Date / Place I

10 September 2021 Don Bosco, Basel

Date / Place II

12 September 2021 Don Bosco, Basel

Series

music theatre

Title

“POPPAEA”

Program

Michael Hersch (*1971) “POPPAEA” an opera in one act based on a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann (2019, WP, commission by Wien Modern and ZeitRäume Basel) – 101’

Musicians

Jürg Henneberger
conductor
Markus Bothe
stage direction
Christian Rombach
music assistance
Kelly Lovelady
music assistance
Ada Günther
Regieassistenz
Heinrich Toews, Ioannis Piertzovanis
stage
Eva Butzkies
costumes
Marius Kob
figurine construction
Ah Young Hong: Poppaea
soprano
Steve Davislim: Nero
tenor
Silke Gäng: Octavia
mezzo-soprano
Svea Schildknecht: Handmaiden 1
soprano
Vera Hiltbrunner: Handmaiden 2
soprano
Francisca Näf: Handmaiden 3
mezzo-soprano
Ensemble SoloVoices:
choir
Svea Schildknecht
soprano
Vera Hiltbrunner
soprano
Anja Bittner
soprano
Tabea Bürki
soprano
Diana Chavarro
soprano
Stephanie Hoffmann
soprano
Francisca Näf
mezzo-soprano
Petra Ehrismann
mezzo-soprano
Marta Mieze
mezzo-soprano
Ensemble Phoenix Basel:
oboe
Christoph Bösch
flute
Antje Thierbach
oboe
Toshiko Sakakibara
clarinet
Benjamin Pallagi
bass clarinet
Raphael Camenisch
alto saxophone
Amit Dubester
alto saxophone
Povilas Bingelis
bassoon
Lucas Rößner
contraforte
Aurélien Tschopp
horn
Simon Blatter
trumpet
Antonio Jiménez-Marín
trombone
Daniel Stalder
percussion
Denis Linnik (10. 9.)
piano
Asia Ahmetjanova (12. 9.)
piano
Friedemann Treiber
violin
Daniel Hauptmann
violin
Dominik Klauser
viola
Benedikt Böhlen
cello
Aleksander Gabryś
double bass

Program description

With breathtaking emotional power, Michael Hersch and Stephanie Fleischmann retell the story of Emperor Nero and his wife Poppaea: the most powerful woman in the world 2000 years ago, a ruthless fight for one’s own goals, the burning of Rome and the end of a world. This opera premiere directed by Markus Bothe ventures on a red-hot journey to the dark side of Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea”. The Basel-based company “Piertzovanis Töws Architekten” turns the stage design into a statement for consciously dealing with the consequences of one’s own actions.

“POPPAEA is an opera about a woman whose desire is limitless; a woman who must endure many things and make her way through a world in which women are systematically silenced. The violence that prevails in this world is extreme. It begs the question: How far have we come? How little have we progressed?”

Michael Hersch / Stephanie Fleischmann

https://zeitraeumebasel.com/produktionen