Christian Jost's Opera The Arabian Night Receives World Premiere in Germany

Christian Jost's second opera, The Arabian Night, sees its world premiere on April 26 in Essen Germany's Grillo-Theater conducted by Stefan Soltesz and directed by Anselm Weber. Based on the influential German writer Roland Schimmelpfennig's surreal play, the opera traces the experiences of five lonely people in the stifling heat of a city night as the narrative blends the boundary between dream and reality. Jost comments on his inspiration from Schimmelpfennig's work:

To me, Roland Schimmelpfennig's work is a somnambulistic masterpiece. Seemingly light and surreal, we experience the dreams and nightmares of five lonely amorous people who, brought together in an apartment complex and confused by the continuous sound of rushing water, give free rein to their longing. I had to make a polyphonic swinging ensemble work out of it: a piece that, once started, makes everything flow, blossom and fade away in order to take shape anew. The five dramatis personae, who each have a great deal of possibilities for characterization, have been interwoven by me in such a way that they can indulge in their own dreams or nightmares in a continuous flow of musical events. In order to hint at the "enchanted in the ordinary" in musical terms, I decided in favor of a divided orchestra consisting of 18 musicians. Thus, a kind of "sound arena" is created.

More information on the music of Christian Jost can be found at www.schott-music.com.

Christian Jost
The Arabian Night (2007)
Libretto (Ger) by Christian Jost; English version by Minou Arjomand
3S, Mz, A, 2T, B; 1(afl)11.bcl.0-1.flg hn. 000-perc-pno.cel-str(2vn.2va.2vc.2db)
full evening