p r i s m is about the walls we construct to protect ourselves from our own darkness, the lengths we go through to not look at our history, and the enormous bravery it requires to choose to live after a great loss, rather than shut out the world.
Ellen Reid
On October 9, the chamber opera p r i s m, composed by Ellen Reid with a libretto by Roxie Perkins, will have its European premiere at Theater Freiburg, with stage direction by Sebastian Krauß. Friederike Scheunchen will be conducting members of the John Sheppard Ensemble (vocal ensemble) and the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The premiere is followed by three performances, concluding on October 26.
The opera delves into the psychological and emotional aftermath of trauma, particularly focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a sexually traumatic event. Different musical styles that at first seem disconnected are woven together through ‘use of electronic manipulation, timbre and extended techniques’ to illustrate the protagonist’s contrasting emotions such as joy, horror, love, disgust, and ecstasy.
The title refers to how Roxie Perkins experienced PTSD ‘as a prism through which you watch the world that you once understood dissolve into a place of danger and mystery where time is not linear, language distorts and takes on new meaning, your body freezes and reacts without logical thought, and everyday banalities such as colour become seductive, hallucinatory vortexes that lead you into memories from which you might never escape.’
Get a first impression of the opera by listening to the recording:
