On October 7 and 8, Winter Journey, the first opera by Ludovico Einaudi will have its long awaited production in Teatro San Carlo Naples, in a co-commission with Teatro di Massimo Palermo who gave the world premiere in October 2019.
Winter Journey follows an archetypal un-named family as they seek a better life in Europe as refugees and the harrowing trials that the father, ‘Man’, encounters along the way. Librettist Colm Tóibín has adapted the drama into seven scenes relying on narration, the spoken word, a Greek chorus and affecting projections by Luca Scarzella to deliver what is a powerful contemplation of hope and desperation. The highly respected Italian film director and novelist Roberto Andò directs.
While 'Woman' is left alone in her native town surrounded by violence and death, her husband clambers to stay afloat in the waters of the Mediterranean. He's making the treacherous journey ahead of his wife and child to find a new life abroad and must put his worry for his family aside just so he can stay alive. Meanwhile, a Politician on Europe's shores exclaims to the people, 'This cannot be, too many, too many already... we do not want strangers on our streets'. The chorus concur and disagree, representing the divided voices of the citizens. 'Man' makes land in Europe before the borders close, but it is not too long until he finds out how different the reality of the holding camps is from the dreams he once had with his family.
Since his early work Time Out (1983), Ludovico Einaudi has been interested in theatre and dance, bringing to the stage his unique style comprising of minimalist constituent structures. So too has the concept of ‘the journey’ always fascinated Einaudi who, in 1995 with the opera/ballet Salgari (Per Terra E Per Mare) and in 2005 with Diario Mali, turns his eye on the multi-coloured world surrounding us. His hugely successful seven-album release of Seven Days Walking only further illustrates this fascination.
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