Henze: Phaedra
29th May 2008
© STAATSOPER - BERLIN
Phaedra
Co-commissioned and co-produced by Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Alte Oper Frankfurt and Wiener Festwochen, Hans Werner Henze’s 2007 opera is continuing its travels this summer with concerts in Florence, Italy (5 June) and Frankfurt, Germany (10 June). Written during a period of severe illness, this new “overwhelmingly powerful” work was premiered in Berlin in September 2007 to rave-reviews. This Konzertoper, with libretto by Christian Lehnert and set design by Olafur Eliasson, can be performed semi-staged or as a full-staged production. Based on the Greek myth, Henze’s retelling stretches far beyond the myth’s traditional tragedy, creating a work in which the relationship between humans and gods are newly defined.
