Der feurige Engel

Opera by Sergei Prokofiev

Sex, Magic Potions, and Heavy Metal! All her life, Renata had visions of the mysterious angel Madiel. In her obsession, she wanted to get closer to him not only emotionally but also physically. But Madiel left Renata, and all she had left were her sexual fantasies. The well-traveled knight Ruprecht is fascinated by this obsessively loving woman and promises to accompany her on her quest for the fiery angel: a medieval ghost train ride through visions, orgies, religious exorcisms, and ecstatic episodes. Pursued as a witch and accused of heresy, the tormented Renata ends up at the stake.

Sergei Prokofiev adapted the novel by the Russian Symbolist Valery Bryusov into this enigmatic and somber composition, whose long history of creation

challenged Prokofiev’s own views on sexuality, religion, and art. The rarely performed opera failed several times shortly before its premiere, driving the composer—much like his Renata—nearly mad. Prokofiev’s score is highly dramatic, jarring, and mysterious, demanding the utmost from both singers and orchestra. Under the musical direction of GMD Ainārs Rubiķis, British director Frederic Wake-Walker stages this intimate tale of two lovers caught between dream and trauma for the first time in Kassel.

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