Sennentuntschi

In order to create some variety in the monotonous life on an Alpine farm, the three dairy farmers Benedikt, Fridolin and Mani make a female doll out of old cloths called a ‘tuntsch’, christen it with soup and thereby bring it to life. They use the tuntsch Maria to satisfy their sexual urges which become progressively wilder. Maria then begins to dominate the three in an uncanny manner. On the day of the Alpabfahrt, the descent into the valley at the end of summer, the three of them, disturbed by the insatiable sexual desire of the doll, intend to leave her alone in the farm chalet. Benedict and Mani succeed in leaving the hut, Fridolin however, who had satisfied his desires in particularly uninhibited fashion, is overpowered by Maria and killed; she then skins him. Hansjörg Schneider’s drama providing the plot for the opera by Jost Meier is in turn based on an ancient folk tale from the canton Uri.
Jost Meier is especially interested in one aspect of this archaic story: how do humans undergo emotional changes when confronted with their desires and longings in total isolation? The laconic, sparse diction of the dialogues corresponds to a highly economical musical language which creates a claustrophobic monotony through its stereotype rhythms and static sounds, transforming this musical psychodrama into a compelling experience. Meier also employs Swiss folk material, albeit in the form of intensely alienated quotations and as a tool enabling the emphatic psychological examination of the protagonists.