Program
Philippe Hersant
Choral Opera Tristia (2016)
Details
The chorus opera of the verses of French and Russian prisoners was created by Philippe Hersant at the request of Teodor Currentzis. Tristia (Sorrowful Elegies) originated as a story with fragments of different destinies glued together by their shared experience of captivity. More than just an opera, it also represents a cycle of music combining various languages, compositions, genres and styles. Owing to the individual choir members strong solo singing skills, the work was created specifically for musicAeterna and it blends with a group of the choir under the direction of Teodor Currentzis. The world premiere took place at the Diaghilev Festival in 2016. Since then, Tristia has been performed on a number of European stages, but for an entire year its acquaintance with the Lucerne audience has been postponed. During that time, many things have changed. However, the piercing sincerity of the Sorrowful Elegies, which combines the power of music and poetry, remains the same.