Out at Sea – Chamber Opera Workshop for composers – World Premiere

12/2013 BMC – HU

Budapest, Hungary

“Out at Sea” – Chamber Opera Workshop for composers organized by the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation and supported by the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and Ulysses Network

After a second production phase of the workshop, with guest conductor Hsiao-Lin Liao, the musicians and singers will rehearse in consultation with the professors during a workshop from the 9^th to 19^th December in order to create two versions of the opera, with an introduction by Peter Eötvös.

The premiere will be held on 19^th December 2013 in the concert hall of the new building of Budapest Music Center, where the audience can enjoy two different versions of one opera during the same event.

You can find some photos taken during the final rehearsals below and watch a TRAILER as well as INTERVIEWS with the involved composers and Peter Eötvös online.

Version I : Out at S.E.A. 123

Composers: Máté Balogh, Diana Soh, Christian Flury

Version II : Out at S.E.A. 456
Composers: Koka Nikoladze, Samu Gryllus, Mariana Ungureanu

Performers:
FAT – Zoltán Megyesi
MEDIUM – Szilvia Vörös
THIN – Maurice Lenhard
VIOLA – Péter Bársony
CELLO – Ditta Rohmann
CLARINET – Horia Dumitrache
DIRECTION: Hsiao-Lin Liao

Short description of the project:

Sławomir Mrożek’s absurd one-act play titled ‘Out at Sea’ inspired the idea to provide an opportunity for young composers to jointly create an opera that unites and addresses the predominant phenomena of the modern age (like alienation, abuse of power, conformity and boundaries of freedom) in one grotesque situation. The participants will meet the exceptional and complex challenge of how the part-whole relations, playing a significant role regarding the sujet, can also be expressed in the possibilities of form and technique.

The chamber opera has to be composed for three singers and four instruments. Without any kind of alteration in the libretto, each character will be created by different composers according to the agreements made during the workshop.

After approximately one month of individual work and ongoing consultation with Balázs Horváth assistant professor, the composition parts need to be submitted by May 31st, 2013. After review of these materials the professors select six composers to finish their compositions by 31th August, 2013 the latest.

Subsequently, the professors compile two versions of the opera from the roles/vocals and instrumental parts written by the composers.

As part of the second, production phase, guest conductor Hsiao-Lin Liao, the musicians and singers will rehearse in consultation with the professors during a workshop from the 9th to 19th December in order to create and introduce the opera under the guidance of Peter Eötvös.

The composers will not only be assisted in their professional development by renowned professors during the workshops, but are given the opportunity for the selected compositions to be published by Editio Musica Budapest and the premiere will also be recorded.

Further performances of the opera will then be presented :

# in Milano (IT), on 26th February 2014, in cooperation with Divertimento Ensemble.

# in Paris (FR), on 9th July 2014, in cooperation with Ircam, during the festival ManiFeste-2014.

# in Brussels (BE) at Flagey on 10th January 2016.