What led you choose the two one-act operas by Jewish composers Viktor Ullmann and Simon Laks? Did the historical background of “80 years since the end of the Second World War” play a role in your decision?
Florentine: Yes and no. On the one hand, we believe it is important to always develop our class's opera productions in the context of current social events and discussions and, where appropriate, to relate them to these. On the other hand, both works really are musical masterpieces in their own right and, in terms of content, are tragically timeless. They are therefore always ‘appropriate’ and it would be unfair to the composers to reduce their pieces solely to their historical origins, even though this is of course always a factor in their reception.
Kai: I actually conducted Viktor Ullmann's opera at the Mozarteum University back in 2013, together with director Julia Wissert, who was studying with Amélie Niermeyer at the time and has since gone on to build an internationally successful career both as a stage director and in artistic leadership. Even then, I felt that this work in particular was ideal material for university degree programme in opera: the parts are all very well suited to young voices, and the orchestra is not too big. Plus, Ullmann's distinctive music, which lies between tradition and (Viennese) modernism, the colourful stage characters and, of course, above all, the harrowing historical context in which the opera was written, immediately captivate young people. Working on this piece is a moving experience for our students and gives them an awareness of music history in the context of the work's almost incomprehensible genesis. I recently told Peter Kellner about our current production of Der Kaiser von Atlantis – Peter played the role of Death in 2013 as a very young student at the Mozarteum. He has now been a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble for many years and performs at all the major opera houses. He said that no other role had had such a lasting impact on him as a singer and stage performer as Ullmann's ‘Death’ and that he would always carry this experience with him. It is touching to hear that students leave our university with such memorable experiences.
The two works are completely different, both thematically and musically. Would you say, though, that they are still related in some way, or do they stand alone?
Kai: From a musical point of view, I can only agree with you partially. Despite all the differences, there are definitely a few parallels. I see these, for example, in the use of so-called “light music”. In the emerging tension between popular and serious music at the time, jazz and chanson also played a not insignificant role in the oeuvre of both composers, which is immediately apparent in both one-act works. Both composers also share a similar approach to tonality and a certain eclecticism. Here a Tristan chord, there a quote from The Magic Flute, here a bit of Mahler, there a bit of Ravel. Both play with formal traditions and both have, to put it mildly, a divided relationship with the avant-garde.
Florentine: I very much hope that both will be the case. Within the team, we looked for thematic and aesthetic bridges or breaks that connect the works with each other. This includes, for example, deciding the order in which we perform the pieces, possible overlaps in the cast (which automatically occurs when roles are double-cast) and creative parallels. For example, both pieces are performed in the same space, which undergoes a development, or the figure of death is present in both pieces, although this is not intended in Laks' work. At the same time, we consider it important to give both pieces enough space to unfold their own unique power.
Viktor Ullman composed Der Kaiser von Atlantis in 1943 in the Theresienstadt ghetto. It is unimaginable to us to create a work under such circumstances that is so musically brilliant and permeated with black humour. How did you deal with this ambivalence, both in the preparation and in the final staging?
Florentine: It wasn't easy to approach the piece because we weren't sure what kind of formal language or style of performance would be appropriate. But too much respect for the piece isn't good either, because then you often can't find any artistic angle to take. Ultimately, it was helpful for me to deal openly with the uncertainty in implementing themes of this magnitude, both within our production and now in the upcoming encounter with the audience. We even go so far as to show – right there on the stage – how overwhelmed we felt, and use that as a stylistic device.
Simon Laks' L'Hirondelle inattendue deals with exclusion and bullying, but transposed into the animal kingdom. An entire zoo romps about on stage. What difference does it make, and what other possibilities for performance and interpretation arise when arrogance and vanity are translated into the animal kingdom?
Florentine: A fable is a common form of parable that avoids pointing fingers too directly. Opéra bouffe allows us to recount absurd events within a society, which of course have very tragic origins, with a certain levity. In some ways, we humans are more similar to animals than we would like to admit. Perhaps we are sometimes more willing to accept an idea or a truth in a fable because it offers us, as readers or listeners, a humorous space for play and association. That is why we consider Hirondelle inattendue to be a very successful pairing with the Kaiser, which deals with messages in a much more direct, not to say inevitable, way – ‘in your face’: Viktor Ullman no longer had time for beating about the bush.
The music publisher Boosey & Hawkes has created a chamber version of Simon Laks' opera for the Mozarteum University. What is special about this new version? How does the reduction in orchestral parts affect the singers on stage?
Kai: The creation of this version was a fantastic coincidence. Without a reduced orchestra, we would never have been able to perform Hirondelle in the context of this production. The original work is scored for a huge orchestra and there is also a large chorus part. The idea for this new version came about in conversation with Frank Harders-Wuthenow, musicologist and senior director at Boosey & Hawkes. He is particularly interested in the life and music of Simon Laks, and I had already heard him give moving lectures about Simon Laks in the past. Among other things, he is the editor of Laks' autobiographical memoirs, Musik in Auschwitz, and as a music publisher, he is also committed to promoting his musical oeuvre. The version created especially for our Salzburg production closely resembles the sparse orchestration of Ullmann's Kaiser: a few wind instruments, two percussionists, two keyboard instruments, a string quintet. In this pared-down version, Laks' music naturally sounds somewhat less opulent, somewhat less French-style and less dramatic. Nevertheless, I believe that much of Laks' musical intentions have been preserved. The lighter instrumentation also allows for lightness and delicacy on stage, and contributes to the character of the ‘opéra-bouffe’, which is what the work purports to be. But in between, there are also some pretty loud crashes! I'm really excited to present our version to the world – a version which Tobias Leppert has created with great sensitivity. In the ‘Chorus of Animals’, we decided to give our ‘animals’ the chorus music – which is not very extensive anyway – in addition to their solos. This means that our three Capitol geese and their Capitol gander also have a bit more to sing. This makes this version of Hirondelle inattendue an ensemble piece in the best sense of the word and adds a real gem to the catalogue of 20th-century chamber operas. We are delighted to be able to perform Simon Laks' only opera at the Mozarteum University in the context of our thematic focus and, for the first time, in combination with Der Kaiser von Atlantis.
There is a whole programme of events going on at the same time the opera is on, focusing on the lives and suffering of Viktor Ullmann and Simon Laks, featuring concerts, discussions, lectures, introductions to the works and film screenings, which was all programmed in collaboration with musicologist Yvonne Wasserloos. In your opinion, what added value do such joint formats offer?
Kai: Since the two titles had already been decided at the beginning of the year, we contacted Yvonne Wasserloos shortly afterwards and told her about our planned production. She was immediately enthusiastic about a joint thematic focus that would meaningfully combine artistic and research-based contributions. I am equally delighted that our colleagues Pauliina Tukiainen and Eung-Gu Kim, will be taking this theme for concert programmes that they will work on and present with their students. Eric Chumachenco has also kindly agreed to perform Ullmann's last three piano sonatas, composed in Theresienstadt. In this way, a focus linking academic and artistic elements has emerged in a very short time. Art and research in direct university dialogue – given the harrowing subject matter, this is absolutely essential in our times, and we hope for a great response.
We are particularly pleased that there will now be a charity performance in aid of the Gedenkdienst Association on Thursday, 11 December at 11 a.m. Admission to this performance is free of charge. Our invitation is extended to students and schoolchildren as well as pensioners, former university members, employees, colleagues and all students of our institution. 11 a.m. is certainly not a usual start time for an opera performance, but we strongly believe in the value of staging this charity performance due to its thematic relevance, and look forward to a lively audience.
