Szenenbild (Foto Matthias Jung) aus Les Contes d`Hoffmann (Hoffmanns Erzählungen) von Jacques Offenbach – Landestheater Detmold – Regie: Robert Lehmeier – Bühne: Robert Lehmeier /Jule Dohrn-Van-Rossum – Kostüme: Marie-Luise Otto – Premiere am 26.01.2024

Fazit Detmold:

Endlich nach Erfurt 2021/22 wieder ein »Hoffmann« mit eigenen kreativen Ideen, in dem es der Regie gelang, die Oper intelligent zu interpretieren, ohne sie mit Verfremdungen oder aufgepfropften Ideen zu verfälschen. Musikalisch und stimmlich alles bestens, wie man das inzwischen auf deutschen Bühnen, auch in kleineren Städten, gewohnt ist.

Die Regie hatte die gesamte Oper in eine psychiatrische Klinik verlegt, und die Patienten bildeten den Chor. Erinnerung wurden auch wach an Peter Weiss´ Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade. Die Idee, diese Oper in eine Psychiatrie zu verlegen war nicht neu. In Detmold wurde sie jetzt konsequent und nachvollziehbar umgesetzt. Zu dieser Idee, siehe dazu die Anmerkungen im Anhang unten.

Die Oper war sinnvoll und vorbildlich auf das Wesentliche gekürzt. Fremde und von späterer Hand eingefügte Elemente wurden weggelassen. Dazu ein passendes Bühnenbild, das einen nüchternen Kontrast zu Hoffmanns Phantastereien bildete und mit einfallsreichen und passenden Kostümen ausgestattet war. Für eine Szene gab es sogar spontanen Applaus, was ganz selten ist und alle fünf Jahre mal vorkommt. Bis auf eine Kleinigkeit begleitete das Orchester perfekt und einfühlsam. Das Publikum ging gut mit und spendete häufigen Szenenapplaus für den großartigen Gesang in allen Rollen. Es gab leicht überdurchschnittliche neun Minuten Premierenapplaus, und was selten ist, der wurde schon ab der ersten Minute stehend gespendet. Dieser »Hoffmann« hat es verdient, auch an anderen Theatern aufgeführt zu werden.

aus hoffmannserzählungen.de

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Hoffmanns Erzählungen

Oper von Jacques Offenbach

Landestheater Detmold

Regie: Robert Lehmeier

Bühne: Robert Lehmeier / Jule Dohrn-Van-Rossum

Kostüme: Marie-Luise Otto

Premiere am 26.1.2024

Pressekritik Concerti.de
Vom Blog hoffmannserzählungen.de

Szenenbild aus „At Your Doorstep/Vor deiner Tür“ Kammeroper in 30 Szenen UA in Johannesburg/Bielefeld 29.3.2023 Komponisten: Matthew McFarlane/Marc L. Vogler Inszenierung und Libretto: Robert Lehmeier Ausstattung: Marie-Luise Otto/Karabo Mtshali, Nthabiseng Makone

Johannesburg

Robert Lehmeier’s production of Romeo’s Passion in Johannesburg in 2018—a work based on material created in interactive workshops with young South Africans—left me with the distinct impression that I was glimpsing opera’s future, or at least its future in places outside the world’s wealthiest metropolitan centres (December 2018, pp. 1527-9). His new chamber opera (seen on April 4) has both recreated and extended that sense, not least because it now also involves state-of-the art technology that bridges distance and difference in our divided world.

Made possible by German state funding, At Your Doorstep/Vor deiner Tür is a 65-minute work designed to create intercultural exchange between audiences (especially younger people) in Germany and South Africa. But its ambition is even larger. Constellated around an online video romance between a young black man and young white woman who live on different continents, it foregrounds contemporary issues of grave importance everywhere—wars, climate catastrophe, inequality, racism, mental health—and shows how opera could play a role in addressing these.

There are just four characters. In a middle-class apartment in Bielefeld, Germany, a young woman (She) suffering from a debilitating anxiety disorder, lives with her over- protective mother; in a poor dwelling in Johannesburg, a young man (He) lives with his caring but headstrong sister. He and She meet online, fall in love, fantasize about meeting but run into serious obstacles: the mother’s Afrophobia; the sister’s reluctance to lose her brother.

Crucially, for each of its several performances the opera played simultaneously in Johannesburg’s ramolao makhene theatre and Bielefeld’s rudolf-oetker- halle. In each venue the audience watched the story unfold from the perspective of their locale. So in the Johannesburg performance, the simple home was stage centre; as He and She interacted online, a big screen on the left gave an enlarged view of the video arriving on his computer from Bielefeld. Projected onto a similar screen on the right were pages of the mainly English libretto, with translations from German and Zulu when necessary. Five of the ten-piece instrumental ensemble were on a rear platform; the other five were in Bielefeld. Of course, the German audience saw the converse of all this. Aided by click tracks, the synchronization was perfect. I was astonished by the rapid, sung interactions between what was live and what was online, and especially by those moments when live and online casts and instrumental groups combined to form an integrated operatic ensemble.

Only technological wizardry could have made this possible. Like others, I found myself believing that the online video was actually live-streaming from the other country, an impression reinforced by scripted moments when the video link appeared to break down. In reality, nothing was being streamed live: for this sort of operatic use, the technology is not yet fully adequate. So in each venue only the local domestic scene was live: the incoming video stream had been filmed in advance in the other theatre. But the illusion became even more believable when the performances in Johannesburg and Bielefeld ended simultaneously, and a video link made possible a real-time online discussion (with translator) between the separated audiences and performers.

In keeping with the librettist-director Lehmeier’s bridging and integrating intentions, everything in the work’s creation and performance was shared between the two places.
Under his guidance, the libretto was crafted in conjunction with young people who attended libretto workshops in Bielefeld and Johannesburg. And the music was co-composed—by Marc L. Vogler there, by Matthew MacFarlane here, each contributing music with idiomatic relevance to his own locale, but ultimately combining in a score marked by current modernist styles, contemporary arioso, African idioms, pop, electronic dance music, allusions to music theatre, and many good tunes.
The cast, all with international careers, sang marvelously. Because so much of the opera belongs to the young lovers, July Zuma (He) and Mayan Goldenfeld (She) made a particularly strong impression, as focused vocally as they were compelling dramatically.

Nohad Becker (Mother) and Nokuthula Magubane (Sister) gave superb support. Judging from the discussion, the audiences in both places found the experience captivating—even though for most of the Johannesburg audience, mainly young and overwhelmingly black, this was their first encounter with live opera. As was true of Romeo’s Passion, this work could tour widely. And it should: for anyone interested in what a viable future for opera could look like, this piece offers an experience at once unforgettable, instructive and hugely enjoyable. Christopher Ballantine

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Kammeroper in 30 Szenen

UA in Johannesburg/Bielefeld 29.3.2023

Komponisten: Matthew McFarlane/Marc L. Vogler

Inszenierung und Libretto: Robert Lehmeier

Ausstattung: Marie-Luise Otto / Karabo Mtshali, Nthabiseng Makone

Programmheft (Programmheft PDF Download)

Pressekritik Opera (06/23)

At Your Doorstep / Vor Deiner Tür – Teaser from Lauge Sorensen Productions

Comfort Ye depicts a day in the life of one of South Africa’s countless “previously disadvantaged communities”, more commonly known as townships or informal settlements. The narrative draws together stories written by young members of the Bloekombos Secondary School choir.

Their narratives tell of love, loss, pursuit, murder, abuse, families torn apart. These are, sadly, not unusual stories in their community. They pose the question: In times of despair, where can you find hope? International music organisation Umculo became aware of these stories in the course of a four-year collaboration with the choir, and conceived the idea of creating a work of music theatre around them. In part, the goal was to reflect reality, to confront audiences through a new, strong performance piece. But the aim was also to give the young people the chance to express themselves, to sing and act their own stories as a way of coming to terms with their experiences, and to help them move towards a better future.

