Redemption
Program
-
Béla Bartók
Der wunderbare Mandarin op. 19, Sz. 73
Tanzpantomime in einem Akt
1918/26 -
Richard Wagner
Parsifal WWV 111
3. Aufzug
1877–82
Cast
-
Sebastian Kohlhepp
tenor (Parsifal)
-
Jordan Shanahan
baritone (Amfortas)
-
Georg Zeppenfeld
bass (Gurnemanz)
-
Choir of the opera cologne
-
Andrés Orozco-Estrada
conductor
Two characters in search of redemption: within a mythical, medieval world, Parsifal discovers that only compassion and unconditional love lead to true fulfilment and healing. In his »sacred festival play« Parsifal, Richard Wagner celebrates striving for true insight as the means to redeem the human soul. Similarly, in a milieu of criminality and prostitution, the setting of Béla Bartók’s dance pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin, a mysterious Chinese character only finds release and peace in love. The world premiere of what must be considered Bartók’s most uncompromising masterwork, in Cologne in 1926, was a theatre scandal – including in the broader terms of the freedom of artistic expression: Konrad Adenauer, the mayor of Cologne at the time, swiftly banned further performances. Today, The Miraculous Mandarin is widely esteemed as one of the greatest, ground-breaking compositions of the 20th century. Andrés Orozco-Estrada and an exquisite ensemble of soloists embark upon a journey through the realms of darkness and light.
