NEWS

credit: Tom Wagner
credit: Tom Wagner

17.02.2020

THERESA KRONTHALER in Christian Jost’s Egmont at the Theater an der Wien

In search of a contemporary perspective of the great genius, the Theater an der Wien has commissioned Christian Jost to compose a piece based on a libretto by Christoph Klimke. Beethoven is the inspiration behind this new opera about Prince Egmont of Gaure as a champion of freedom, peace and justice.

Starting with the orchestration of Beethoven’s incidental Egmont music, the composer Jost unfolds his own view of Egmont. To him, the central element is the “search for the magical moment”. This can only be achieved “through a complex, differentiated relation of structure, form and sound”.

Mezzo-soprano Theresa Kronthaler, well familiar to Theater an der Wien world premiere audiences from her portrayal of Ophelia in Anno Schreier’s contemporary Hamlet setting of 2016, sings the role of Alba’s son Ferdinand as part of this world premiere. This coming May, she returns to the Theater an der Wien alongside Asmik Grigorian as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma.

Cast

Edgaras Montvidas, Egmont
Maria Bengtsson, Clara
Angelika Kirchschlager, Margaret of Parma
Károly Szemerédy, Macchiavelli
Bo Skovhus, Duke Alba
Theresa Kronthaler, Ferdinand

Christian Jost, composer
Christoph Klimke, libretto
Michael Boder, conductor
Keith Warner, director
Ashley Martin-Davis, set & costume design
Wolfgang Göbbel, light design
Ran Arthur Braun, choreography

ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Arnold Schoenberg Chor

ARTISTS