The choir of Bloekombos Secondary School was founded by conductor Siyabulela Sulelo in 2009, and has won many awards. Its members are the main protagonists of this performance, which is the result of an intensive 18-month creation process.

Robert Lehmeier is responsible for libretto, concept and stage direction, while the Berlin-based Australian composer Catherine Milliken, who was also lead the associated educational work, wrote some of the music. Umculo is the initiative of Shirley Apthorp, a music journalist with roots in South Africa who lives in Germany.

What results is a form of collage with texts set to music by Milliken, tunes composed by the young people themselves, extracts from Handel’s Messiah and from his oratorio L’Allegro, il pensieroso ed il moderato – all of it performed by the choir, four vocal soloists, two actors and an instrumental ensemble.

It is six in the morning. In the township, a gunshot shatters the pre-dawn stillness. As they rise to face the new day, the chorus sings the traditional “Nkosiyam” with impressive resolve.

The authenticity of this work, in particular through the young participants, is breathtaking. They sing and act their own stories – and how. They move with complete assurance on the stage, they perform at an astonishingly high level of excellence, and at every moment you can feel their joy both in performance. They are also utterly convincing as a chorus, whether they are singing the gently swinging “Everything’s gonna be all right”, the demanding “Night Chorus” by Milliken, or Handel’s sombre “Thy pleasures, moderation, give.”

Lehmeier’s staging is engrossing. Without any cheap showmanship, he creates scenes of tremendous poignancy, like the “Darkness” scene. Above all, he succeeds in building a bridge from the traditional “Nkosiyam” to “Comfort Ye”, the first tenor aria from Handel’s Messiah. Handel’s music is brought into an entirely new context; suddenly, his music sounds as if it could have been written yesterday, and the baroque era feels far less distant. The first bars of “Comfort Ye”, and the words which tenor Rheinald Tshepo Moagi infuses with considerable feeling are intensely moving. “Nkosiyam” is layered above the aria, and both melt into a happy and appropriate symbiosis. This is the real message of the evening.

Milliken has set to music texts collated from the young people’s writing by Lehmeier. She succeeds in creating some truly great moments, like the reflective soprano aria “Things aren’t easy” or the mezzo’s catchy “Being a mother’s not an easy thing.” Her music creates broad atmospheric surfaces and incorporates driving rhythmic elements which especially suit the choir members, with the physicality they bring to performance. The arias work in the baroque sense as reflective moments which mirror the affect of a given moment in the action.

Lighting designer Michael Maxwell illuminates the stage most vividly, from poetic economy in the “Darkness” scene to the icy beam of the spotlight in the implied rape scene.

Alongside the choir, soprano Siyasanga Mbuyaze, mezzo Bongiwe Nakani, tenor Rheinaldt Tshepo Moagi and baritone Njabulo Sifiso Mthimkhulu all deliver strong performances. Mbuyazi’s vocal potential unfolds in Milliken’s aria “Things aren’t easy” and in the ensemble scenes, Nakani, as the alcoholic mother, gives a convincing account of the aria “He was despised” and is equally strong in Milliken’s jazz-like “Being a mother’s not an easy thing”. Hers is a large yet flexible voice, easily mastering Handel’s coloratura, while her performance as a drinker battling her own inner desperation is utterly convincing.

Moagi’s big moment comes at the end, when he returns to Handel’s “Comfort Ye”. His dramatic power onstage is consistently strong. Mthimkhulu’s dark, full voice conveys an extraordinary sense of peace in his aria “The people that walked in darkness.”

The performance is accompanied by a small instrumental ensemble under the direction of Erik Dippenaar, an organist and harpsichordist who has specialised in early music and returned to South Africa after some years based in London. The group’s stylistic flexibility is impressive, and they prove reliable, inspired support for the soloists and choir.

Xolisa Kapakati plays the role of a persecuted outsider with conviction. But the evening’s greatest discovery is perhaps 19-year-old Nicholate Ngongoshe. She plays a young girl, also an outsider, made pregnant against her will, with such intensity, such communicative expressivity, that the audience is reduced to tears on more than one occasion. She has the evening’s last words: “It is God’s plan for me to live like this, but I can’t deny that it is hectic. It’s about… love.” With a piercing scream she bears her child, the outcome of a rape, and brings new hope, a new life.

