweizer Komponist und Ernst-von-Siemens Musikpreisträger Beat Furrer und der österreichische Librettist Händl Klaus die existenziellen Erfahrungen des Fremdwerdens und des Verlusts der Sprache angesichts einer drohenden Katastrophe und übersetzen diese in eine suggestive musikalisch-sprachliche Struktur.

Deutsch

The world in a state of emergency. Five people are trapped in a never-ending snowdrift. Time seems to stand still. Jacques keeps to himself in the midst of the group, he accepts the snowfall like the nothing to which he consecrates himself. Peter and Silvia, on the other hand, are depressed, anxious and pessimistic. Jan and Natascha try to keep an overview, keep hoping and stay active.

The ability to communicate is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone. What is happening without a name surprises everyone; they have no language for it. When a stranger appears and speaks - Tanja, who walks through the landscape as if in a picture - she initially triggers euphoria, followed by deep loneliness. It works like a projection body, like a memory space; Jacques believes that he encounters his deceased wife in her - he touches the membrane between life and death. But nothing is stronger than the sun. In the violet glow of the snow, the group experiences their annihilation.

Violetter Schnee by Furrer, From (2019/2019), Directed by Claus Guth,, Conductor Matthias Pintscher, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany

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