Berlin's opera premiere: Mahagonny inspires with an interactive experience!

Berlin's opera premiere: Mahagonny inspires with an interactive experience!

Berlin, Deutschland - On Thursday evening, the production of Kurt Weill's famous opera “Rising and falling the city of Mahagonny” premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and provided great enthusiasm in the audience. The direction of Benedikt von Peter relied on innovative approaches: The classic separation between the stage and the auditorium was lifted so that the audience could immerse yourself in the action, according to the motto "Use the best of both worlds".

The opera, which was premiered in Leipzig in 1930, refers to the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrha and interpreted them in the context of the Weimar Republic. With a clear view of the social grievances of her time, she is considered a ingenious criticism of American society. Music today reports that the audience was moved through the entire opera during the performance and the scenes in Foyers, in the auditorium and also on video scenes. There were no breaks - different scenes took place in parallel, while the spectators were on mattresses and thus entered an exciting interaction room with the actors.

musical highlights and characters

Under the musical direction of Stefan Klingele, the mezzo -soprano Evelyn Herlitzius shines in the role of profit -greedy widow Leokadja Begbick. Other main characters are Thomas Cilluffo as Fatty, the authorized signatory, and Robert Gleadow as a triple -unit moses. Annette Dasch embodies the whore Jenny and Nikolai Schukoff the role of the lumberjack Jim Mahoney, who rebels against the corrupt system. These characters are drawn into the nightlife of Mahagonny, where the greed finally leads to the destruction of the city for money and pleasure. These central topics are conveyed particularly impressively by the rousing music, the elements of jazz, ragtime and formal counterpoint.

The political and social reviews of the opera are particularly exciting in the light of their numerous over 10,000 performances since its premiere until 1933. When it was banned in 1933, the communist content and artistic influence of the pieces, which Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill arose, could not be overlooked. According to wikipedia, the social issues of "Mahagonny" remain relevant to this day.

a legacy of criticism and creativity

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht have not only become known through “Mahagonny”; "The three -puree opera", which was premiered a year earlier, also shows their ability to captivate and provoke the audience. This mix of theater and music, in which topics such as power and morality are discussed, reflects the problems of the then, but also today's society. Wikipedia describes how Brecht's lens from the company of the 1920s to the present provides discussions.

With his radical direction, Benedikt von Peter once again demonstrated that experimental approaches can also be well received by the audience. The premiere of "Rising and falling the city of Mahagonny" not only marks a cultural highlight, but also an urgent comment on the contemporary questions that are on our soul.