The 90-minute work was received with tumultuous at all three sold-out performances. It is to be hoped that the production will have a life beyond this first Cape Town run.

Mitten aus dem Leben

Seit fünf Jahren gibt es das «Umculo»-Festival: Musiktheaterprojekte für Jugendliche aus den Elendsvierteln Kapstadts.

Ein Schuss. Ein Schrei. Ein Todesfall. Eine Szene in den Cape Flats, draußen vor den Toren Kapstadts, dargestellt von Schülern der Bloekombos Secondary High School. Wir hören Händel und neue Klänge. Endzeitlich anmutende Arien und Duette aus den Oratorien «Messiah» und «L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato» wechseln mit von Barock, Jazz und Xhosa-Melodien inspirierten Kompositionen der australischen Komponistin Catherine Milliken. In «Comfort Ye», der jüngsten Opernproduktion des sozialen Musikprojekts Umculo/Cape Festival, treffen unter der Regie Robert Lehmeiers, der auch für Konzept und Libretto verantwortlich zeichnet, vier professionelle Nachwuchssänger auf zwei Schauspieler und 22 Jugendliche. Deren Lebensgeschichten bilden die Basis des Geschehens.

Wir verfolgen das Drama eines jungen Mannes, der beschuldigt wird, ein Mädchen vergewaltigt zu haben und von einer Gang ermordet wird. Das Mädchen, seine Freundin, bleibt fassungslos zurück. Kraftvoll die Mezzosopranistin Bongiwe Nakani als Mutter des getöteten Mannes. Der Tenor Rheinald Thsepo Moagi gibt einen Polizisten, der am Ende zusammenbricht: Er war es, der sich an dem Mädchen vergangen hat. Wir hören das „Thou shalt break them“ aus „Messiah“ – die Arie erfährt vor diesem Hintergrund eine packende Deutung. Siyasanga Yonela Mbuyazwe bittet als Freundin des Polizisten mit eindringlichem Sopran um Vergebung. Die Stimme des Baritons Njabulo Sifiso Mthimkhulu wirkt wie ein Lichtstrahl auf der dunklen Bühne, als sich das Paar (die Schauspieler Xolisa Kapakati und Nicholate Ngongoshe) ein letztes Mal begegnet.

Dem Regisseur gelingt es, die vielen Talente auf ein zwingendes Stück Musiktheater einzuschwören. Er wird dabei von einem Projektorchester unterstützt, das unter der Leitung des Cembalisten Erik Dippenaar mit einer frischen, delikaten Klangkultur überrascht.

Seit 2010 hat Umculo jedes Jahr eine Produktion gestemmt. Die Intitiative ins Leben gerufen hat die in Berlin lebende Musikjournalistin Shirley Apthorp, deren Familie aus Südafrika stammt – für jene „frei geborene“ Generation, die ihre Identität, ihre Rolle und ihre Perspektiven in der Post-Apartheid-Gesellschaft Südafrikas zu begreifen sucht. „Comfort Ye“ beschreibt nicht zuletzt die Reise eines Landes, dessen Wunden noch längst nicht verheilt sind – entwickelt aus der Selbsterfahrung aller Beteiligten. Das Publikum der drei ausverkauften Vorstellungen im Artscape Theatre scheint das zu spüren, applaudiert begeistert, betroffen, beglückt. Manchmal ist sie mit Händen zu greifen, die kathartische Wirkung von Musik und Spiel.

zur Bildergalerie

Music Theatre based on autobiographical texts and songs written by young South African singers
Musik: Georg Friedrich Händel und Catherine Milliken
Konzept/ Libretto/ Regie: Robert Lehmeier
Licht: Michael Maxwell
Artscape Kapstadt
Premiere: 6.3.2015

YAM Award 2015

Pressekritik Auditorium
Pressekritik Opernwelt