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Teacher of Solfeggio & Aural Training

Teacher of Project Oriented Composition

Teacher of Instrumentation & Instrumentology

Senior Lecturer for Composition & Aural Training

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Teacher of Applied Piano Skills and Score Reading

Em. Univ.-Prof. for Harmony & Counterpoint

Univ.-Prof. of Composition

Univ.-Prof. of Harmony & Counterpoint

Univ.-Prof. of Music Analysis

Em. Univ.-Prof. of Composition

Univ.-Prof. of Composition (Sacred Music)

Univ.-Prof. of Composition

Univ..Prof. of Opera Studies

News … Home News Wait with Tan Dun and rehearse tea … Wait with Tan Dun and rehearse tea 05.12.2020 News © Christian Schneider For his music to Ang Lee's wuxia drama "Tiger and Dragon," Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun was awarded an Oscar in 2000. His opera "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" would have premiered on December 2 at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. It is still uncertain whether it can be staged on December 19 in front of an audience or only in a livestream. Everything begins with a low A, with the dark, standing sound of the double basses, whose frequencies are reminiscent of mystical natural sounds. Then high-frequency waterphones, a shadow, a Tibetan singing bowl and suddenly, as if from the distant past, a voice, a melody. From a minimum of material, language, movement, opera are gradually formed - everything arises from little. Tan Dun works here like a magician of sound, whose magic reminds Kai Röhrig, Professor of Music Dramatic Design at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, of Richard Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen," especially "Das Rheingold." "It begins at the bottom of the Rhine, and from this composed primal sound everything else emerges." The beginning draws one not only into Tan Dun's sound world, but immediately into the story: in a tea ceremony in ancient Kyoto, a monk drinks from an empty teacup and remembers his self ten years ago. In a kind of reenactment, the ceremony, the conscious experience of the ritual, acts as a trigger that confronts him with his painful memories. The tea ceremony has a high value in Asian culture. At the same time, it is associated with something social, sensual and philosophical. It forms the climax of an encounter and celebrates respectful togetherness, having to do with appreciation and mindfulness. "Our Asian students in particular flourish in the production because they can tell us something about the traditions of their homeland," says Kai Röhrig. "The opera is also extremely melodic and cantabile, reminiscent of works by Puccini, for example his ' Turandot ' or ' Madama Butterfly ' , both of which are also set in Asia. Opera voices who love Italian vocal music will feel at home with Tan Dun. More than that, Tan Dun's music has a stylistic openness and accessibility unusual for contemporary opera. He is a bridge builder of cultures. He wants to reach people and has great success in doing so. The subtitle ' A Mirror of Soul ' thus also applies to the music - one senses how students can draw from it and discover themselves in the process. That the ensemble has caught fire incredibly for this opera, of course, makes me very happy." Since the teaching content of the master's degree program in "Opera and Musical Theater" includes working on an opera production on stage with an orchestra and performing the opera in front of an audience as part of the master's examination, the university has made an immense security effort in recent months to make these study performances possible. "The university's rectorate and security management have been totally supportive from the beginning - all levers have been pulled to make sure we can teach our subjects despite Covid-19. It also makes you realize once again the complexity of making opera. It's about working on the voice, the language and the expression, and at the same time bringing all these aspects together in cooperation. An opera production cannot be realized online. It can simply only be done in analog and in presence. So in addition to the lack of an audience, the opera and theater industry is currently also suffering from the limitations in its day-to-day work," Kai Röhrig sums up. Following the example of the Salzburg Festival, the entire team and ensemble were tested weekly until the second lockdown, and contact persons had to interrupt rehearsals for 10 days. So far, there has been no positive case in the ensemble. "We have hope that we will be able to rehearse again from December 7 and have the premieres of the two casts on December 19 and 20. If it has to be without an audience, the performances will at least be recorded and shown as online premieres on the university's website on December 22 and January 6 at 7 pm. We would then have had only a three-week interruption, and the ensemble would be able to resume rehearsals rested and focused, and return to the opera stage. Above all, for the participants, all the budding singers and the symphony orchestra of the Mozarteum University Salzburg, I would wish that 'Tea' could actually be performed and reach many audiences*. The students have invested a lot of time, heart and soul and above all discipline in this project - also with regard to minimizing their social contacts during the rehearsal period," says Kai Röhrig. Until then, Tan Dun says, we'll have to wait and see. To the production Tan Dun: Tea - A Mirror of Soul 19.12.2020 Tan Dun: Tea - A Mirror of Soul  Opera production

News … Home News Tan Dun: Tea - A Mirror Of Soul Tan Dun: Tea - A Mirror of Soul 19.12.2020 Opera production © Christian Schneider Skip page navigation Overview About production Dates & Cast Other productions Return to slider start On the journey ... In his opera "TEA: A Mirror Of Soul", composer (and librettist) Tan Dun takes us on a journey to a fabulous China, to a fabulous Japan - but not in the comfortable paddy wagon of exoticism, as in "Turandot", "Madama Butterfly" or even "Land of Smiles"; much more, Tan Dun succeeds in merging idioms of the various musical and dramaturgical styles of Peking opera with colorful "Western" music to create his own authentic style.  Musical direction kai Röhrig Director wolf Widder Set design michael Hofer-Lenz Lighting design stefan Bollinger Music symphony Orchestra of the Mozarteum University About production Just as "Tao" - the all-pervading principle of Chinese philosophy - can be translated as "path," "journey," the protagonists are "on a journey" - quite literally, in search of a book and thus to themselves, to enlightenment, to being able to die. Tan Dun masterfully maintains the balance between meditative introspection and the great, dramatic eruption; the result is an extremely exciting piece of musical theater. © Christian Schneider In conversation with ... Kai Röhrig on "Tea Read more Dates & Cast Performance dates (without audience) 19. December 2020, 16.00 21. December 2020, 19.00 22. December 2020, 19.00 6. January 2021, 19.00 max Schlereth Hall   Cast LAN: Dares Hutawattana, Regina Koncz PUPPET MONK: Maria Agustina Calderon RITUALIST / LU: Cindy Seung Hyun Kim, Margarita Polonskaya, Lan Gan SHADOW: Tolga Siner PRINCE / PUPPET MONKEY KING: Dagur Thorgrimsson, Huang Shan SEIKYO: Mate Herczeg, Jakob Hoffmann EMPEROR: Di Guan, Qi Wang Other productions Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi 15.12.2024 Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi  The performance of Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi delivered a powerful reinterpretation of the masterpiece. Directed by Alexander von Pfeil, the production centred on the relentless feud between two rival clans and the profound despair of its victims. This staging transcended specific eras, placing the story in a universal, timeless setting that brought Bellini's dark vision of love and war to the stage with harrowing clarity. Opera production Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff 20.5.2024 Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff  Sir John Falstaff is a natural phenomenon: his appearance is imposing, his demeanour commanding, his manner possessive. And most fascinating of all: the event does not care about rules, conventions or decorum, it simply exists for its own sake, in a sense for nothing but its belly. Opera production Elegy for young lovers 31.1.2024 Elegy for young lovers  "What qualities must a person possess in order to dominate both dramaturgically and vocally in an opera?" and "What must a man of mature age look like who is in close relationships with a crazy old lady, a young girl and a doctor at the same time?" Opera production Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Così fan tutte 21.5.2023 Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Così fan tutte  The young officers Ferrando and Guilelmo* do not want to let their fatherly friend Don Alfonso get away with it - after all, he doubts the fidelity of their fiancée! But instead of the demanded duel, they accept his proposal of a wager and thus become handmaidens in the work of destroying their love relationships. Opera production More news