In its 2008/2009 season, Malmö Opera is proud to present Death and the Maiden. Death and the Maiden, based on the play of the same name by Ariel Dorfman, is the second opera composer Jonas Forssell has created for the Malmö Opera, where he is in residence.
The world premiere is Sept. 20 in Malmö, Sweden.
Dorfman wrote the libretto for the opera, performed in both English and Spanish, based on his award-winning play about torture, oppression and revenge, reconciliation and forgiveness. Dorfman is a Distinguished Professor at Duke and writer-in-residence at DUCIS.
The renowned Swedish soprano, Erika Sunnegårdh, who has sung at the New York Metropolitan Opera, among other venues, will be singing the main character, Paulina Salas. This is the role that brought Glenn Close a Tony on Broadway and Juliet Stevenson a Laurence Olivier Award in London.
The play itself received numerous best play of the year awards and has been one of the most performed in the world for the last fifteen years. It was adapted to film 1994 by director Roman Polanski and starred Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson.
The heroine, Paulina, carries the traumatic memories from her time as a political prisoner of the military dictatorship. One stormy night a stranger, Dr. Miranda, appears. When Paulina hears his voice she believes she recognizes it as the voice of the man who tortured and raped her years ago — a man whose face she never saw, but who played Schubert’s string quartet Der Tod und das Mädchen (Death and the Maiden) while torturing her. Although her husband, Gerardo, is not convinced of his guilt, Paulina takes Dr. Miranda prisoner and tries to force him to confess.
It is a story which draws the audience into current issues of torture, revenge and reconciliation. Should the oppressed reconcile with their tormentors, or become oppressors themselves? Is revenge a path to peace of mind? Can victims sit down in the same room with the victimizers, and can they ever learn to live with each other?
Death and the Maiden
Opera by Jonas Forssell
Libretto: Ariel Dorfman based on his own play Death and the Maiden (1991)
Scenography: Bengt Gomér
Costume: Annsofi Nyberg
Light: Thorsten Dahn
Director: Åsa Melldahl
Conductors: Thomas Søndergård / Andreas Lönnqvist
Soloists:
Paulina Salas – Erika Sunnegårdh
Roberto Miranda – Joseph Wolverton
Gerardo Escobar – Fredrik Zetterström
Malmö Opera Chorus
Malmö Opera Orchestra
For more information, contact Catarina Ek, Publicity Manager.
Tel/Phone: +46(0)40 20 84 22
Mobil/Mobile: +46(0)703 58 90 71
Fax: +46(0)40 20 84 23
E-mail: catarina.ek [Email: catarina.ek #AT# malmoopera.se ]
www.malmoopera.se
