Ukrainian Opera to Open O.Festival, International Opera, Music, and Theatre Festival in the Netherlands
The opera GAIA-24 by Ukrainian composers Illia Razumeiko and Roman Grygoriv will open the International O.Festival of Opera, Music, and Theatre in the Netherlands in May 2024, as reported on the festival's website.
"GAIA-24 Opera del Mondo is a contemporary geo-historical performance. The renowned Ukrainian composer duo Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko's production explores the consequences of destructive human activities, particularly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, within the context of a global ecological crisis," the announcement states.
"The idea for the new opera emerged after the Kakhovka disaster, the largest ecological tragedy in Europe since Chornobyl, which significantly altered the landscape. This location is a hotspot where one can witness nature's struggle against human interference," says Illia Razumeiko.
The maestro adds that, in addition to the earth and the human body, a crucial element of the opera is a dissonant piano representing "culture" and cultural layers that extend through the history of music and opera.
"When the earth yields a bountiful harvest, expect a great war. When seas dry up, rivers change their courses, and forests become uninhabitable due to radiation, the empire is soon to fall. When the end of the world approaches, the earth and sky merge into one. This is how Gaia, Gea, Terra, Maga, Mother Gaia speaks to us. Standing here amid the beams of theatrical lights and video projections, can we still hear what Gaia is saying?" notes the synopsis of the work.
The opera is being created within the framework of the contemporary opera laboratory Opera aperta, produced by the agency Proto Producciia. Funding for the preparatory stage of the performance is provided by the Stabilization Fund for Culture and Education 2023 of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany and the Goethe-Institut. Project partners include the National Union of Composers of Ukraine, the National Reserve "Khortytsia." Ukrainian audiences will have the opportunity to see the performance in Kyiv in May. Previously, at O.Festival, artists presented the opera-requiem IYOV (2018) and the archaeological opera CHORNOBYLDORF (2022).
This is not the first opera by Ukrainian composers Illia Razumeiko and Roman Grygoriv to become a major international event. Last year, the opera "Chornobyldorf" by Ukrainian composers was a key topic of discussion at the festival's conference, with participants from the United States, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and other countries. The professional community highly praised the opera as a powerful work of art. The authors themselves refer to their work as a 'victory on the artistic front.'
