The world premiere of Circus Days and Nights, a unique, never before seen fusion of circus and opera by Philip Glass presented by Cirkus Cirkör and Malmö Opera, will be available to stream on May 29, 2021.
Circus Days and Nights is a circus opera in three acts. Its inspiration is Robert Lax’s masterwork Circus Days and Nights, a collection of poems that draws us into the poet’s fascination with acrobats and the circus lifestyle. The libretto is by David Henry Hwang and Tilde Björfors, the Artistic Director of Cirkus Cirkör, who is also the director.
The circus opera will be playing from May 29 to June 13.
I have had the rights to the poem for about ten years, but I couldn’t write the piece because I hadn’t found my circus. When I saw Tilde’s staging of Satyagraha it struck me: Here’s my circus – Philip Glass
In Robert Lax’s poem and vision of the circus as a metaphor for life, I discovered a soulmate and ever since, Circus Days and Nights has had a permanent place on my nightstand. In Philip Glass’s music, I heard the ultimate circus music, music that commingles with the circus disciplines. Having the opportunity to bring together these two sources of inspiration is dizzying and fills me with a sense of humility in the face of life’s breathtaking leaps of faith. – Tilde Björfors
