RuhrTriennale
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Schumann, Schubert and the Snow Opera for piano by Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert

Premiere
Director, Libretto:
Piano, musical director:
Marcelo Amaral
Set, drawings:
Costumes:
Elina Schnizler
Lighting:
Franck Evin
Associate director:
Nelly Danker
 
With:
OLAF BÄR, Ludwig Blochberger, Daniel Eberle, Piero von Jaduczynski, Christian Kröhl, Mirek Machnik, Xavier Moreno, ELISABETH TRISSENAAR
Opening night:
7. October
Start:
7:30 pm
Duration:
approx. 2 hours and 30 min, 1 interval
Performances:
10., 12., 14. October
Start:
7:30 pm
Duration:
approx. 2 hours and 30 min, 1 interval
Performance:
15. October
Start:
7:00 pm
Duration:
approx. 2 hours and 30 min, 1 interval
Introduction:
10., 12., 14. October
The introduction begins 45 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Price:
Category A
45 €
Category B
35 €
Category C
25 €

Composers Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Franz Schubert (1797-1828) never met each other. Schumann, however, was to remain passionately occupied by his Viennese colleague's work throughout his life. In Hans Neuenfels’ creation Schumann, Schubert and the Snow, the two artists meet both in person and in terms of their most important form of expression, the lied.They circle one another, each probing the other, exchanging views and thoughts. A fictitious meeting, but one that incorporates the latest biographical knowledge about the two composers. Neuenfels integrates original texts by Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert into his libretto so as to illustrate the real and imaginary relationships between these two geniuses.

"Unsettled and out of place, Schubert and his group of friends circle round Schumann's conventional furniture – a table, a few chairs, a sofa.Perhaps the floor is covered with parquet showing the outlines of women and men, some of them indistinguishable from one another. Shades of desire and longing for touch. Schubert worries Schumann. At the same time, Schubert spurs him on. Schubert's carelessness and spontaneity, which bring to mind thoughts of Arthur Rimbaud or Jimi Hendrix, strengthen Schumann's urge to remain settled at any price. One can see his paralyses; one can hear his attempts to put himself back together, to squeeze himself together through composition, through music, through sound. He listens for example, to a Schubert song, singing it out, then writes a counterpart. Another time, Schubert croons a melody, which Schumann picks up and changes into a song of his own." (Hans Neuenfels to Jürgen Flimm)

A work commissioned by the RuhrTriennale, co-produced with the Komische Oper Berlin
With kind support from WestLB AG – Sponsor of the RuhrTriennale
www.filmforum-kino.de