Die Brücke von San Luis Rey

The work originated as a commission in the then popular form of radio opera, but Reutter also intended the composition for the stage. The opera titled after the eponymous novella by Thornton Wilder is focused on the fate of five individuals who were crushed by the collapse of the suspension bridge in Lima. A Franciscan brother describes his search for survivors in intermediate spoken texts while the chorus interprets the events. Reutter created an extremely effective and suggestive work with his sensitive and yet vibrant and atmospheric music, moving freely within a twelve-tone framework. Although the vocal cast list exceeds the dimensions of a chamber opera, the work only requires a relatively modest orchestral ensemble.