Nijinsky's diary

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Opera dates
Title: Nijinsky's diary
Original language: German
Music: Detlev Glanert
Libretto : Carolyn Sittig
Premiere: April 6, 2008
Place of premiere: Theater Aachen
Playing time: about 100 minutes
people
  • two singers
  • two actors
  • two dancers

Nijinsky's Diary is an opera for two singers, two actors, two dancers and instruments by Detlev Glanert . The text arrangement comes from Carolyn Sittig based on the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky in the German translation by Alfred Frank.

The basic idea of ​​the interdisciplinary work is that Nijinsky, who describes his own illness, is represented by all 6 actors who merge language-song-movement more and more in their actions.

The instruments correspond to the past (baroque instruments: viol, natural horn, recorder), the present (classical strings, wind instruments and piano) and the modern age (saxophone, electric violin, synthesizer). The double bass suits all epochs. There are motifs that are repeated frequently and are processed in the four instrumental pieces "Sleep". Some instruments appear again and again in certain text passages: the trombone and the horn underline passages about God, the recorder sounds when Nijinsky's daughter Kyra is mentioned and the saxophone is a "sinful" instrument when Nijinsky speaks of his sister-in-law Tessa.

The way of composing adapts to the respective mental state of the former dancer: there is more and more overlays, simultaneous speaking, singing and repetitions and movements that are becoming more and more ecstatic. A typical feature of the first production is the frequent swapping of costumes among the actors, whereby original costume parts from Nijinsky are also used.

The performance lasts about 100 minutes.

The work was premiered on April 6, 2008 in the production of Ludger Engels , under the musical direction of Daniel Jakobi, during the time in office of Michael Schmitz-Aufterbeck at the Aachen Theater.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nijinsky's diary on the website of the Theater Aachen, accessed on December 8, 2014.