Children's opera for three soloists and instrumental ensemble
King Hamed is furious: just because he is disappointed with his wife, he banishes all the women from his kingdom - except his mother. Princess Sherifa refuses to accept this nonsense. She travels to Hamed's kingdom disguised as Prince Sherif and makes friends with him. Hamed really likes his new friend, and this feeling confuses him more and more: is Sherif really a man? And how can you tell what is typically male and what is typically female? Lebanese composer and sculptor Zad Moultaka also poses the question of masculinity and femininity to the audience musically, as all the roles in the children's opera, which premiered in 2015, are performed by three male singers. Moultaka's score, written for an ensemble of oboe, bassoon, double bass and two percussionists, combines the tradition of European musical theater and "Western" music with traditional Lebanese music in a fascinating and humorous way.
April 8 to 13, 2024, chamber opera
www.theater-wien.at
Tobias Hechler (Hamed/narrator) © Winfried Hofinger
