The best ice-breaker for someone in a foreign place is to listen to live local music. I was fortunate enough to come across the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian last week, host to a range of cultural experiences. The first evening I visited the venue was to watch an adaptation of Jonathan Dove’s opera O Monstro no Labirinto. The…
Tag: theatre production
Matthäus-Passion
With Easter fast approaching, renditions of the Passion of Christ are a regular occurrence. A couple of weeks ago I managed to see the spectacular performance of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion at the Berliner Philharmoniker with the Preussens Hofmusik Orchester, the Berlin Philharmonischer Chor and the Staats- und Domchor. Never before have I heard the whole three-hour piece…
Hallelujah (Ein Reservat) by Christoph Marthaler
Having earned a highly respected reputation for inventive and distinct productions, director Christoph Marthaler was awarded the Hans Reinhart-Ring, the highest honour in theatre in Switzerland. His new production is showing now at the Berliner Volksbühne. Centered around classic country tunes, the piece is random and abstract. The cast are relatively amusing, with added expression provided from a number of…
Carmen: A Modern Interpretation
When deciding to go to see an ‘opera’ entitled Carmen, one would think they are going to a great masterpiece filled with drama, expressive costumes and those fantastic, classic, operatic pieces of music like L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera). The Theaterdiscounter however, provides the audience with something entirely different. With an ensemble of only five musicians dressed in identical…
Elektra at the Neuköllner Oper
This energetic, compelling and somewhat disturbing show is a modernisation of the original opera Elektra by Richard Strauss. Initially written as a drama in 1903, Strauss adapted it to become a one-act opera in 1909. While the plot is loosely based on an ancient Greek mythological story of family, murder and revenge, both Strauss’ adaptation…
AVENTURES | SUR SCÈNE | NOUVELLES AVENTURES
AVENTURES | SUR SCÈNE | NOUVELLES AVENTURES is a contemporary opera performed by the Berlin Staatsoper, combining works from German-Argentine composer Mauricio Kagel and Hungarian/Austrian composer György Ligeti. Drawing inspiration from these composers is particularly interesting and bound to have a fascinating outcome, due to Kagel’s attraction to a theatrical emphasis on musical performances and…
Geschichte at Schiller Theater
Audience members with no prior knowledge about the opera take their seats, unaware and bemused by the setting. The seating area is boxed in entirely; three white walls and one mirrored wall facing the audience. As the seats begin to fill up, the audience wonder whether the mirrored wall will open up to reveal the stage behind. This however, is…
RENT performed by Epsom Players
Going to see one’s favourite musical is often a gamble due to the risk of it being ruined by not living up to what high standards have already been set. I was certainly nervous for this reason, but at the same time very excited to be seeing RENT live for the first time. With music…
Emily D'Silva 