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Catarsi (UA): Opernfestspiele der Bayerischen Staatsoper

Premiere: June 29 2017, Opernfestspiele der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Postpalast, Munich

A man and a woman – almost the perfect couple, and yet they live in two different worlds. “catarsi” – for him it’s the place where all his dreams come true; for her, it’s where her husband is locked in the prison of his own imagination. She must first find and then confront him with this knowledge. Thanks to her courage, both of these acts seem possible. But in which world will it happen? In the real world or in utopia? Through physical contact, words and song as vehicles of emotional expression – or will it all be part of a fantasy, a simulation? After their theatrical experiments in Prozessor I – III, which have culminated in the multimedia conceptual work [catarsi] – Prozessor IV , the group AGORA will once again use Ludwig van Beethoven’s opera Fidelio as the blueprint for exploring what role the audience’s subjective perception plays in the opera house, as part of the festival. AGORA reacts musically, scenically and visually to Beethoven’s utopian idea and lets the audience at the Postpalast wander, both virtually and literally, through Leonore and Florestan’s worlds.

Concept: AGORA Musiktheaterkollektiv Directed by: Benjamin David, Anna Brunnlechner Composition, Arrangement, Conducting: Benedikt Brachtel Stage: Valentin Köhler Costumes: Claudia Irro

Leonore: Laura Tatulescu Florestan: Kristofer Lundin Rocco: Alban Lenzen