Philip Glass: The Fall of the House of Usher - Kammeroper in zwei Akten nach der gleichnamigen Erzählung von Edgar Allan Poe
In 1839, the famous story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was first published in "Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine" in New York. As the inventor of modern crime literature, Poe, with his fantastic horror stories, is among the pioneers of psychoanalysis. In American literature, he is considered more of an outsider. In Europe, popularized by his admirer Charles Baudelaire, his works soon found an enthusiastic readership, particularly in the German-speaking world. Poe's writings often transcend the boundaries between this world and the next, which contributes to their unique fascination.
William is summoned for help by his childhood friend Roderick Usher. Is it a dream or reality that William experiences during his stay in the House of Usher? A journey into his own past. Roderick's strange love for his terminally ill twin sister Madeline, whose voice can be heard day and night in the house, even after she has been buried in the underground vault of the house.
The American Philip Glass (b. 1937) is one of the most popular contemporary composers. His name is always associated with the art form of Minimal Music, a term first coined by the American Tom Johnson (e.g., The Quartertone Opera, recently performed by the Opera Factory Freiburg in 2025) and the Briton Michael Nyman (e.g., The Piano). Glass himself would only classify the music he created between 1965 and 1975 as belonging to this genre and prefers to describe his works as "music with recurring structures." His musical style is significantly influenced by Indian music and his mentor Alla Rakha. "Through this music, I developed my sensitivity to rhythm." Glass gained international fame in 1976 with the opera Einstein on the Beach, followed by numerous joint projects with Robert Wilson. In the 1980s, he collaborated with Achim Freyer in Stuttgart on a Glass trilogy, including the world premiere of Akhnaten (Echnaton). To date, Philip Glass has composed more than 20 operas. He is widely known to the public for his film music compositions (Koyaanisqatsi, Dracula, The Hours, and many more).
The music of Philip Glass supports the spine-chilling plot through a floating, encompassing sound tapestry that puts the listener into a state of meditative rapture. The apparent lack of events in the music emphasizes, in connection with the plot, the nightmarish atmosphere of this horror ballad based on Edgar Allan Poe's eponymous tale. For tenor, baritone, and soprano, Glass has notated the three main roles. In addition to guitar, percussion, and synthesizer, he employs a conventional instrumentation of a chamber ensemble.
Philip Glass (*1937): The Fall of the House of Usher (1987/88)
Chamber opera in two acts based on the eponymous story by Edgar Allan Poe
Text: Arthur Yorinks
Performances in English original language with supertitles
Freiburg premiere
Artistic Team
Musical Direction: Klaus Simon
Direction: Joachim Rathke
Design: David Mohorič
Dramaturgy: Cornelius Bauer
Theater Education: Friederike Neff
Soloists
William (Baritone): Ekkehard Abele
Roderick Usher (Tenor): Wei-Chieh Tai
Madeline Usher (Soprano): Leonor Pereira Pinto
Servant (Bass): Johannes Blank
Physician (Tenor): Markus Brock
Assistants
Musical Assistance & Conducting 2nd Performance: Yves Scheuring
Repetitor: Ariane Moulin
Stage Direction Assistance: Ann-Marie Najderek
Design Assistance: Charlotte Vosteen
Holst Sinfonietta
Flute/Piccolo: Clara Giner Franco
Clarinet: Lorenzo Salvá Peralta
Bassoon: Robert Oros
Horn: Pau Riedweg Canturri
Percussion: Lee Forrest Ferguson
Guitar: Lorenz Zimmermann
Keyboard: Ariane Moulin
Violin: Sylvia Oelkrug
Violin: Saskia Mährlein
Viola: Katrina Saffuri
Cello: Philipp Schiemenz
Double Bass: Anna Stelzner
Admission: 6:00 PM
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