TOXIC LOVE SONGS:
JUDITH UND BLAUBART

Two people face each other in all their vulnerability, a singer and a female singer. At the centre: the dark fairy tale of Duke Bluebeard and his operatic version by Béla Bartók. In it, the seven locked doors. What lies hidden behind them? Judith wants to discover, uncover and reveal what Bluebeard wants to hide, and in the process brings the voices of silenced women to life. Bluebeard’s doors are not defined by his weapons, his torture, power or grief, but by the self-expression, creativity, joy and greatness of almost forgotten women.

Because our Judith – the soprano Josefine Göhmann, currently celebrated in the media with her recital CD “reBelles” – and Bluebeard, the bass-baritone Enrico Wenzel (including GIOVANNI. A PASSION) are looking for a way to each other, in Bartók’s opera and in numerous “Toxic Love Songs”: songs by Clara Schumann, Mel Bonis, Adolpha Le Beau, Lili Boulanger, Ethel Smyth, Barbara Strozzi and Kaija Saariaho. Together with us, the couple must also set off on a spatial journey, via various stations in our house, whose studio becomes a kind of Bluebeard’s castle.

The team of Josefine Göhmann, Magdalena Schnitzler, Änne-Marthe Kühn and Daphne Roeder not only takes a highly contemporary look at the music and follows the sound of piano, clarinet and electronics, but also dissects the plot with a new approach. The artists cover everything from the private negotiation of a love affair to current social questions about the relationships we all find ourselves in, whether male, female or diverse. Because it’s about learning to be open, respectful and courageous with one another.

WITH
Josefine Göhmann and Enrico Wenzel and Vitaliy Kyianytsia (Piano, Electronics) and Horia Dumitrache (Clarinet)

COLLECTIVE PLAY DEVELOPMENT by Josefine Göhmann (Soprano), Magdalena Schnitzler (Direction, Text), Daphne Roeder (Stage & Costume Design) and Änne-Marthe Kühn (Dramaturgy) IDEA AND CONCEPT Josefine Göhmann MUSICAL CONCEPT Vitaliy Kyianytsia and Josefine Göhmann ARRANGEMENTS AND COMPOSITION Vitaliy Kyianytsia