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Roland Geyer presents his penultimate season at the Theater an der Wien today. He spoke to the “press” about the demarcation of the Roščić state opera program, a “Tristan experiment” and the worst case scenario.
What does the slogan “Before Sunset” mean for the 2020/21 season?
Roland Geyer: I relate my last four seasons with the moments of the day, after “Im Morgengrau” and “Zu Mittagsblau” it is now night. But it is not just a motto, it is literally the atmosphere of the setting sun, from the burning coals to the darkness. Nothing worse than the main character of “Zazà” by Leoncavallo can happen to him, that is, that his loved one drops him. It’s similar to “Porgy and Bess”: Bess left him, will he find her again? “Thais” or “Belisario” can also be seen in the context of a lost and lost happy ending.
Coincidentally, this also fits in with the unlikely pair in Prokofiev’s “Fiery Angel”. . .
This year I had to cancel three pieces due to the crisis of the crown: the “Burning Angel”, the “Norma” by Bellini and at the Opera of the Chamber of Gluck “Orphée”. Of course I want to save what I can save. Next season we will replace Korngold’s planned “Dead City” with the “Burning Angel”, because luckily most of the participants can get back together, from Andrea Breth to Ausrine Stundyte and Bo Skovhus and others. The “Dead City”, a co-production, should come in my last season.
They did not want to be restricted by the size of the house and the orchestra pit when choosing a piece, and they had to play “Wozzeck” by Berg and finally “Salomé” by Strauss with small orchestras. Is that the case with Prokofiev again?
No, we played the original cast. We have no space issues with for example triple wood and corresponding strings, it only gets difficult with a lot of drums, and that is only the case with Korngold. We have the permission of the heirs and the publisher to reduce the wind in a single agreement to maintain balance. I love to solve such problems in my work.
In addition to the novelties, there are also replays of “Platée” and “Saul”.
In a subscription vote three years ago, of around 120 productions from the Theater an der Wien, these two were voted best, along with “Peter Grimes”, who will return in 2021/22. All three are also in my top ten personals. How Robert Carsen lets “Platée” play in the vanities of the fashion world and Jupiter finally appears as Karl Lagerfeld, or what the fantastic singer and actor Florian Boesch, incidentally as our artist-in-residence also experienced as a song performer, did in the direction of Claus Guth as Saul: Everything went well. But with us, readmissions are actually new classifications, even though the alignments are coming back almost entirely. Carsen and William Christie will rehearse for four weeks.
Peter Konwitschny presents “Thais”, Christof Loy “Zazà”, but how do cabaret artist Alfred Dorfer and singer Günther Groissböck also get directors’ honors?
As a director, I’m also subject to the spell of constantly thinking about winning alongside established directors and people who may have a different view of the genre and don’t share our blind spots. With this in mind, I also brought in great movie directors, Waltz, Friedkin, and Ruzowitzky. At Groissböck is the directorial debut, at Dorfer, who has experience in cabaret, theater and film, when it comes to opera. The last thing I noticed about “Rusalka” was that the opera singer Groissböck always contributed as a source of ideas, so I asked him if he didn’t feel like putting on stage. I didn’t want to go to the big stage right away, so it will be the chamber opera, with a Freudian vision of “Tristan”, of all things, with 20 musicians, in just under three hours with a break, actually a premiere . I am aware that some Wagnerians and critics will think this is crazy, but it is part of my concept that one or two projects always go far beyond normal. And in Dorfer I think “Le nozze di Figaro” suits him perfectly. I am sure that he will work with the outstanding singing actors to perform a comic performance, neither cabaret nor slapstick, but with his special sarcastic tip.
Mozart’s “Figaro” is also on the State Opera show, as is Rossini’s “Barbiere di Siviglia”, which hits the Chamber Opera. Coordinate your game plans, how is the relationship with Bogdan Roščić?
We have a good basis for discussion, but we only agree this season for individual dates. The question of delimitation will rather concern my successor (Stefan Herheim, note). Roščić wants to renew repertoire pieces and therefore brings well-known productions to Vienna. With the exception of John Neumeier’s choreography for Beethoven’s Ninth, which premiered in Hamburg in December 2020, I’m not going to get any productions from abroad, instead we want to promote the art of musical theater with ten exclusive premieres. Who has ever seen Donizetti’s “Belisario” on stage? “Thais” has recently been heard at most in one concert. And the “barbers” in chamber opera are part of a triad that combines Cavalli and Vivaldi, three of the most important Italian opera composers of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Christoph Zauner, who revealed the boldness of Bernstein’s “Candide” last year, will approach “barbers” with ironic severity. This has nothing to do with the old state opera “barbers”. And Mozart belongs to everyone. His “Figaro” is one of the few pieces to be played at the Theater an der Wien. I don’t see any competition there.
To the inevitable question: do you also have a plan B in crown times?
We have four months until the beginning of September, double the current crisis. One after another, shopping malls, restaurants, and outdoor pools open, people ride the subway without interruption, and airlines run again. If the number of infected people does not increase as a result, other theater restrictions would be absurd. In addition to a lot of optimism, my most important message in general direction with Secretary of State Ulrike Lunacek was not to make hasty decisions, but to learn and react from the data in the coming weeks. What professional football allows cannot be denied to culture. Of course, completed camps and accompanying measures can be more easily performed in stalemate operations than in any repertoire house. Our final “Zazà” rehearsals don’t start until early September, so I’m optimistic. Because the worst case scenario of a second wave with a new blockade would be a fall of several years for the culture.
Theater an der Wien has sent a letter to subscribers requesting donations. Former VBW CEO Thomas Drozda criticized that, how do you see it?
The circular was initiated by VBW Managing Director Franz Patay. I see it as a call to loyalty, loyalty, friendship between subscribers and the public. If you wish, we will refund your money for canceled performances, others can use coupons or even donate. We have established a difficulties fund with the works council, which directly benefits the artists.
