An opera inspired by "Europa Europa" by Sally Perel and Agnieszka Holland
The production depicts the creation process of a contemporary art exhibition entitled “The Extermination of the Medusas.” The protagonist is the Curator, for whom the exhibits and accompanying events become a vehicle back to ancient times. The Curator identifies with Medusa and undertakes an inner journey through a tragic history. He experiences the cost of renouncing one’s own identity – a price Medusa pays to survive. He asks himself what meaning an exhibition holds in times when the slogan “Never Again” has lost its protective power, and cruelty toward strangers – the “new monsters” – explains playwright and librettist Robert Bolesto.
“The Monster’s Voice” is about a person who, under the threat of death, can never reveal the truth about themselves. They must hide or disguise themselves. Pretend to be someone else. Constantly observe everything and everyone, trust no one. Eventually, at the cost of their life, they become “nobody”. The truth about the titular character is revealed primarily through their voice – high and pure. For most of the time, it must remain suppressed, avoiding natural, upper registers. Only a few times, at moments of particular significance, does it resound fully. The harmony leans toward twelve-tone technique. The orchestration and instrumentation reflect a modernist retreat from Wagnerian monumentalism toward chamber music – adds composer Alek Nowak
We transpose a modern story into the world of myth to reach the roots of fear, hatred, and love, seeking in them timeless truths about humanity – explains the opera’s director, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, We aim to confront operatic form with realism. The staging refers to a documentary-style account of the creation of a museum exhibition about the extermination of the “other,” the “alien,” the “unknown” – by transforming them into a monster and then executing them. The emerging exhibits summon the ghosts of the past, which in turn trigger deeply encoded fears in the main character. The depicted reality slowly begins to warp – revealing primal images inscribed in the world’s history. We come to understand that the libretto’s core is the motif of annihilation and the loss of identity – relevant from the dawn of humanity to today.
The opera is produced by Malta Festival, the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, and the National Centre for Culture.
Alek Nowak’s works are published by PWM Edition
Warning!
The performance includes smoke and strobe lighting.
