Orangen

Music Theatre by Martin von Frantzius (Composition) and
Maria Popara (Libretto Adaption and Direction)

Original Text by Dea Loher
Stage Design and Costumes by Marina Hellmann

Video of Live-Performance April 28th, HfMT Hamburg

Ensemble 21 (HfMT Hamburg) conducted by Cornelius Trantow
Soprano    –    Melanie Wandel
Actor    –    Nicolas Bertholet

Sound Recording: Phillip Schulz
Video: http://webcast.hfmt-hamburg.de
Premiere: April 22nd, 2008, Akademietheater München as part of “Hin und Weg” (joint project for Münchener Biennale 2008)

For ‘Orangen’ Martin von Frantzius and Maria Popara chose texts out of ‘Das Leben an der Praca Roosevelt’ by Dea Loher. Guilt, despair, self-destruction, violence, but also love, the insight to be alive and the possibility to survive are major elements of the text. The main characters, a singer and an actor, communicate via monologues, which represent hidden dialogues: Both respond to each other, even if this is almost imperceptible. The music takes this on and tries to merge both extremes: In addition to feelings of sadness, hatred towards the murderers of the son, the anger at the inability of her husband, the woman’s strongest sensation is: the desperate love of a mother. (Wolfgang Willaschek)