FITZCARRALDO

Concept: The opera, inspired on the movie by Werner Herzog is intended to be performed on a boat. It tells of a journey through the city of Rome during an apocalypse, exploring the ruins of the past and the decadence of the present.

The structural codes of opera are evoked while retaining their peculiarities and renewing them in a contaminated musical style. The instrumental ensemble chosen ideally resembles a post-apocalyptic pit orchestra: synthesizers and controllers create a musical background akin to the echo of Klaus Kinski’s gramophone; the rhythmic ancestry of percussion instruments, and the monodic lyricism imparted to a solo French horn. The use of vocalization is chameleonic: a trajectory ranging from spoken word, through melodies reminiscent of psalmody and other virtuosic mannerisms, seeking an essentiality that is empty yet pure.

Libretto: Andrea Carvelli

Orchestration: Soprano, tenor, bass, mixed choir. French horn, percussions, live electronics.

Duration: 60 minutes

Year: 2022

Production: E45, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma
Premiére performance: Rome, Lungotevere, September 16, 2022