Leonard Evers (*1985)
Family opera for children from 7 years of age
Libretto by Pamela Dürr after Homer’s «Odyssey»
Commissioned by the Opernhaus Zürich
World premiere
Cast
Musical director Eduardo Strausser, Ann-Katrin Stöcker Producer Rainer Holzapfel Stage design David Hohmann Costumes Lisa Brzonkalla Lighting designer Franck Evin Dramaturgy Fabio Dietsche
OdysseusRuben Drole
Andrew Moore (21, 28 Nov / 04, 11, 15 Dec)
PenélopeDeniz Uzun
Siena Licht Miller (21, 28 Nov / 11, 26 Dec / 08 Jan)
TelémachosAndrew Owens (13, 28 Nov / 15, 16 Dec / 08 Jan)
EurykleiaIrène Friedli
Liliana Nikiteanu (21, 28 Nov / 15, 26 Dec / 08 Jan)
AtheneZiyi Dai (13, 21 Nov / 15, 16, 26 Dec)
Tatjana Schneider
PoseidonBarnaby Rea (13, 28 Nov / 11, 16 Dec / 08 Jan)
Alexander Fritze
ElpénorThomas Erlank
Rafael Alejandro Del Angel Garcia (21 Nov / 04, 16 Dec / 08, 16 Jan)
EurylochosValeriy Murga
Cheyne Davidson (21 Nov / 04, 16 Dec / 08, 16 Jan)
Polyphem/AchillesUnnsteinn Árnason
Oleg Davydov (21, 28 Nov / 04, 07, 11 Dec)
Kirke/KalypsoErica Petrocelli (13 Nov / 07, 15, 16 Dec / 16 Jan)
Chelsea Zurflüh
Statistenverein am Opernhaus Zürich
Synopsis
After the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus makes his way homewards to Ithaca. The goddess Athena bids the victorious hero a speedy voyage. But Poseidon, the god of the seas, doesn’t want to see Odysseus and his companions make the trip so quickly – and sends them on a journey brimming with adventure. It ends up taking Odysseus ten whole years to finally make his way back to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. On his odyssey across the Mediterranean, his ship is tossed and turned by wind and waves, and he lands repeatedly on unknown shores. Untold dangers and temptations – among them the enchantingly beautiful shores of the land of the Lotus Eaters – await the voyagers on their journey home. They must outwit the giant cyclops Polyphemus and the powerful sorceress Circe, who changes Odysseus’ companions into pigs and shows him the way to the Underworld, where his dead mother awaits him. Temptations and storms also await on the seas: the sirens try to lure Odysseus with their seductive song, hoping to destroy his ship. And the crew faces near-certain death between the twin horrors of Scylla and Charybdis. When the hungry crew members feast on a herd of cattle that belongs to Helios, the sun god, the angry deities prolong their journey once again. Stranded on Calypso’s paradisical island, Odysseus nearly forgets that he’s trying to find his way home.
Homer’s Odyssey is one of our oldest stories, captivating young and old alike for millennia. Which is why we commissioned an opera, complete with a brand new libretto, that’s designed for the whole family. The music is by the young Dutch composer Leonard Evers, whose chamber opera Gold! has already found success with young audiences. German stage director Rainer Holzapfel makes his debut at the Opernhaus Zürich, taking on the challenge of turning the Opernhaus stage into the scene of a stormy odyssey.