She ignites the memory, and it is through her voice that events
unfold.
She is seen and heard in various degrees of presences: she participates,
she narrates, she observes, she comments, she interrogates, she
is there, and yet she is not there.
It is an intriguing dramatic role inspired by the biblical figure
Rahab: harlot of Jericho, protectress of enemy spies, seeress,
symbol of femininity, strong woman.
Scenes from CRONACA del LUOGO
Commissioned by
the Salzburg Festival
World Premiere: July 24, 2024
Click HEREto run
slide show again.
Click BELOW for MORE.
an
AZIONE MUSICALE by LUCIANO BERIO; libretto by Talia Pecker-Berio
consisting of a Prologue and Five Scenes:
L'assedio (The Siege) / Il campo (The Field) / Il torre (The Tower)
/ La casa (The Home) / La piazza (The Plaza)
This is an opera not of plot but of situations, of memories reminiscent
of biblical events that come back to life in a special place -
the Felsenreitschule: a space carved out of a
rock on a mountainside in Salzburg, made up of a wall that in
the opera serves a multiplicity of functions (wall of music, home,
depository of memories...), and a stage - the piazza - upon which
the memories unfold.
The Prologue is comprised of music that evokes memories:
of the siege of Jericho, of an unnamed field of ill omens,
of the Tower of Babel, of people fleeing from home,
of a place of impending ruin
The events are chronicled through music resounding from the wall
and through the solitary voice of the woman R.
The world premiere
' was a BIG success! The audience cheered and stomped and yelled.
Of Luciano
Berio's music, they said:
"...arresting and beautiful..."
"...a sensational prelude to the Festival..."
And of Hildegard Behrens:
"GRANDIOSE!"
" ...even in the most extreme passages, the voice did not
give up any of its white-hot splendor, her acting and hypnotic
presence beyond description."
