Into The Fire

In the organizer's words:

In its search for special works for the interim venue, Theater Koblenz came across the extensive chamber music oeuvre of Jake Heggie. Intendant and director Markus Dietze's regular personal contact with Jake Heggie since the production of "Dead Man Walking", which was celebrated by Koblenz audiences and the press, means that Theater Koblenz will be able to perform a very special combination of works under the title "Into the Fire" in the 2024/2025 season: Two of the works ("The Radio Hour" and "The Deepest Desire") have never been performed in Europe before, while "Into the Fire" and "The Deepest Desire" have never been staged anywhere in the world.

Jake Heggie, without doubt one of the most important and successful contemporary composers, is looking forward to the Koblenz production: "I am thrilled that Markus Dietze and Theater Koblenz will bring a new perspective and energy to these three chamber music works. As a theater composer, I have always dreamed of staging and reinterpreting these pieces with movement and dance. Now this dream is coming true and I can hardly wait for the premiere."

The eponymous first part of the evening is inspired by the work and life of the famous French sculptor Camille Claudel and will combine song, dance, visual art and video art.

"The Radio Hour" is a veritable choral opera in which the members of the opera chorus sing and play the thoughts and multifaceted inner voices of the main character, Nora, played by an actress.

The third part, "The Deepest Desire", closes the circle to "Dead Man Walking", as Jake Heggie has impressively set four poems by Sister Helen Prejean, the main character of the opera "Dead Man Walking", to music. In Koblenz, this part of the interdisciplinary theater evening will be performed by the ballet of Theater Koblenz.

For the choreographic work on "Into the Fire", Andreas Heise returns to Theater Koblenz for the first time since his impressive "Orfeo" in 2017.

It is therefore no exaggeration to say that an outstanding evening of musical theater will be on the Koblenz Theater's repertoire from March 2025.

Camille Claudel: Into the Fire

Music by Jake Heggie
Libretto by Gene Scheer
German premiere

The Radio Hour

Music by Jake Heggie
Libretto by Gene Scheer
European premiere

The Deepest Desire:
Four Meditations on Love

Music by Jake Heggie
Text by Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ
European premiere

Venue

Theater tent
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

The cable car runs to all performances of "Into the Fire". Use is included in the price of every theater ticket. Of course, as usual, the use of all public transport in the VRM is also included in the ticket price.

Play duration

approx. 2 hours and 20 minutes

First intermission after approx. 40 minutes
Second intermission after approx. 95 minutes