Europera 5

MUSICAL THEATER BY JOHN CAGE

MUSICAL THEATER·FOR AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

“For 200 years, the Europeans have been sending us their operas. Now I’m sending them all back.” With this statement, the American composer John Cage opened the door to a radically different opera experience in the late 1980s. In his “Europeras,” chance determines the singing and the action on stage in surprising ways. In doing so, Cage challenges not only our European opera tradition but also the hierarchy of an opera evening. At the same time, delightful moments emerge that allow us to experience seemingly familiar music in a new way and open up unexpected perspectives. “Europera 5,” the final and most compact version, combines two voices, piano, and a gramophone. The audience experiences the performers and the music up close.