The Tempest

In the organizer's words:

Opera in three acts by Thomas Adès
Libretto by Meredith Oaks after William Shakespeare's
comedy of the same name from 1611

The stuff of (nightmare) dreams: A violent storm sweeps across the sea, "Hell is empty, all the devils here", cries a ship's crew as they fight against drowning. But it soon becomes clear that other forces are at play in what is probably the most recent repertoire classic in opera history. Prospero, heir to the Milanese throne, was overthrown by his power-hungry brother Antonio and had to flee to a remote island with his daughter Miranda. He mastered the powers of dark magic and not only brought the air spirit Ariel under his power, but also subjugated the seemingly rightful ruler there, Caliban. It was Ariel's storm that destroyed Antonio's ship with his followers, stranding them on Prospero's island. In a chaotic game of intrigue and twisted hierarchies, the magician pursues his plan for revenge, while Miranda falls in love with the king's son Ferdinand, of all people.

Meredith Oak's adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy translates The Tempest into a modern, down-to-earth but equally rich language. The opera by Thomas Adès, whose modern tonal language never completely abandons the basis of traditional harmony, multiplies the play about power and domination with a large orchestra, lush percussion, chorus and solo parts that go to the extreme limits of what is humanly possible: Ariel's extremely high soprano coloratura stands out, for example, while the highest emotions unfold in Miranda and Ferdinand's sensual love and Prospero's hard-hitting power struggle.

Since its London premiere in 2004, The Tempest has already become a classic of the opera repertoire with successful productions in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Vienna and New York. In Kassel, after Otello and The Hamlet Machine, the captivating story continues the intensive exploration of Shakespeare adaptations in musical theater. Director Julia Lwowski from the Hauen und Stechen collective will bring the tempestuous play of power and downfall to the ANTIPOLIS stage in Kassel and expose the compelling topicality of the four-hundred-year-old interweaving of the supernatural and the all-too-human in a contemporary musical guise: Oh brave new world!