Mike Svoboda (music) | Anne-May Krüger (libretto)

Synopsis

"The bite into the apple understood as opportunity and call for creativity"

What if the fall of man was not a tragic misstep, but a necessary precondition on humankind's path to freedom? What if this was the only way to fulfill prophecy? Man breaks with God, creates himself and thus becomes like God.
With the decision to know of good and evil, Eve and Adam take responsibility for their own actions from now on and forever. Biting into the apple as an emancipatory act! And they immediately experience the painful conditions this knowledge brings with it. They confront their new inner turmoil in their equally new, perfectly imperfect way: shrewd, empathetic, thoughtful, loving, cheeky and, if necessary, dishonest. Being human is hard, and time is running out - one knows about death now! And there are dark and light forces to fend off too. But while Satanael and Gabriel still wrestle against each other as well as for humankind, God withdraws from the action. The Almighty leaves them to their self-imposed fate - and to the dialectical cunning of two unicorns.

Roles

Gott: actor + choir / Gabriel: coloratura soprano / Satanael: mezzo-soprano /
Eva: lyrical soprano / Adam: baritone / Unicorn: 1 alto / Unicorn: 2 bass

Premiere: May 2nd, 2025; 2nd performance: May 5, 2025
Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele

Cast
Mike Svoboda musical direction
Andrea Moses stage direction
Heike Vollmer stage design
Anja Rabes costumes
Sarah Derendinger video
Christoph Blitt dramaturgie
Paul Grilj light

Morgane Heyse soprano, Gabriel
Manuela Leonhartsberger mezzo-soprano, Satanael
Tina Josephine Jaeger soprano, Eva
Alexander York baritone, Adam
Génesis Beatriz López Da Silva mezzo-soprano, Einhorn 1
Felix Lodel bass, Einhorn 2
Sebastian Hufschmidt actor, Gott

PROJEKTCHOR DES LANDESTHEATERS LINZ
HR-SINFONIEORCHESTER FRANKFURT
SWR EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO
Daniel Miska sound design

a coproduction of Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele
and Landestheater Linz

© Fernando Fath