Costume Designer

Director

As a punishment for lacking compassion, the writer «Ich» (or «I») is forced to take in an idiot at home. This seems like an easy task: «Ich» sets out to choose his idiot and is quite pleased with himself and his willingness to host a «holy fool». The idiot seems to fit obediently into the lives of «Ich» and his wife, except for the fact that he barely speaks—aside from an occasional «Äch!», he doesn't say a word. But when the idiot suddenly, and without warning, defecates on the carpet one day, an uncontrollable spiral of violence, sex, and anarchy begins. Alfred Schnittke's opera Leben mit einem Idioten premiered in Amsterdam in 1992. The titular idiot was quickly interpreted as a caricature of Lenin, and the absurd, grotesque story as a biting parody of everyday life in the Soviet Union. However, the composer himself pointed out that his opera is 'by no means solely about Communism' but more broadly about a condition in which «the irrational dominates the rational». Thus, director Kirill Serebrennikov will bring the piece to the stage as the dystopian, contemporary story of a couple whose idiot becomes the catalyst for their already toxic relationship—a catalyst that brings the darkest, most destructive urges of human nature to the surface, along with an inclination for aggression and violence. Schnittke’s music, which combines quotes from Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, the Communist Internationale, a folk song about a birch tree, a tango from the 1930s, and further echoes of Chopin, Mahler, Shostakovich, and others in a polystylistic collage technique, has great potential for wit and irony, which will unfold under the direction of Jonathan Stockhammer with the Philharmonia Zurich. Susanne Elmark, Bo Skovhus, and the Zurich Opera Chorus, who will be on stage throughout the evening, take on the enormous challenges of their roles.

EPSG:4326

Leben mit einem Idioten

Opernhaus Zürich

By the middle of the 19th Century, the figure of Salome, a woman who enforced her erotic desires by using lethal violence, had developed into both – incarnation of female ferocity and symbol for pure eroticism – in short to the most important Christian-mythological female figure within the world of music and literature. It resembles an ecstatic dance on the verge of a precipice which finally evolved into a symbol of decadence: Until today, the opera has not lost any of its equally fascinating and disturbing power.

Salome

The Staatstheater Stuttgart

The acclaimed Komische Oper Berlin and director Kirill Serebrennikov, known for his daring, satirical productions, present Mozart’s iconic comic opera.

The Marriage of Figaro

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Festival Theatre

Child murder, devious monks and a tsar who falls victim to madness. In his grand choral opera, the Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky deals with a theme that offers poignant parallels to today’s world: the extremes to which one man’s thirst for power can lead. The director Kirill Serebrennikov incorporates his own experiences in Russia in this highly topical production.

Boris Godunov

Nationale Opera & Ballet

Infanticide, cunning monks and a tsar falling prey to madness. In his large-scale choral opera, the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky tackled a theme that is still relevant today: the extremes to which a hunger for power can lead. Celebrated director Kirill Serebrennikov brings his own experiences in Russia into a grippingly topical reading of the work.

Kirill Serebrennikov

Costume Designer, Director

Events

Upcoming events

10 - 29 Jun, 2025

Boris Godunov · Nationale Opera & Ballet

Past events

Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2024

Leben mit einem Idioten · Opernhaus Zürich

Oct 13 - Nov 16, 2024

Salome · Staatsoper Stuttgart

About

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