Grotesque opera by Peter Eötvös based on Melancholy of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai.
The inhabitants of a small town feel increasing signs of an impending catastrophe. The confusion is further exacerbated by the nightly arrival of a traveling circus with the world's largest stuffed giant whale and the presence of a growing crowd of strangers. The chaos begins with relentless looting, arson and murder committed for the sake of it. Innocently naive János Valuschka is caught up in this crowd and unwillingly becomes a member of the violent masses...
Choir © Marie Liebig
The opera Valuschka is a bitter parable and complex reflection on power and superiority. It is based on László Krasznahorkai's novel The Melancholy of Resistance, which was published in 1989 - the year the Berlin Wall came down and the old Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe collapsed. The film The Werckmeister Harmonies by Hungarian director Béla Tarr is based on the same story.
Peter Eötvös (*1944) is considered one of the most renowned composers of our time. The grotesque opera Valuschka is his thirteenth opera and exists in two versions. "In a sense, Valuschka exists in two versions, as I also composed the German version at the same time, which will be presented in Regensburg in February 2024." (Peter Eötvös)
February 3 to May 11, 2024, Bismarckplatz
www.theaterregensburg.de
