Premiere of the GAZ Opera-Dystopia in Vienna
The Austrian premiere of the opera-dystopia "GAZ" by NOVA OPERA formation was performed under the bilateral Year of Culture Ukraine-Austria 2019. All the tickets were sold out a few days before the premiere!
The opera took place under the Musiktheatertage festival at the WUK stage, an alternative centre of Vienna.
GAZ opera-dystopia is the creation of a large synthetic opera form at the intersection of post-dramatic and instrumental theatre. The creators combine performative practices with the experience of avant-garde and electronic music in the "composed theatre" genre. The action of GAZ opera is built around the story of an explosion in a futuristic factory that once produced energy for the entire industrial society. The central image of artistic reality is a piano as a former console of the industrial giant that combined the living and technogenic in one system.
The inspiration for the GAZ opera is the theatrical play "Gaz" by Les' Kurbas, the Ukrainian avant-garde theatre director, based on the eponymous work of the German expressionist writer Georg Kaiser, performed in Kyiv in 1923.
GAZ opera-dystopia is the creation of a large synthetic opera form at the intersection of post-dramatic and instrumental theatre. The creators combine performative practices with the experience of avant-garde and electronic music in the "composed theatre" genre. The action of GAZ opera is built around the story of an explosion in a futuristic factory that once produced energy for the entire industrial society. The central image of artistic reality is a piano as a former console of the industrial giant that combined the living and technogenic in one system.
The inspiration for the GAZ opera is the theatrical play "Gaz" by Les' Kurbas, the Ukrainian avant-garde theatre director, based on the eponymous work of the German expressionist writer Georg Kaiser, performed in Kyiv in 1923.
"WUK is located fifty meters from the place where Les' Kurbas rented his apartment during his studies at the philosophy department in Vienna. Instead of lectures, he attended theatres. That was how he saturated himself with rebel spirit to "burst out" with enormous power at home.
This is symbolic that we brought our most fascinating show – GAZ opera-dystopia – at Musiktheatertage Wien, the festival of modern musical theatre. Our partners Ukrainian institute, Ukrainian cultural foundation, and Culture Bridges helped us a lot in organising all the planned activities.
A few words about the location - the WUK House of Culture. The building was established in 1855 as a factory for the production of steam locomotives. For the past 40 years, it serves as an alternative hub for cultural and artistic events."
The opera is performed by NOVA OPERA formation.
Director: Virliana Tkach
Composers: Roman Grygoriv and Ilya Razumeiko.
This is symbolic that we brought our most fascinating show – GAZ opera-dystopia – at Musiktheatertage Wien, the festival of modern musical theatre. Our partners Ukrainian institute, Ukrainian cultural foundation, and Culture Bridges helped us a lot in organising all the planned activities.
A few words about the location - the WUK House of Culture. The building was established in 1855 as a factory for the production of steam locomotives. For the past 40 years, it serves as an alternative hub for cultural and artistic events."
The opera is performed by NOVA OPERA formation.
Director: Virliana Tkach
Composers: Roman Grygoriv and Ilya Razumeiko.