Flight" is the third time (after Pinocchio's Adventures and the world premiere of Marx in London) that Oper Bonn has performed a work by the currently most successful English composer Jonathan Dove .
Based on the text by April De Angelis, the airport comedy presents - in the literal sense - a "closed society": In a nameless airport as a gathering place for stranded travelers, held in place by a storm, they become apparent: the small and larger human tragedies, everyday escapes and ultimately also the confrontation(s) with oneself. Whether refugee, controller or lover waiting (for nothing) - the comedy-like chamber play about people in predicaments creates an explosive mixture that discharges in the nocturnal anonymity of a waiting hall.
Originally written as a commission for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera, the chorusless opera has become an international repertoire wonder since its premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in September 1998. Conceived as an ensemble piece, "Flight" combines a wide variety of musical styles and mixes modern with traditional operatic elements: In doing so, Dove has proven that contemporary works of musical theater are also very capable of finding their audience.
Premiere January 21, 2024
Further performances: January 27, February 1, 4 and 24, March 15 and 24, 2024
