A strident indictment of intolerance
Intolleranza 1960 – this is what the Italian composer Luigi Nono called his first production for opera. In doing so, he was referring to his own time, when the shocks of the Second World War were still clearly palpable, and when Hiroshima, the Algerian war of decolonisation and the revival of Italian fascism also left deep wounds. In short episodes we follow the political awakening of a miner, the Emigrant, who returns to his homeland and finds himself in a vortex of violence and intolerance. He succeeds in rallying more and more people in the fight against injustice and oppression. Until disaster strikes again. In Benedikt von Peter’s moving production, the audience is on stage, among the singers and the chorus, and surrounded by the power of the orchestral violence. As part of the impressive resonating body of Nono’s music theatre, the audience is directly confronted with the demand for solidarity and coherence in the pursuit of a different and better world.
A production of Theater Basel (2023), based on a production by Staatsoper Hannover. A co-production with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.
1 hour and 40 minutes
Azione scenica in two parts 1961, sung in Italian and German.
With Dutch and English surtitles.
Free introduction 1 hour before each performance.
With the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government. The Young Ensemble is supported by the Friends of OBV.
The creators
Team
Stefan Klingele
Conductor
Benedikt von Peter
Direction
Carla vom Hoff
Choreography
Katrin Wittig
Scenography
Cast
Peter Tantsits
Un emigrante
Lisa Mostin
La sua compagna
Jasmin Jorias
Una donna
Tobias Lusser
Un Algerino
Photos
Reactions
"Somewhere during the performance, (a rather young) person next to me is suddenly and almost nose-to-nose shouted at. She is quite startled. That’s something you need to be wary of in this Intolleranza 1960. If you are, then go to Ghent, to experience (most likely) the most powerful music theatre production of the season."
***** NRC
"This performance is, in every respect, uncomfortable, raw, frightening, oppressive, inescapable, harrowing, wild, exhausting, and crushingly intense. And precisely because of that, unforgettable."
**** De Standaard
"A line from Sartre in the performance lingers for a long time. It couldn’t be more relevant: “In no era was the will to be free stronger and more conscious. In no era was the oppression more terrible and better armed.”"
De Tijd
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