Literaturfest: »VA, PENSIERO… FREIHEIT IN DER OPER« PETER SLOTERDIJK, DANA GRIGORCEA, ANDREAS SKOURAS U.A.

In the organizer's words:

The pursuit of freedom is the driving force behind great operas, from "Fidelio" to "Nabucco" and "Le Nozze di Figaro". A panel on the dramatic power of opera.

Dana Grigorcea is a passionate opera-goer and frequently appears on the opera stage herself as an extra. In 2024, she opened the German-speaking Opera Conference (DOK) with a speech on the importance and impact of opera today. When asked whether opera can have meaning in politically tense times like ours, she says unequivocally: Yes!

Star philosopher and cultural theorist Peter Sloterdijk describes opera as an "acoustic world theater". He sees opera as an experimental space for freedom, as art in which existential conflicts are negotiated and cultural orders are questioned. Pathos and orchestra, chorus and grand gestures: is opera still contemporary? Dana Grigorcea and Peter Sloterdijk discuss the most opulent of all theatrical arts with Claus Spahn, chief dramaturge at Zurich Opera.

Soprano Nontobeko Bhengu and tenor Michael Butler, stars of the Bavarian State Opera's opera studio, perform excerpts from iconic freedom operas, accompanied by Andreas Skouras, internationally acclaimed Munich pianist and harpsichordist.