Stabat Mater & Les Noces

This double bill with the dance ensemble, the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, vocal soloists as well as the opera chorus and the extra chorus bears the signature of one of the most renowned choreographers of our time: Edward Clug created pieces for the Stuttgart Ballet, the Zurich Ballet, the Vienna State Ballet and the Nederlands Dans Theater, among others.

Shortly after completing Stabat Mater, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi died at the age of just 26. The tragedy of his untimely death brought considerable attention to his entire oeuvre. Pergolesi's interpretation of the Stabat Mater is still considered a masterpiece of sacred music today. In his choreography, Edward Clug creates a reference to traditional biblical images against the backdrop of the suffering of St. Mary during Jesus' crucifixion. At the same time, he reflects, not without irony, our modern understanding of the relationship between mother and son.

Igor Stravinsky began work on Les Noces in 1914, using popular Russian wedding poems for the libretto, which he wrote himself. Edward Clug's version, which is closely based on Stravinsky's original, tells of an arranged marriage for two young people in the Russian countryside in a rural setting. In front of the eyes of the excited village community, they approach each other, curious and at the same time anxious in anticipation of the upcoming wedding night. In addition, a man disguised as a "fake" bride makes life difficult for the insecure groom with his cunning game of confusion, while the bride's mother and the groom's father do their part to gently but firmly guide the couple into the "seriousness of life" and the adult world. Clug transposes Stravinsky's folkloristic libretto with great speed, dynamism and humor.

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