Die Entstehung des Lichts
© Christina Baumann-Canaval

The Creation of Light

Charles Darwin / Joseph Haydn

From the Big Bang to visions of the future

Opera, drama and ballet

World premiere 29 October 2022 / Felsenreitschule

Synopsis

Where did it all begin? In paradise or in a primordial soup? Has evolution formed humanity through constant adaptation or did our creation follow a divine master plan? And: Is there any meaning at all to human life?

These themes surrounding the genesis of life are examined in a multidivisional theatre night which sees the drama, opera and ballet ensembles collaborate creatively to explore the origins of life and their possible interpretations in a laboratory environment.

Charles Darwin: Galapagos

The theatre night opens with the drama division leading the audience on a journey through the life of Charles Darwin, starting with his famous voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, which took him all the way to the Galapagos Islands and during which he began to develop his ideas about evolution and the origin of species.

Joseph Haydn: The Creation

Following the biblical narrative of creation and Joseph Haydn’s celestial music, Reginaldo Oliveira develops his own evolution of the language of imagery and dance to tell the story of the origins of human existence and present an intense and disquieting account of paradise and its loss.

The play “Galapagos” brings the world of Charles Darwin to life. It narrates his adventurous expeditions and tells of the scruples he felt about having to deviate from the Bible with his theory of evolution. Interwoven with this work are the divinely beautiful sounds of Haydn’s oratorio “The Creation”.

The imposing setting of the Felsenreitschule provides an ideal stage for monumental themes; after the “Faust” marathon and the “Dionysia” theatre festival, all divisions of the Salzburg State Theatre are now joining forces to explore the origins of life as a grand ensemble of opera, drama and ballet.