© Bregenzer Festspiele/ Anja Köhler
fabián panisello – die judith von shimoda
opera in two parts (2023)
music : fabián panisello
libretto by juan lucas based on the play nyonin aishi. tōjin okichi monogatari (tragedy of a woman. the story of the foreigner okichi) by yamamoto yūzō (1929) in the posthumous adaptation by bertolt brecht and hella wuolijoki
conception and design of live electronics by alexis baskind
co-production bregenzer festspiele / neue oper wien
premiere at bregenzer festspiele on 17. august 2023
the abuse of power and the instrumentalisation of an individual for personal gain are at the heart of bertolt brecht’s 1940 play, which he adapted from a japanese text. the play, published posthumously in 1997, is now the basis for a brand-new opera by fabián panisello.
the original play, written by yamamoto yūzō in 1929, tells the story of the first american consul, who arrives in shimoda, japan, in 1856 and complains that he has no local servants. when his talks about a planned trade agreement prove difficult, he threatens to have the town bombed. the geisha okichi finally agrees to serve the consul in order to save her home town. but despite her marriage to a japanese man, she is ostracised for her dealings with the foreigner, falls victim to alcohol and becomes a geisha again. brecht saw in this play the potential for a “japanese judith” and by this he meant “a story of the great heroic deed that has been told to its end”. by referring to the biblical figure of judith, brecht emphasised society’s responsibility for okichi’s development. (text by olaf a. schmitt – bregenz festival)
full credits
music: fabián panisello
libretto by juan lucas based on the play nyonin aishi. tōjin okichi monogatari (tragedy of a woman. the story of the foreigner okichi) by yamamoto yūzō (1929) in the posthumous adaptation by bertolt brecht and hella wuolijoki musical direction walter kobéra
stage direction carmen c. kruse
stage, costume & video design susanne brendel
lighting design norbert chmel
klangregie & live electronics christina bauer
conception and design of live electronics alexis baskind
language coach stephan rehm
with:
okichi anna davidson
saito alexander kaimbacher
ofuku / clive megan kahts
tsurumatsu / kito martin lechleitner
henry heusken / akimura harald hieronymus hein
osai / ray gan-ya ben-gur akselrod
townsend harris timothy connor
prince isa karl huml
vienna chamber choir, choir direction: bernhard jaretz
amadeus ensemble-vienna