What gives us meaning, where do we seek stability – especially in these turbulent times? Bach would have a clear answer to this. But does it still count today?
Follow us into the lobby of the Hotel Heaven. At five o’clock at night, three guests meet by chance, but is there such a thing as chance? While the internationally sought-after brain specialist Prof. Sanchez bumps into a ‘light seer’ called Blanche while checking out, the young journalist Raquel gets stuck in the lift. As soon as she is freed, it becomes clear that this lift has a lot to offer. In the literally – a dead man, who shortly afterwards falls into the lobby with glistening light and the sounds of Bach. What is it about this stranger who transforms the night and sends a perplexed doorman and his guests into surreal dreams, encounters, longings and fears? Is he Lucifer or the devil, as so often sung about in the cantatas? An erratic game begins, in which Blanche and Raquel look into the future and the past and Prof Sanchez presents his research, which is intended to prolong and beautify life. Ultimately, the work of the unknown brings everyone to their personal limits, where the great questions of meaning, faith, death, transience and futility lurk – mirrored, played around and commented on by the timeless music and deep spirituality of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music.
The montage of well-known and lesser-known cantatas and motets arranged for this evening includes the Gretchen question: ‘Now tell me, how do you feel about religion?’ – or with science? At the invitation of the Neuköllner Oper
the internationally renowned ensemble lautten compagney BERLIN and director Ansgar Weigner bring parts of Bach’s cantatas into the scenic space and invite you to sing along to one or other of the chorales (only if you want to, of course). Welcome to your Hotel Heaven!
WITH
Elias Arranz, Frieda Jolande Barck, Johannes Wieners, Christian Pohlers und Claudia Renner and the musicians of lautten compagney with Andreas Pfaff / Javier Aquilar Bruno (violin I), Julia Prigge (violin II), Ulrike Becker / Jule Hinrichsen / Aleke Alpermann (violoncello), Ulrike Paetz / Chang-Yun Yoo (viola), Annette Rheinfurth / Johannes Ragg (double bass), Max Hattwich / Thor-Harald Johnsen (lute), Ulrike Ködding / Yu Ma (traverso), Eduard Wesly / Martin Jelev (oboe), Helen Barsby / Bill Forman (trumpet), Sabina Chukorova / Daniel Trumbull / Walewein Witten (cembalo/organ), Axel Meier / Peter Bauer / Peter Kuhnsch (percussion)
ARRANGEMENTS AND MUSICAL DIRECTION Wolfgang Katschner DIRECTION Ansgar Weigner STAGE DESIGN Jürgen Kirner IDEA AND DRAMATURGY Bernhard Glocksin VIDEO Martin Mallon
With subtitles in English and in Spanish via OPERA ACCESS
Duration: 100 Minutes + Intermission