Nova - Imperfecting Perfection
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Nova - Imperfecting Perfection |
| Shape: | Chamber opera |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Franz Danksagmüller |
| Libretto : | Franz Danksagmüller |
| Premiere: | 20th June 2019 |
| Place of premiere: | Orchestra Center NRW , Dortmund |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ½ hours |
| people | |
Nova - Imperfecting Perfection is a music theater or a chamber opera for singer, viola, live electronics, two virtual singers and a virtual stage design by Franz Danksagmüller . The world premiere took place on June 20, 2019 as part of the German Evangelical Church Congress in the Orchesterzentrum NRW in Dortmund.
action
0. The singularity. Humanity has grown together with artificial intelligence to form a singular network in which virtually no limits exist and in principle everything is possible. A side effect of this development is the loss of ambition and emotions. As a result of the resulting standstill, individual peculiarities are lost, so that ultimately only a single collective consciousness remains, the "<wolleness>". The system itself notices that the standstill would ultimately lead to self-dissolution. To remedy this, it creates an artificial being called "Nova" as an independent antipole. This must first be trained in several steps in order to be able to perform its task.
I.–IV. Immediately after her creation, Nova still regards herself as part of the <wolleness>, despite her own body, which she perceives as beneficial. When increasingly negative feelings develop, she connects with the system with the code word “Open”. She learns that precisely these irritations are essential for life and that she should look for her own purpose outside of the system. The test director (VL), who is the representative of the system, explains the following training units to her.
V.-IX. First of all, Nova gets to know the spatial structure of the universe with the help of its acoustic sensors. Another creature, apparently similar to her, by the name of Seth, tells her from a distance that they are both destined to reproduce in order to create new, free "sources of unpredictability". The VL interrupts the conversation. In the next training cycle, Nova tries to use the development of mankind to find out how the number of her descendants will develop. She notes that the population increases sharply at first, but then suddenly drops to one. The VL explains to her that humanity has destroyed its own environment. Nova can understand this using historical climate data.
X.-XII. Seth explains to Nova the meaning of the feelings that no longer exist in the system, but that enhance life. The VL himself describes them as the "key to life". With the help of its acoustic sensors, Nova learns the connections between human relationships, marriages and murders and the population figures in the various forms of government. She suspects that the population decline could be related to it. When Seth suggests relationship training and wants to meet with her in person, Nova has concerns. The VL interrupts his attempts at seduction.
XIII.–XV. Nova learns economic basics such as growth and the pursuit of profit. She gets into this task so much that at the end of the experiment she almost has withdrawal symptoms. For the first time she experiences a sense of self. Despite her requests, the system will not allow her to resume this training. But she is allowed to connect to the system again and receives further information: Because her own descendants are unpredictable due to copying errors, she is not certain whether they share the fate of humanity and will also end in a singularity.
XVI.-XX. Seth tries to alleviate Nova's confusion by explaining to her that the secret of life cannot be calculated. Instead, she should try to sense the future through emotions. The VL tells her the purpose of the next training cycle, in which she should experience feelings through music, "irrationally organized tones". Nova experiences the music so positively that she develops her own melody and can thus express her emotional world. In her song she dreams of a personal meeting with Seth. He then confirms that he, too, would like to have a life with her. However, Nova recognizes from digital errors in its appearance that, in contrast to her, Seth only exists virtually. The VL explains to her that Seth was created only for tests during her training. Desperate, she sings an aria of anger.
XXI.-XXII. The VL can no longer calm Nova down with words. After her last attempt to contact the system fails, she commits suicide.
Epilogue. Contrary to what Nova believed, Seth actually exists. He and the VL complain about the weakness of Nova No. 354. The experiment must therefore be repeated. Nova No. 355 appears to start training.
layout
The opera is divided into an introductory scene "0" (the singularity), 22 further sections and an epilogue, some of which have English titles:
- II. "Infinity - hypertext associations"
- III. "Term 1"
- XV. "Term 2"
- XX. "Rage Aria"
- XXI. "Hymn to Nova"
- XXII. "Flow my Tears"
The video projections are an integral part of the plot. The “virtual” figure of Seth can only be seen here. The VL and <wolleness> appear exclusively as a voice from the "off".
The live performed voice of the Nova and the music of the violist are picked up electronically and mixed with the live electronics in real time. According to the composer, the music is “based to a large extent on the infinite, transcendental and irrational number π”. The displayed data of the universe, climate change, economic development and human relationship systems were made audible through different "sonifications" or "in-sound conversions". Parts of the music will be generated live during the performance with the help of Hidden Markov Chains through artificial intelligence .
Work history
Franz Danksagmüller's chamber opera or music theater was commissioned by the German Evangelical Church Congress in Dortmund in 2019. There were a total of three performances on June 20 and 21, 2019 in the Orchesterzentrum NRW .
The soprano Anna Herbst , who Danksagmüller wrote the part "on the body", sang the role of Nova. She was accompanied by the violist Olof von Gagern. The voices of Valdemar Villadsen (Seth) and Gerard Quinn (<wholmess> / test supervisor ) also sounded “virtually”. The composer operated the live electronics himself. The director was Kay Link , the stage design and film direction came from Virgil Widrich , the costumes from Gesa Gröning, the projections and the lighting design from Oleg Prodeus. The performance was not very well attended during the Kirchentag, the organizers of which had drawn little attention to it, but was enthusiastically received by the audience. The reviewer of the culture magazine O-Ton said: "This opera is not only capable of repertoire, but points to a future that attracts visitors instead of scaring them off."
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b program booklet for the Dortmund premiere.
- ↑ a b c d e Michael S. Zerban: Too perfect for this world. Review of the premiere in Dortmund. In: Original sound, accessed June 24, 2019.
- ↑ a b c work information on the website of the composer Franz Danksagmüller , accessed on June 24, 2019.