DIE LETZTEN TAGE DER MENSCHEIT

In the organizer's words:

An heir to the throne is murdered. A short time later, the world is in flames, the "last days of humanity" have begun. Over 100 years ago, the Austrian writer Karl Kraus recorded the developments of the First World War and transformed them into a megalomaniac drama for a "Martian theater": "Theater-goers of this world would not be able to withstand it," he prophesied. In the 220 scenes of his monumental tragedy, Karl Kraus attempts to capture how the world can suddenly slide into war, as well as the interplay of propaganda, media, religion, education and corporate greed that fuels the global conflagration. Kraus uses street conversations, newspaper reports, advertising posters, slogans and discussions as satirical bullets. French composer Philippe Manoury is known as a pioneer of electronic music. At the same time, he has enriched both the orchestra and opera with innovative approaches in recent years. He and director Nicolas Stemann are united in their search for relevant, contemporary music theater. In a two-part evening, which progresses from the ordinariness of a café conversation to the apocalypse of "The Last Night", they concentrate Karl Kraus' "unholy plot" in two parts. The result is a "Thinkspiel" in which speech and song, video and stage machinery, drama and opera, symphonic orchestra and electronic sounds play an equally important role. Loosely based on Karl Kraus, the Thinkspiel tells the story of a permanent war that is accelerated by the progress of communication media. No one knew better than Karl Kraus that reality surpasses the most terrible inspirations of the imagination: "The most glaring inventions are quotations." "The Last Days" is also a moving tragedy of humanity. Philippe Manoury is considered one of the most important French composers. He turns the large orchestra in particular into a sound laboratory. On the initiative of François-Xavier Roth, Philippe Manoury has created a trilogy for the Gürzenich Orchestra in recent years. "Ring", "In situ" and "Lab.oratorio." "Kein Licht" was created for the Ruhrtriennale 2017.