Zwerger - Amann - Kruse
GREAT OPEN EYES
COMPOSER
LIBRETTIST
DIRECTOR
SET DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
VIDEO DESIGNER
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Manuel Zwerger
Carolyn Amann
Carmen C. Kruse
Valentin Mattka
Ulf Brauner
Susanne Brendel
Leonora Scheib
Finalist, FRINGE OPER.A 20.21 Competition
Conceived by Carmen C. Kruse & Manuel Zwerger. Developmental support by Penda Diouf.
Commissioned and produced by
Civic Opera Creations and Theater Münster.
Funded by
In partnership with
Developmental support by Schloss Unterloibl, EKP, KARBA Pack & Dr. Elke Piskernik.
THE TEAM
Manuel Zwerger
Composer
Carolyn Amann
Librettist
Carmen C. Kruse
Stage Director
Valentin Mattka
Set Designer
Ulf M. Brauner
Costume Designer
Susanne Brendel
Video Designer
Leonora Scheib
Creative Producer
type
chamber opera
duration
75-minutes, including a 15-min
pre-show video installation
space
black box or sight-specific space
Great Open Eyes is a new chamber opera by composer Manuel Zwerger, librettist Carolyn Amann and director Carmen C. Kruse that combines themes from Ibsen’s Little Eyolf with first-hand community accounts to explore the themes of grief and child loss. The audience follows the grief of Rita and Alfred, who lost their son Eyolf.
In an immersive, intimate world with a concentric stage designed for a black box or sight-specific space, three singers, one child, two conductors and 35 musicians offer its surrounding audience a unique scenic and acoustic experience that cuts right to the core of this human emotional journey.
As a modular production Great Open Eyes is unique to each place, collaborating with local ensembles and featuring its own row of interviews that are reflected in new composition elements, text, and a 15-minutes pre-show video installation.
CAST
. Alfred, baritones
. Rita, soprano
. Rat-wife, mezzo-soprano
. Eyolf, child
. 2 conductors
. 2 oboes
. 2 clarinets
. 2 basoons
. 2 trumpets*
. 2 horns*
. 2 trombones*
. 1 percussion (small instruments)*
. 22 solo strings (5-5-6-4-2)* **
. Voices of the Rat-wife on tape
*prepared instruments
** with scordatura
MUSIC EXCERPTS
FROM OUR MARCH 2022 WORKSHOP IN VIENNA
LIBRETTO EXCERPTS
JULY 2022
I just heard him a second ago
Playing outside in the garden
Heard the branches crack
He was climbing up the treetop
Why should he leave
Leave the garden
Towards the sea
Down to the bay
All on his own
I was cutting the roses
When I felt him rushing by
Tasted the smell of his hair
He was alive just a second ago
And now they say he is no more.
- Rita, Excerpt from Scene 2: Denial
Alfred
Rita
Alfred
Rita
Alfred
Keep up
unbearable march of time
My body is still moving
I have no feelings left
for this world
Keep up
Formal task
For a heartbreaking farewell
No hunger
No thirst
Nothing
Keep up
Keep going
Unspeakable pain
is haunting me
and will catch up
if I stand still
- Excerpt from Scene 3: Functioning/Emptiness
PERFORMANCES & TICKETS
JOIN US
share your story with us as a person who experienced grief and childloss and become part of the creation process.
SUPPORT US
as an organization that supports people who experienced grief and childloss around the creation process and performance events.
CONTACT US
Find out more about coproducing and creating your own local adaptation for your communities.
(c) 2022, Civic Opera Creations, Verein für Kunst, Kultur & Soziales, ZVR:1792837722, Austria